Robert Bortuzzo

The St. Louis Blues 2021-22 season represented a major transition for the franchise. No longer a stout defensive team built from the blue line out, they finished second in the NHL in goals scored, with nine forwards recording 20-plus goals. Though the season came to an end in a six-game defeat to the Colorado Avalanche in the second round, there are plenty of highs and lows to reflect on. In this series, we’ll evaluate each player who played 10 or more games with the team (as well as the head coach and general manager), grading their individual performance and looking at their future with the team.

Bortuzzo (upper body) will play in Tuesday's Game 5 against Minnesota, Jim Thomas of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Bortuzzo will likely return to a bottom-pairing role following his two-game absence. The 33-year-old defender picked up six points through 73 appearances during the regular season.

The St. Louis Blues are finding out the hard way that defense does, in fact, win championships. The Blues have been without defensemen Nick Leddy for the past two games and Robert Bortuzzo for the last contest of their opening-round series against the Minnesota Wild, both defeats. St. Louis will...

Bortuzzo (upper body) will be a game-time decision for Tuesday's Game 5 clash with the Wild, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. Bortuzzo missed the club's previous two contests and is now in doubt for a third. Even if he does play, Bortuzzo's return will likely go unnoticed by the majority of fantasy players considering he is pointless in his last 13 games and hasn't scored a goal in 63 consecutive contests.

Bortuzzo (upper body) will not play Sunday against the Wild, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports. Bortuzzo skated Sunday but he'll miss his second consecutive contest. He'll be considered questionable for Tuesday's Game 5 tilt.

Bortuzzo (upper body) won't play in Friday's Game 3 against Minnesota, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. The Blues have yet to establish a timetable for Bortuzzo's return. With Bortuzzo on the shelf, look for Steve Santini to draw into the lineup against the Wild on Friday.

Bortuzzo was officially ruled out for the remainder of the game versus Minnesota on Wednesday due to an upper-body injury. In addition to Bortuzzo, the Blues are also dealing with injuries to Marco Scandella (undisclosed) and Nick Leddy (upper body). If the 33-year-old Bortuzzo can't play in Game 3 on Friday, St. Louis would likely need to call up a player from the minors.

Bortuzzo suffered an apparent facial injury after blocking a shot against the Wild on Wednesday, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports. Borutzzo's absence will force Calle Rosen to play significantly more minutes after being pressed into the lineup due to the absence of Nick Leddy (upper body). With Marco Scandella (undisclosed) also banged up, losing Bortuzzo for any additional time would stretch an already thin defensive group.

Bortuzzo (undisclosed) will be in the lineup for Friday's clash with Vegas, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. Bortuzzo has never reached the 15-point threshold in his 11-year NHL career, so fantasy players certainly won't be impacted by his return to the lineup. Even in formats that utilize defensive stats, Bortuzzo figures to be a low-end fantasy target.

Bortuzzo (undisclosed) is considered probable to play Friday versus the Golden Knights, per head coach Craig Berube. Bortuzzo suffered the injury Sunday, but it was always expected to be a short-term situation. He'll likely replace Marco Scandella (lower body) in the lineup after the latter suffered an injury Tuesday versus the Avalanche.

Bortuzzo (undisclosed) won't play Tuesday against Colorado, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports. Bortuzzo will miss at least one contest with the undisclosed issue that forced him from Sunday's win over Anaheim. Another update on the 33-year-old blueliner should be released once he's cleared to rejoin the lineup.

Bortuzzo (undisclosed) is "fine" and considered day-to-day, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports. Bortuzzo logged just 8:08 of ice time before leaving Sunday's win over the Ducks but it appears that he avoided a major injury. The 33-year-old has just six points through 72 games this season. An update on his status should be available before the end of the regular season.

Bortuzzo produced an assist and three blocked shots in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken. This was Bortuzzo's second assist in the last four games, an unusually productive run for the third-pairing defenseman. He helped out on a Jordan Kyrou goal in the third period. Bortuzzo remains a mostly physical presence with six points, 116 hits, 83 blocked shots, 41 shots on net, 36 PIM and a minus-3 rating in 62 contests.

Bortuzzo posted an assist, six hits, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Oilers. Bortuzzo helped out on an Ivan Barbashev equalizer in the third period. The helper snapped an eight-game point drought for Bortuzzo, who only makes rare contributions on offense. He's at five points, 39 shots on net, 112 hits, 77 blocked shots, 36 PIM and a minus-3 rating in 59 contests this season. He hasn't reached double-digits in points since 2018-19, and it's unlikely that'll change this season.

Bortuzzo recorded an assist, three hits and two PIM in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Rangers. Bortuzzo earned his first point of 2022 on a Jake Walman tally in the second period. Prior to Thursday, Bortuzzo had gone 27 games without a point dating back to Dec. 9. The 32-year-old adds a physical presence on the third pairing, but he's produced just four points to go with 93 hits, 30 PIM and 66 blocked shots in 50 contests.

The St. Louis Blues have had a busy morning, announcing contract extensions with two players. Robert Bortuzzo inked a new two-year deal that will keep him under contract through the 2023-24 season and carries an average annual value of $950K. Meanwhile, Logan Brown re-upped for one more year at $750K, the league minimum.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo signed a two-year, $1.9 million contract extension on Tuesday. Bortuzzo, 32, was in line

With the All-Star break stretching out to ten days for the Blues - they haven’t played since their January 29th loss to the Winnipeg Jets - Doug Armstrong hasn’t gone on vacation. Today the Blues announced two contract extensions for their most blue-collar players. Logan Brown has been extended on a one-year, one way contract worth $750,000, and Robert Bortuzzo has been extended for two years at an AAV of $950,000.