UPDATE: Aleksanteri Kaskimaki will not make his NHL debut - instead Tyler Tucker will play as a forward.
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Aleksanteri Kaskimaki is likely to make his NHL debut on Monday night when the St. Louis Blues host the Anaheim Ducks (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network, 101 ESPN) - but it is far from certain.
Kaskimaki’s flight to St. Louis has encountered delays, and if he arrives in time, Blues Head Coach Jim Montgomery said he would be in the lineup. If he doesn’t, well then… it gets interesting.
With Jimmy Snuggerud out for six weeks due to a wrist injury, Alexey Toropchenko out due to burns to his legs from an at-home accident, and Pius Suter out with a muscle-related lower-body injury, the Blues are suddenly shorthanded. In Monday’s practice, Montgomery was skating defenseman Tyler Tucker on the fourth line — which could be a possibility if Kaskimaki’s flight does not arrive in time.
Kaskimaki was a third-round pick of the Blues pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (No. 73 overall) and is playing in his second season with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL. Through 79 AHL games, he has posted 15 goals and 26 assists (41 points).
“[He has] brains, a defensive-mind first,” Montgomery said of Kaskimaki. “Our current roster doesn’t have a lot of players naturally that think defense first before offense, and that’s usually the case. You get drafted, you get selected and you get signed because of your offensive prowess in juniors, in college or in Europe. And then you learn the defensive side. Some guys just naturally never cheat the game — Kaskimaki never cheats the game.”
With Tucker skating on the fourth line as a forward, it’s likely Kaskimaki would play there, although Montgomery said he hasn’t completely decided.
“He’ll be on the third or fourth line... it’ll be a game-time decision,” Montgomery said. “All of our third and fourth line players have all played with each other, so for the five guys that are playing for sure, it’s no big deal. He’ll be a left wing or right wing, I don’t envision him playing center.”
Below is a projected lineup based on Monday’s morning skate. It will be updated during pre-game warm-ups if changes are available.
