Jaden Schwartz injury update: Blues star back at practice

The St. Louis Blues look set for a major boost with the imminent return of star forward Jaden Schwartz.

Jaden Schwartz has been out of the St. Louis lineup since Dec. 9, when he suffered an ankle injury while blocking a shot.

The Blues beat the Red Wings 6-1 on the night, but the victory came at a cost. A wrister from Detroit’s Mike Green did the damage, and Schwartz has not been on the ice since.

But he has now finally returned to practice with the team.

Head coach Mike Yeo is eager to get Schwartz back into his line-up following the recovery breakthrough.

“It’s another positive,” Yeo told NHL.com. “We’ll see how he’s doing here, but certainly happy to have him back.”

No specific date has been set for Schwartz’s return to action yet, and Yeo told reporters it will depend on how his star forward feels in his return to on-ice training.

Schwartz has developed into an integral part of a talented St Louis offense.

He is still third in team scoring, despite having played significantly fewer games than his teammates. Schwartz trails Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn in goals and points, but has played 16 fewer games than both. In fact, he boasts a much higher point-per-game average (1.17) than either of his big-name teammates and was on pace for a career year.

The 25-year-old’s impact on his side is evident. Before Schwartz fell to injury, St Louis was one of the top teams in the NHL. But since Dec. 9, the club has stuttered to a 6-9-1 record, dropping down to fourth in the Western Conference.

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While fans will have to wait a little longer to see Jaden Schwartz back in the lineup, his return to practice will give everyone in St Louis a much-needed lift and some added belief going into the second half of the season.