Toropchenko's Shoulder Makes a Bad Situation Worse

Alexy Toropchenko left Friday's opener in Dallas with an apparent shoulder injury early in the second period, and the timing could hardly be worse. The Blues were already dressing a blue line held together with tape — Mailloux out eight weeks after hand surgery, Tucker on IR with a lower-body injury, Carlo still without a recovery timeline — and now they've lost a forward on the first night of the season too.

The defensive situation was already the story going into Dallas. Adam Jiricek, a 2024 first-round pick who was in Springfield less than a week ago, made the opening-night roster because the alternatives ran out. Justin Barron, claimed off waivers from Nashville days before puck drop, is part of that blue line. That's where things stood before Toropchenko went to the locker room.

The forward depth isn't deep enough to absorb this cleanly either. Sundqvist, Walker, and Finley all cleared waivers last week and are in Springfield. Dillon Dube and Zach Dean won the final roster spots in camp. There isn't an obvious recall waiting in the wings who changes the picture.

It's one game and one injury, and the shoulder's severity isn't confirmed yet. But this team spent the offseason rebuilding its forward core and left the defensive questions largely unanswered, and now it's managing both problems simultaneously before the schedule has even found its rhythm.