The Blues are going to be without one of their most reliable energy guys for a while. Nathan Walker, the hard-nosed winger known for his relentless motor and physical presence, has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
The timeline? A tough one - at least eight weeks on the shelf.
The injury came during Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Ducks, though you wouldn’t have known it watching the game. Walker logged over 12 minutes of ice time, delivered a team-high five hits, and finished with a -1 rating.
It was a typical outing for the 31-year-old, who’s carved out a role as a fourth-line spark plug this season. His average of 3.80 hits per game leads the team by a wide margin, and he’s been a consistent physical presence every night.
This setback comes just days after Walker was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game against the Mammoth - only the second time that’s happened this season. So the timing of the injury and the lengthy recovery window caught many off guard. But given the Blues’ current situation, it’s possible the team is choosing to be extra cautious with a veteran player who’s logged a lot of hard minutes.
St. Louis is 9-11-7, and their .463 points percentage ranks near the bottom of the Western Conference.
Their -26 goal differential is second-worst in the league, and their playoff odds, according to MoneyPuck, sit at just 8.2%. In other words, this is a team that may be shifting its focus toward development - and that could mean more opportunities for younger players while veterans like Walker get the time they need to fully recover.
That said, Walker’s absence is still a big loss. He’s not just a physical tone-setter - he’s been producing, too.
With 3 goals and 6 assists through 25 games, he’s off to one of the best starts of his NHL career. His 0.36 points per game mark is the second-highest he’s posted when playing a full season, and he’s coming off a playoff run where he chipped in three goals in seven games.
For a guy who’s often flown under the radar, he’s been quietly effective.
He’s also been a key piece on the penalty kill and has held his own in terms of possession metrics. While the Blues have been outscored 17-14 and outshot 117-109 with Walker on the ice at 5-on-5, they’ve actually generated more high-danger chances than they’ve allowed - 58 to 46. That 55.8% share of high-danger opportunities ranks third on the team among regular skaters, trailing only Jordan Kyrou and Pius Suter.
Walker has primarily skated on the fourth line with Oskar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko, but that trio has already been disrupted. Toropchenko is out indefinitely after suffering burns in an at-home accident, Suter is day-to-day, and prospect Jimmy Snuggerud is out for several weeks following wrist surgery.
That’s four forwards currently unavailable, leaving the Blues with just 11 healthy ones on the active roster. Unless Suter is ready to go by Thursday’s game against the Bruins, a recall from AHL Springfield is all but certain.
One name to watch? Aleksanteri Kaskimaki.
The 21-year-old was recalled earlier in the day Monday but didn’t dress for the game. With Walker now sidelined long-term, Kaskimaki is in line to make his NHL debut in Boston - a big moment for a young player looking to make his mark.
For the Blues, this is another test in a season full of them. And for Walker, it’s a frustrating pause in what had been shaping up as one of the most productive stretches of his NHL career.