Alexander Steen Returns From Injury Ahead Of Schedule

Alexander Steen just re-signed with the Blues for four more seasons, but was questionable for the opening night roster thanks to his off-season shoulder surgery. Initially, he was to be out four months from the June date of his surgery, but he was progressing faster than expected. Happy news, Blues fans: he’s no longer questionable for opening night.

In fact, he’s playing in tonight’s pre-season game against the Washington Capitals in Kansas City. From the Blues’ press release:

Alexander Steen is ahead of schedule in his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.

The Blues forward, who in mid-September targeted opening night on Oct. 12 as his return date, said he feels good enough to get back in the lineup for a preseason game. He'll play tonight on a line with Paul Stastny and Robby Fabbri when the Blues meet the Washington Capitals in a 7 p.m. game at Sprint Center in Kansas City.

"Basically, I feel like I've been well enough the last little bit to try," Steen said. "I didn't want to go out there too early. Early in training camp, I had time on my side and didn't want to push it too fast. Yesterday, I just made the decision that I wanted to get out of practice and into some games."

...

"I'm happy with the progression," Steen said. "It was intense during the summer (trying to get back), and then once we made that World Cup call (not to play), it was easier to kind of tame it back a little bit."

Playing with Stastny and Fabbri should be a solid line for the Blues to trot out. St. Louis lost to the Capitals on Monday night, 2-1 in a shootout at the Verizon Center.