News Not As Daunting For Blues On Philip Broberg

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Philip Broberg will miss some time, but the St. Louis Blues received better news than was originally feared on the defenseman.

Coach Drew Bannister announced Monday that Broberg will miss 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury, believed to be a right knee.

"We got the news on 'Broby' yesterday; for us, it's good news when you looked at what happened and how the play happened," Bannister said. "Right now he'll be out somewhere around four to six weeks with a lower-body injury."

Broberg, who has nine points (two goals, seven assists) and tied with Ryan Suter for a team-leading plus-6, was injured at the 7:02 mark of the second period of a 4-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs when Leafs forward Mitch Marner fell on his leg along the boards.

"He was playing real good hockey, helping our team in a lot of areas," Blues defenseman and partner Justin Faulk said of Broberg. "It's tough. You don't want to lose guys at any point, especially guys that play that many minutes. Hopefully he can come back relatively quick and be healthy and ready to go and kind of pick up where he left off. Hopefully it doesn't slow him down too much. I don't think it should. He's a young kid and a lot of energy and what not. He should be back at some point and good to go, but it's tough for the group. We'll pick up the slack."

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From a games missed perspective, Broberg will miss anywhere from a minimum of 13 games (four weeks) to 19 games (six weeks) or beyond of needed. With Robert Thomas (fractured right ankle) already out and to be reevaluated in six weeks from when he blocked a shot Oct. 22 against the Winnipeg Jets, the Blues will now have to overcome two of their top players for a lengthy amount of time.

"I think our guys have done a real good job of stepping into those situations," Bannister said. "You can't necessarily expect somebody to come in and take over Robby's job or Broberg's job. You need it to be a team effort, and you need all 20 guys pushing in the same direction. ... So, the group on the ice will get the job done while those guys are out. Again, it's an opportunity and making sure that we're doing the right thing and we can't just rely on one or two players to fill a spot. We need everybody on the ice pushing the right direction."

In the interim, Pierre-Olivier Joseph will move into a top four role and play alongside Faulk.

"You hate to see a guy go down like that," Joseph said of Broberg. "He's been unbelievable for us, but everyone needs to step up. Everyone's got to step up and find a new role. That's what I'm trying to do.

"He's a happy person. He's a competitor. It's tough to see one of the guys go like that, but he's be unbelievable for us, just as much offense and defense. I know he's a young guy trying to create his identity in the league a little bit ad what we saw so far he's a incredible player and even better person to have around. Just having him around this morning, he seems OK and doing better, it's always fun to see."