Tarasenko needs 3rd shoulder surgery, will be re-evaluated in 5 months

St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko will undergo his third shoulder surgery next week and will be re-evaluated in five months, the team announced Wednesday.

Tarasenko most recently underwent shoulder surgery in October 2019 and said he was very close to returning before the NHL season was suspended in March. He rejoined the club once play began in August but skated in just four games before exiting the bubble for another evaluation on his shoulder. He also underwent shoulder surgery in April 2018.

General manager Doug Armstrong voiced concern for his star winger but is confident that Tarasenko will do everything he can to return to form.

"It's certainly not a positive that we're going through right now," Armstrong said, according to NHL.com's Lou Korac."It's his third surgery. We just know that he prepares and trains hard and he needs to get back and play well for us, but yeah, it's a concern in the sense that he's going to have three surgeries."

How much hockey Tarasenko will miss remains unclear with the start date for the 2020-21 campaign undetermined.

The Blues sniper led the club in goals over five straight seasons entering 2019-20. He played a pivotal role in helping the franchise capture its first Stanley Cup in 2019, contributing 11 goals and 17 points in 26 playoff games.