Shoulder surgery sidelines Blues forward Patrik Berglund long-term

Patrik Berglund of the St. Louis will be sidelined for at least four months after he undergoes surgery on his right shoulder on Friday. 

The team announced on Thursday that Berglund had recently re-injured his shoulder while training for the upcoming season. He initially dislocated it in a game against Dallas on April 11, 2014 and missed three games, including two in the postseason. He injured it again last season in a game against Nashville on Jan. 29, proclaiming at the time that he wouldn’t be 100% the rest of the way.

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Blues GM Doug Armstrong later told Jeremy Rutherford of the Post-Dispatch that Berglund suffered the injury in Sweden. He arrived in St. Louis earlier than expected in order to have it looked at by team doctors.

The 27-year-old Berglund chipped in 12 goals and 27 points in 77 games with the Blues last year, his lowest totals in a full season since his sophomore season of 2009-10 and his third consecutive full season of declining goal and point totals. Although his name has become a staple of the trade rumor mill, this remains a tough loss for a St. Louis team that's under intense pressure to improve on three consecutive first-round washouts.

The surgery will be performed by Dr. Rick Wright of Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Berglund will be re-evaluated in four months, meaning he could be out of action for an even longer period.