Mayich Remains Hospitalized. The Blues Still Have No Answers.

Matthew Mayich is still in the hospital. The Arizona State defenseman and Blues draft pick has been there since collapsing during an outdoor workout with what paramedics described as a heat-related illness, and as of now there is no timeline for his release, let alone any return to hockey activity. Training camp is close. Nothing has changed.

The situation lands harder given everything else happening on the St. Louis blue line. Brandon Carlo, acquired this summer to address a defense that allowed 3.1 goals per game over the final stretch of last season, has his own uncertain timeline. The Blues came into this offseason knowing the back end was the problem. They made moves to fix it. Those moves are, at the moment, largely unavailable.

Mayich is a prospect, not a sure thing, and his absence from camp would not by itself reshape the roster. But the Blues are already thin enough that every option matters. A team that finished 37-45 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year cannot afford to lose pieces before the first puck drops. Right now they are losing them before camp even opens.

There is nothing to do but wait on Mayich. His health is the only thing that matters here, and that is where the focus belongs. The defensive depth questions will still be there when he is better.