St. Louis Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko said he’ll be ready for training camp after revealing Thursday that he dislocated his shoulder during the Stanley Cup Final.
"My shoulder popped out in Game 2 in the second period," Tarasenko said via NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. "They put it back in and I was able to finish the game."
Tarasenko underwent surgery at the end of the 2017-18 season for a dislocated shoulder, but this time around, he didn’t require an operation. The 27-year-old also underwent knee surgery, which the Blues announced on June 25.
"Now everything feels fine," Tarasenko said. "I'm still recovering but I feel strong, I feel good and ready to go."
Tarasenko appeared to be relatively unbothered by the injury, posting 11 goals and six assists throughout the playoffs, notching three goals and an assist in the Cup Final.
Defending the Stanley Cup is a difficult task for even the healthiest of teams and with Tarasenko back to full strength for the start of the season, the Blues’ goal of repeating becomes a lot more attainable, even if they aren’t altogether deterred by a slow start after going from worst-to-first during the 2018-19 season.
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