St. Louis Blues’ Torey Krug and Jake Neighbours out tonight vs. Carolina
St. Louis Blues head coach Drew Bannister told the media that defenseman Torey Krug will not play tonight versus the Carolina Hurricanes and is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Forward Jake Neighbours will also be out of the lineup tonight and is expected to miss Sunday’s game versus the Seattle Kraken as well.
Per Bannister:
– Krug won’t play tonight, day-to-day
– Neighbours not ruled out for the regular season, but won’t play tonight and probably tough for him to be ready for Sunday afternoon game.
– Same forwards tonight, so Hayes and healthy scratch again. #stlblues
Krug has registered four goals and 35 assists for 39 points in 77 games this season while averaging 21:58 minutes of ice time. The 39 points surpasses Krug’s 2022-23 totals where he notched seven goals and 32 points in 63 games. The 33-year-old missed time at the beginning of the season after sustaining a foot injury while training in the off-season, he ultimately returned to the lineup during the preseason but again missed time due to a lower-body injury last month.
Throughout his career, Krug has shown the ability to produce offensively from the back end. The Livonia, Michigan product is in his fourth season with the Blues organization after signing a monster seven-year, $45 million contract in October 2020. The contract holds an average annual value (AAV) of $6.5 million and runs through until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Neighbours left Saturday’s game against the San Jose Sharks with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old has tallied 27 goals and 38 points in 77 games this season and is tied for second among Blues’ skaters in goals with Pavel Buchnevich.
Veteran forward Kevin Hayes will be a healthy scratch again. Hayes has tallied 13 goals and 29 points in 77 games this season.
The Blues sit fifth in the Central Division with a 42-32-5 record and 89 points through 79 games.