Not a lot has gone right for the St. Louis Blues, as they lost five of their last six games, including Monday night's loss to the New York Rangers. Due to this, the Blues are now 7-10-6 and a full seven points back of a Wild Card spot. Even though it is early in the season, the writing is on the wall for the Blues, as general manager Doug Armstrong has already let it be known that they are open for business.
The Blues know first hand that a lot of things can change. After all, they were in last place at one point in the 2018-19 season, and went on to win the Stanley Cup. But to do so, they will need to stack wins sooner rather than later. They do face a tough test on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. But one game later, they face an Ottawa Senators team, and a superstar may be making his return from injury.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen says that the "hope and expectation" is that Senators star Brady Tkachuk will return and play on Friday against the Blues. Tkahcuk had been sidelined since Oct. 13 due to a thumb injury.
The hope and expectation is Brady Tkachuk will play Friday in St. Louis. 👇 https://t.co/Cb4K4JFu6F
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) November 24, 2025
Blues could draw Brady Tkahcuk on Friday in return from thumb surgery
The Senators are already playing well without Tkachuk, as they sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with an 11-7-4 record and 26 points as of Tuesday. Now, getting Tkachuk back could make a win even tougher to attain for the Blues
Tkachuk suffered the thumb injury during the team's game against the Nashville Predators, where he suffered ligament damage. That required Tkachuk to require surgery, which was expected to sideline him for about six-to-eight weeks, with a likely return by December. Tkachuk is on pace to return at the six-week mark and just before December.
When healthy, Tkachuk is one of the best in the game. He can score at will, dish out some big hits, and willing to drop the gloves when need be. Before the injury, Tkachuk had three assists on the year. Last season, Tkachuk had a bit of a down year, recording 29 goals and 26 assists for 55 points in 72 games.
Again, the Blues need to pick up some wins to keep their season alive. They are still in playoff position, but if they lose continue to lose games, they will fall further out of it, like the Predators. But their upcoming game against the Senators looks to have gotten a lot tougher.