Blues' Philip Broberg out four to six weeks with lower-body injury

Broberg hasn’t yet landed on injured reserve. Without an open roster spot and with only one extra defenseman, Scott Perunovich, on hand before his injury, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land there before Tuesday’s game against the Lightning or shortly after that. 

Given his return timeline, he’s eligible for long-term injured reserve, but the Blues already have plenty of space in their LTIR pool with Torey Krug and his $6.5M cap hit there.

Many feared a longer-term, potentially season-ending absence for Broberg after he fell awkwardly on his right leg following a collision with Toronto star Mitch Marner. He needed help skating off the ice and clutched his right knee while lying on the ice for several minutes after the injury. However, Bannister’s announcement aligns with a report from Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network Midwest earlier Monday that Broberg’s absence wouldn’t be as long as initially feared.

Signed to a two-year, $9.16M offer sheet and plucked away from the Oilers in August, Broberg has been instrumental in filling the gap vacated by Krug’s season-long absence, plus a lengthy stretch without Nick Leddy in the lineup. He’d taken over as their best left-shot defender in the interim, posting two goals, seven assists and nine points with a +6 rating in his first 12 games with St. Louis.

Broberg appeared in just 12 regular-season contests with Edmonton all of last season, spending most of the campaign in the AHL. He’s on pace this year to avoid a minor league assignment entirely for the first time since being drafted eighth overall in 2019 and subsequently arriving in North America with the Oilers two years later. 

The projected length of his absence still gives him a chance to crack his previous career-high of 46 NHL games set in 2022-23. After just two goals and 13 points in 81 showings in Edmonton, his offensive game was finally thriving in a much more significant role in St. Louis. Drafted as a two-way defender with the potential for decent NHL point totals, Broberg had 38 points (5 G, 33 A) in 49 games for AHL Bakersfield last season.

At even strength, Broberg had been skating in a second-pairing role alongside Justin Faulk, while 40-year-old Ryan Suter held down top-pairing duties with Colton Parayko with Leddy out. 

Pierre-Olivier Joseph slid up alongside Faulk in practice Monday, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com. He will replace a good portion of Broberg’s minutes, at least for now. Perunovich is expected to reenter the lineup in a third-pairing role alongside Matthew Kessel after serving as a healthy scratch in two of the Blues’ last three games.

Broberg’s contract costs $4.58M against the cap. He’s signed through 2025-26 and will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights upon expiry.