Sobotka left Thursday's World Cup exhibition match with a clavicle injury, but Czech coach Josef Jandac said the forward may be able to play against Prague on Saturday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Gulitti confirmed in a separate report that an X-ray on Sobotka's clavicle was negative. Despite conflicting reports this offseason, it appears that the 29-year-old stalwart will play for the Blues in 2016-17 under an arbitration-awarded contract valued at $2.725 million. Fortunately for Sobotka, there evidently isn't an injury to further complicate matters.

Sobotka left Thursday's World Cup expedition match against Russia with an apparent clavicle injury, Sergey Demidov of NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Regardless of the severity, Sobotka's injury adds a whole new wrinkle to the drawn out saga of whether he will be playing in the NHL or KHL this upcoming season. If he does suit up for the Blues, the center's long awaited return could be further delayed if he is out for an extended period of time. Fantasy owners should expect an update on the 29-year-old once St. Louis is able uncover more details regarding the injury.

Sobotka will be heading to Toronto to represent the Czech Republic in the World Cup of Hockey, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. After the tournament, Sobotka is expected to return to the NHL as a member of the Blues this season, following two years in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.

EDGE Analysis

That's the plan right now, but the Sobotka saga continues to play out in Russia. Recent reports and comments from Victor Shalaev, the general manager of Sobtka's Russian team, introduce some doubt. "Sobotka will join us as soon as he's healthy," Shalaev told Russian-based Sport-express.ru. "Forget about St. Louis and other nonsense." Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was asked once again to confirm Sobotka's status and reports that he's spoken with Sobotka's agent, Petr Svoboda, over the past few weeks and nothing has changed -- the winger is planning to join St. Louis following the World Cup. Adding to the intrigue, there have been reports Sobotka underwent offseason surgery to repair an upper-body injury, but Armstrong said "he's passed all physicals, he's ready to play for the Czech national team and he'll be ready for our team also."

Sobotka is expected to return to the NHL after spending the last two seasons playing for Omsk Avangard in Russia, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports.

EDGE Analysis

Sobotka's agent reportedly is paving the way for the 28-year-old to rejoin the Blues in 2016-17. A quality setup man who can work the power play, Sobotka originally left St. Louis in the summer of 2014, after the Blues failed to agree to terms with the Russian -- he was a restricted free agent at the time and subsequently won a one-year arbitration award valued at $2.725 million. In 381 regular-season contests between the Bruins and Blues, Sobotka has generated 35 goals and 88 assists. If David Backes and/or Troy Brouwer decide to sign with another club in free agency, Sobotka may be able to fill the void to some degree. Still, we'd take this news with a grain of salt; the talented center flirted with a return to the Blues last season, only for those plans to fall through.

Sobotka has decided to remain with KHL Avangard Omsk for the 2015-16 season rather than return to the Blues, Yahoo! Sports reports. After the Blues awarded him a one-year, $2.7 million contract following an arbitration hearing, a disappointed Sobotka surprisingly chose to bolt for the KHL, where Omsk was able to offer him a more lucrative and tax-free three-year, $12 million deal. Though Sobotka would likely prefer to play in the world's top league, the financial security offered by the KHL club was too tempting to ignore. He'll have an out clause for the final year of his contract next summer that would allow him to rejoin the Blues, but he'd once again have to accept the one-year, $2.7 million offer before becoming eligible for free agency.

Blues GM Doug Armstrong said that the team should know by the end of May whether or not Sobotka will rejoin the Blues next season or remain in the KHL, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. After failing to find common ground on a contract with the Blues last summer, Sobotka bolted for Russia, where he received a lucrative three-year deal with the KHL's Avangard Omsk worth around $12 million. Playing a feature role for the squad, Sobotka tallied 38 points in 53 games, but could be hungry for a return to the brighter lights of the NHL. Though his contract with Avangard Omsk contains an out clause, Sobotka would likely have to be willing to accept a downgrade in pay, as he would owe the Blues one season at a $2.7 million salary due to a previous arbitration ruling.

Vladimir Sobotka has been awarded a one-year, $2.725 million contract from an arbitrator. Sobotka has already committed to playing in the KHL in 2014-15, but his contract with the St. Louis Blues will still take effective should he decide to return to the NHL later in his career. After spending a season with the Blues, he will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.

Vladimir Sobotka's arbitration hearing with the St. Louis Blues is scheduled for Monday. Sobotka has already signed a contract to play with the KHL's Avangard Omsk, so he won't be with St. Louis in 2014-15 regardless of what the ruling is. However, the Blues are going forward with arbitration anyways because they want to retain his NHL rights. If Sobotka decides to return to North America later, then he must honor his arbitrated awarded contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent.

Vladimir Sobotka's agent has confirmed that his client signed a contract with the KHL's Avangard Omsk. Sobotka's deal comes with a summer out-clause, so he'll be able to void it after the 2014-15 campaign if he chooses to do so. His new deal is believed to be worth over $4 million annually, while the Blues had offered him a two-year, $6 million deal. The Blues will still take Sobotka to arbitration so that they can retain his NHL rights.

St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong can't confirm that Vladimir Sobotka has signed a KHL deal, but he wants to stay on good terms with Sobotka regardless of what happens. Armstrong emphasized that he respects Sobotka's "business decision." At this point, Armstrong plans to go forward with the arbitration hearing already scheduled for July 21 in the hopes that Sobotka will still report to training camp. If he doesn't, then the Blues will toll his contract so that they will control his NHL rights when/if Sobotka does return.