"That puts him closer to the end of the tunnel rather than the start of the tunnel, but he's still a ways away," Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said during a press conference Tuesday. "I expect him to come on our next road trip out East but not play, just to assimilate himself with our team. Hopefully when we get back from that, I can sit with him and our doctors and get an update on when exactly we should see a potential return date."
Tarasenko was injured on Oct. 24 against the Los Angeles Kings. He had surgery on Oct. 29 and was given a timeline of five to six months to recover. He got back on the ice on his own just before the NHL All-Star Break but has more recently been participating in team practices and even morning skates.
"Doctors have been through this, we've had a number of players that have had this type of surgery," Armstrong said. "We're not going to thrust him into a situation where he's not capable of defending himself in a corner or in a puck battle, but they are pro athletes and they want to play. He's a key piece of our franchise moving forward. Whether it's a playoff game or getting him back in the lineup, it's not going to be until we're 100 percent comfortable he's going to be able to protect himself in those situations."
Tarasenko's potential regular-season return was a big factor in Armstrong not being active at the NHL Trade Deadline, which passed Monday without any moves from the Blues.
Before the injury, Tarasenko had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 appearances this season.
