MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg is expected to miss the next four to six weeks with an apparent right leg injury.
Coach Drew Bannister provided an update on Broberg’s status on Monday, calling it a lower-body injury. Bannister called the prognosis good news considering how bad the injury looked at the time.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Bannister said after practice. “I’m glad he’s coming back. It could have been worse, but it isn’t. He was playing really good hockey, and now it’s like, ‘Let’s get him back on the ice and get him back up to game speed.’ That will take some time, but I think the player himself is very happy.”
Broberg’s right leg bent at an awkward angle when he tangled with Toronto forward Mitch Marner in the second period on Saturday night. He grabbed the leg and needed help to get off the ice.
The 23-year-old Swede is the latest Blues player to miss time through injury. The team is already without forwards Robert Thomas, Kasperi Kapanen and Mathieu Joseph, and defensemen Nick Leddy and Torey Krug.
Thomas has a broken ankle, while Krug is expected to miss the entire season after ankle surgery.
“I think our guys have done a really good job of stepping into these situations,” Bannister said. “You can’t necessarily expect anyone to take the job from Robby or Broberg. It has to be a team effort and you need all 20 guys pushing in the same direction and playing the right way.”
Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner (15) controls the puck as St. Louis Blues’ Philip Broberg (6) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Connor Hamilton
Scott Perunovich wants to take Broberg’s spot in the lineup for St. Louis, which is 6-6-0 through 12 games. Broberg was among the team’s top scorers with nine points after signing an offer sheet as a restricted free agent last summer.
“Now Prune can step in and get an opportunity and we’re going to have to rely on these guys to play good hockey for us,” Bannister said. “The group on the ice will get the job done while those guys are away. It’s a chance to make sure we do the right thing, and we can’t just rely on one or two players to fill the spot. We need everyone on the ice pushing in the right direction.”