The Blues are getting a familiar face back in the mix. On Thursday, the team activated veteran center Oskar Sundqvist from injured reserve, giving their forward group a potential boost just ahead of their matchup with the Panthers.
In a corresponding move, St. Louis sent Matt Luff and Hugh McGing back to AHL Springfield after recalling them earlier in the day under emergency conditions.
That leaves the Blues with an open roster spot-and a few lineup decisions to make.
Sundqvist, along with wingers Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours, was labeled a game-time decision by head coach Jim Montgomery earlier in the day. The fact that Luff and McGing were returned to the minors suggests the Blues expect at least two of those three to be ready to go.
Whether Sundqvist is one of them remains up in the air, especially considering he’s been a healthy scratch at times this season. If all three are cleared, he could still find himself watching from the press box.
The 31-year-old’s stint on IR was short-lived. He was sidelined last Friday after suffering an ankle laceration during a January 18 game against the Oilers, missing four games in total. It’s just the latest in a season that’s seen Sundqvist in and out of the lineup-he missed the start of the year with a lower-body injury and has been limited to 39 of 53 games so far in the 2025-26 campaign.
Now in his 11th NHL season and back for a second go-round with St. Louis, Sundqvist has been a steady presence on the fourth line when healthy.
He’s typically centered a checking unit with Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker, and he’s chipped in across special teams as needed-logging time on both the second penalty kill and second power-play units. His average ice time sits at 13:20 per night, right in line with his career norm.
He may not be lighting up the scoresheet, but Sundqvist has held his own in a depth role for a Blues team that’s struggled to generate offense. With three goals and 10 assists through 39 games, his 0.33 points-per-game pace is actually ahead of what he posted in either of his last two seasons in St.
Louis. That’s despite a 9.4% shooting clip that’s slightly below his career average, suggesting there might even be room for a bit more production.
His -13 rating might jump off the page, but it needs context. Sundqvist starts a whopping 71.5% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the defensive zone-one of the highest rates among forwards league-wide. That kind of deployment is bound to skew plus-minus numbers, especially on a team that’s been inconsistent defensively.
Bottom line: Sundqvist may not be a nightly fixture, but he brings value. He’s a trusted, versatile piece who can kill penalties, chip in on the power play, and win tough minutes in the defensive zone. If the Blues are looking to stabilize their bottom six and tighten things up defensively, having Sundqvist back in the mix certainly doesn’t hurt.