Kyrou has suffered a lower-body injury and will not play versus Chicago on Thursday, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.
Kyrou's injury is not serious and should be ready for the start of the regular season. Jake Neighbours will take his place on the top line Thursday, alongside Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas. Kyrou set a career high in goals last season with 37 while chipping in with 36 assists in 79 games. Look for similar numbers this season if he remains healthy.
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Blues' Quinton Burns: Cut from camp
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Burns (lower body) was reassigned to OHL Kingston on Wednesday.
Burns was already listed as out for Thursday's preseason game, and now he'll do the rest of his recovery from the injury at the junior level. The 18-year-old defenseman figures to play at least the next full season and potentially two more years in the OHL before jumping to the professional ranks.
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Blues' Justin Faulk: Expected to skate Thursday
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Faulk (lower body) is set to rejoin practice ahead of Thursday's meeting with Chicago, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.
Faulk is far from guaranteed to play versus the Blackhawks on Thursday, but the fact that he will participate in the game-day skate is certainly a step in the right direction. At this point, it seems the blueliner will be ready for the start of the 2023-24 campaign, during which he should be capable of pushing for the 50-point threshold again.
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Blues' Quinton Burns: Ruled out Thursday
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Burns will not play in Thursday's preseason matchup with Chicago due to a lower-body issue, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.
Burns was going to be a long-shot to make the Opening Night roster to begin with but his lower-body issue certainly isn't going to help. The 18-year-old blueliner figures to rejoin OHL Kingston once cleared to play where he will continue furthering his long-term development.
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Blues' Isaac Ratcliffe: Suffers upper-body injury
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Ratcliffe sustained an upper-body injury that will rule him out versus Chicago on Thursday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.
Ratcliffe is currently with the Blues on a professional tryout, so this injury isn't going to improve his chances of making the Opening Night roster. The winger failed to make an NHL appearance last season and has just 10 top-level career games under his belt. At this point, the 2017 second-round pick is unlikely to ever become more than an organizational depth piece.
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Blues' Justin Faulk: Sustains lower-body injury
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Faulk suffered a lower-body injury after a spill into the boards in Tuesday's game versus the Blue Jackets, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Faulk's status will be checked Wednesday after he failed to complete Tuesday's contest. The 31-year-old defenseman is a lock for the Blues' top four on the blue line when healthy, and if his injury is significant, it would be a big loss for the team. The Blues' next preseason game is Thursday in Chicago.
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Blues' Kasperi Kapanen: Misses Tuesday's game
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Kapanen (upper body) won't play in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Blue Jackets.
Kapanen was initially scheduled to play Tuesday, but the injury was revealed just before puck drop. The 27-year-old winger can be considered day-to-day until further information becomes available. The Blues' next preseason contest is Thursday in Chicago.
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Blues' Marco Scandella: Starts camp on time
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Scandella (lower body) was on the ice for Thursday's first practice session at training camp, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.
Scandella played in just 20 games last season, and he's reached 70 games played just once in his last five campaigns. Nonetheless, the 33-year-old blueliner should be in contention for a third-pairing role during training camp.
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Blues' Robert Bortuzzo: Skates at first practice
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Bortuzzo (upper body) skated at Thursday's first training camp practice, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.
Bortuzzo missed nine of the last 10 games of 2022-23, but it appears he's ready to go for this season. The 34-year-old blueliner figures to handle a third-pairing role on the occasions he's in the lineup -- he could also be a frequent healthy scratch.
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Blues' Sam Bitten: Inks PTO with Blues
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Bitten signed a professional tryout agreement with St. Louis on Monday.
Bitten spent the last two years in the Czech League, totaling just three points in 54 games. He's yet to appear in an NHL or AHL game and went undrafted after his OHL career. His brother, Will Bitten, suited up in four games with the Blues last season.
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Blues' Andy Welinski: Secures PTO
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Welinski signed a professional tryout offer with St. Louis on Monday.
Welinski hasn't seen any NHL action since the 2020-21 campaign when he was held without a point in 13 games with the Ducks. The 30-year-old blueliner has appeared in 46 career NHL contests and should be considered a long shot to make the Blues' roster out of camp.
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Blues' Nick Ritchie: Joins Blues on PTO
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Ritchie inked a professional tryout agreement with St. Louis on Thursday.
Ritchie recorded 13 goals, 26 points, 53 PIM and 218 hits in 74 contests between Arizona and Calgary in 2022-23. He'll be in the running for a fourth-line spot on the Blues' Opening Night roster.
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Blues' Torey Krug: Suffers foot injury
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The Blues announced Tuesday that Krug suffered a right-foot injury while training for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
Krug is scheduled to be re-evaluated Oct. 1, so he could be hindered by the issue for most of training camp. It's unclear at this time if he will be ready for the Blues' season opener versus Dallas on Oct. 12. Krug accounted for seven goals, 32 points, 126 shots on net and 87 blocked shots in 63 games during the 2022-23 campaign.
Kapanen was charged with driving while intoxicated in Finland last month, according to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.
Kapanen was contrite when he issued a statement through the Blues. "Last month I made an unacceptable error in judgment and take full responsibility for my actions. I offer my apologies to my family, the Blues organization, my teammates and the fans. I understand the severity of my mistake and am committed to doing everything I can to earn back their trust." Kapanen was picked up on waivers in February by the Blues from the Penguins. He played well with the Blues, scoring eight times and adding six assists in only 23 contests. Kapanen's case is scheduled to go to trial in February in Finland.
Ratcliffe signed a professional tryout agreement with the Blues on Thursday.
Ratcliffe previously signed a minor-league contract with the unaffiliated AHL Chicago club in July, so he'll have a fall-back option if he doesn't get a full contract with the Blues. The forward split time between Milwaukee and Lehigh Valley in the AHL last year, combining for six goals and 20 points over 47 contests. He has four points in 10 career NHL games, all with the Flyers.
Blues' Jeremie Biakabutuka: Agrees to entry-level contract
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Biakabutuka signed an entry-level contract with St. Louis on Wednesday.
Biakabutuka was never drafted, but he earned this opportunity with the Blues after attending their development camp this summer. The 21-year-old had 17 goals, 42 points and 53 PIM in 56 QMJHL games with Charlottetown in 2022-23.
Toropchenko agreed to a two-year, $2.5 million contract with St. Louis on Saturday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Toropchenko had 10 goals, 19 points, 122 hits and 46 blocks in 69 contests with the Blues last season. The 24-year-old was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights coming off a one-year, two-way contract worth $750,000 at the NHL level.
