The Blues will be healthy for the Winter Classic

There have been several concerns about the 2022 Winter Classic - the initial concern has been regarding Covid-19 and if it would even be played or not. Clearly, it is game on for Saturday evening, so fans’ other concern has shifted to the frigid weather. Honestly, the league’s concern is on the temperature, too. As the league’s chief content officer Steve Mayer told NHL.com:

“As with any outdoor game, weather is a factor,” Mayer said. “We clearly recognize that when we go to any venue. And as with any game, we’re monitoring the weather, and we’ll make decisions that are in the interest of our players and our fans, period.

“We’re getting expert opinions, but the weather is always changing too. It keeps moving. We’re not going to make an educated guess. We’re going to make a decision based on facts.

“As of right now, we are confident the game will go on as planned.”

The final thing fans have been worried about - ok, Blues fans have been worried about - has been the health of the team. Aside from Robert Bortuzzo, it looks like everyone’s off of the Covid-19 list. As far as injuries go, Brayden Schenn is the only question mark.

Schenn’s exact status is, according to Craig Berube, “up in the air.”

Unfortunately, this means that Ville Husso and his slick Winter Classic pads are out, since not much was said about him today. The Blues placed him on LTIR yesterday, probably to accommodate the return of David Perron. Of course, Robert Bortuzzo will be watching from the much warmer press box.

Guys want to play in these annual events, but based on the forecast, Bort may just be ok.