Defenseman Justin Faulk of the St. Louis Blues is placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury.

News for one of the St. Louis Blues’ seasoned defensemen.

The Blues announced on Thursday that Justin Faulk, who has a lower-body injury, is going to be placed on injured reserve.

The exact time of Faulk’s injury is unknown, but head coach Drew Bannister said earlier in the day that the 31-year-old is sidelined for a few weeks. The native of St. Paul hasn’t performed since January 23.

With yet another lower-body injury in early January, Faulk was sidelined for five games. The former Carolina Hurricane had not missed time due to an injury since the 2021–2022 season.

There are two notable defensemen on the Blues’ injured list: Faulk and Ryan. With a lower-body injury, Scott Perunovich is also sidelined for a few weeks.

Before being sidelined, Faulk had tallied two goals and provided 17 assists in 40 contests. The fifth-year Blue was coming off a career-best 2022–23 campaign in which he scored 50 points in 82 games. Over the course of his 13-year career, Faulk has participated in 882 games, recording 289 assists and 126 goals, with 17 points coming from 38 playoff appearances.

Although Faulk has produced strong individual results since joining the St. Louis team in 2019, the group has not fared as well. The Blues lost in the first round of the playoffs in both 2020 and 2021, and then they were eliminated in the second round in 2022.

Before their first game following the break, the Blues (26-21-2) will still have a few days to prepare as they visit.

Sergachev, 25, was hit by Alexis Lafreniere during the second period of Wednesday’s game against the New York Rangers, resulting in an injury. Sergachev fell to the ice after the Rangers winger defended the hit with a reverse hit. He seemed to be in excruciating pain and was gripping his left leg, necessitating the use of a stretcher to help him off the ice.

Regarding Sergachev’s status, The Lightning posted the following statement on their website and social media accounts: