Kevin Shattenkirk Injury: Updates on Blues Star's Status and Return

Kevin Shattenkirk has been deemed week-to-week after undergoing abdominal surgery due to an injury he suffered on Feb. 1 against the Washington Capitals. 

Continue for updates.

---

Shattenkirk Continues Rehab With Team

Wednesday, Feb. 11

According to Andy Strickland of CBS Sports Radio, Shattenkirk will continue his rehab with the team in Florida. 

---

Shattenkirk to Undergo Surgery 

Monday, Feb. 2

The St. Louis Blues have announced that Kevin Shattenkirk will be undergoing abdominal surgery after suffering a lower-body injury on Sunday:

"

St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today that defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will undergo abdominal surgery after suffering an injury in the Blues' 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday in Washington D.C.

Shattenkirk will have the procedure in the next seven to 10 days and be listed as week-to-week following its completion.

"

---

Shattenkirk Injures Lower Body vs. Capitals 

Sunday, Feb. 1

St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is in the midst of his best NHL season, but he was slowed down Sunday as an injury forced him to leave the Blues' clash with the Washington Capitals. 

According to the team's official Twitter account, the 26-year-old rearguard suffered a lower-body injury and will not return:

It is unclear exactly what type of injury Shattenkirk is dealing with, but he came up gimpy after Caps superstar forward Alex Ovechkin caught him with a high hit, per NHL.com's Lou Korac:

"

Looks like on replay, Ovechkin caught Shattenkirk with an elbow to the head(?) after Shattenkirk initially stopped Ovechkin in his tracks.

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) February 1, 2015"

Here is video of the hit, courtesy of Pro Hockey Talk:

The Blues have been among the NHL's best teams this season, and they trail the Nashville Predators by just two points for first place in the Western Conference's Central Division.

As pointed out by Andy Strickland of Big 550 KTRS, though, St. Louis can't afford to be without Shattenkirk for an extended period of time.

With 40 points through 48 games, the American All-Star is on pace to shatter his career high of 45 points set last season. He is second only to Calgary Flames blueliner Mark Giordano in defenseman scoring, and he is among the front-runners for the Norris Trophy.

The Blues are talented from top to bottom, so they may be able to cope without Shattenkirk over the short term, but anything more significant than that could severely damage their Stanley Cup chances.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter