ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Blues defenseman Nick Leddy had never been out for four months.

Since he became an NHL regular in Chicago in 2011, he’d missed just 27 games in the next 13 seasons. But then came this season and a 49-game absence due to injury that kept Leddy out from Oct. 15 until his return Tuesday against the Oilers.

“It was frustrating, but definitely very thankful and grateful to be back playing,� Leddy said after the Blues’ 3-2 overtime loss to Edmonton. “It was a long journey, a lot of lonely nights, at times. But having these guys pick me up when I got to see them and just be around the guys again was great.�

Leddy played 15:27 on Tuesday night across 18 shifts, with four shot attempts (one on goal) and one giveaway. He was paired with Ryan Suter on the third defensive pairing and played 32 seconds on the penalty kill.

“It was fast,� Leddy said. “The first period, I just tried to keep things simple, and it was fast. They’re a fast team in general, but it was good. As the game went on, the game slowed down and tried to make some more plays.�

Leddy declined to get into specifics about the injury that cost him more than half of his season, saying, “It was a little bit of an annoying thing. Just when you thought it’d be a little better, took a step back.�

Leddy said it started on the morning of the Minnesota game on Oct. 15 and then “progressively got worseâ€� after the game ended. From then, he was labeled day-to-day and skated with the Blues on the road in eastern Canada in late October but was sent home for further evaluation. In early December, he joined the Blues on the road in western Canada but was again sent back to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.

The 33-year-old was with the Blues on the road last week in Colorado and Utah, participating fully in practice (with contact) Saturday in Salt Lake City. Leddy said the false starts with his recovery were “just me being a little more hopeful that I was a little farther along than I was.�

“I thought within the last week, it was trending in the right way,� Leddy said. “Getting the good news from the specialist to take contact, this was kind of the target game (vs. Edmonton).�

Leddy also said that he expects himself to be “past� the injury and doesn’t foresee it popping up again.

Across the past few seasons, Leddy has been half of the Blues’ top pairing with Colton Parayko. Last year, they were the most-used pairing in the NHL, and they began the season back together. Without Leddy, the Blues leaned on Suter with Parayko, then plugged Cam Fowler into that spot after acquiring him from Anaheim in mid-December.

During practice on Wednesday morning, Leddy skated with Justin Faulk.

How did Leddy mentally prepare himself for a return after missing almost 50 games?

“I don’t know if there’s any good way to do it,� Leddy said. “Just try and be in the best shape I can. Coaches and staff did a great job at that. You’ll never be in game shape unless you’re playing the game, so it’s just an adjustment.�

Granting a wish

The Blues hosted 12-year-old Carter Johnson at Wednesday’s practice as part of Carter’s Make-A-Wish experience. Johnson signed a one-day contract with the team, skated with them before and after practice and had his own stall in the Blues dressing room.

“It’s awesome because it gives you a fresh perspective,� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “You see the smile on his face, the joy that he gets from being on the ice and skating with the players. Just being able to compete and have fun. It’s awesome for us to see, and it really shows us the strength that that young man has and that we can learn from.�

About a year ago, Carter was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Across the next four months, he went through five rounds of chemotherapy and is now in remission and back playing hockey.

Johnson’s favorite players are Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.

“Just see their smiles, how much they enjoy being around,� Thomas said. “I had a personal experience with Make-A-Wish. My billet brother did it in Edmonton, he got to be the GM for the day and got to call up (Evan) Bouchard, who I played with in junior. It’s a special day; he still talks about it. He has dreams of being a GM, and this stuff’s pretty cool.�

Thomas’ billet brother from London was Owen McGonigal, whose wish was granted in 2019 by the Oilers and Ken Holland.