It sure looks like the St. Louis Blues are going to limp into the 2017-18 season (sometimes literally).
The team announced that promising young forward Robby Fabbri will miss the remainder of training camp after injuring his surgically repaired left knee. The Blues say that they will re-evaluate Fabbri, 21, in 10 days.
It’s difficult to say how bad this issue is, but knee injuries - particularly involving knees that are already problems for athletes - can be tricky.
Even if this is a mere short-term setback, it’s staggering how long the Blues’ injury list is even before their season-opener.
Alex Steen was ruled out of training camp (and possibly beyond) just days ago because of a hand injury. Zach Sanford’s push toward being an NHL regular is on hold thanks to being sidelined for multiple months with a shoulder issue, while a fractured ankle puts Jay Bouwmeester’s 2017-18 season in some question, too. (More on Sanford and Bouwmeester here.)
Patrik Berglund might not be back until late 2017 or even into 2018 with his own shoulder issues.
While such injuries open up opportunities for younger players to make even temporary jumps, it’s tough to stomach as Mike Yeo preps for his first full season behind the Blues bench.
In Fabbri’s case, this is a considerable disappointment, as he was starting to show the zip at the NHL level that’s made him such a prolific scorer in the OHL. Here’s hoping he gets over these issues, as considering his size, a significant loss in speed could be a serious problem for Fabbri.