Blues Lose Dube For Eight Weeks After Neck Injury

St. Louis Blues forward Dillon Dube will miss about eight weeks after suffering a neck injury during the team's overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks, with the club announcing Saturday that he will be re-evaluated after treatment and recovery.

According to Sportsnet, Dube was injured when he was hit into the boards during the season-opening game against San Jose. The 28-year-old had appeared in three games for St. Louis this season and scored one goal.

NHL.com reported that Dube joined the Blues during the offseason on a one-year contract worth $850,000. The injury adds him to a growing list of St. Louis players unavailable for significant time.

The Blues said Dube's absence creates an opportunity for other players as the team evaluates its depth. Head coach Jim Montgomery addressed the situation before the matchup against Columbus.

"It's an opportunity with our depth. We talked about our organization having really good depth. We have a lot of good young players, a lot of good veteran players. People are going to get opportunities," said Jim Montgomery, Blues Head Coach.

NHL.com reported that Zach Dean was expected to replace Dube in the lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Montgomery was not expected to make additional changes to forward lines or defensive pairings.

Heavy.com reported that Dube underwent further evaluation after the collision with San Jose forward Will Smith. The report said Dube stayed in the game and scored a shorthanded goal in the third period before the injury was reviewed more closely.

The Blues also entered the game without several other players, including Alexey Toropchenko, Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker, according to NHL.com. Jordan Binnington was scheduled to start in goal against Columbus.