Lehtera (head) didn't participate in the Blues' morning skate and is uncertain to play Monday against the Kings, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Blues haven't officially commented on Lehtera's status, but his absence from morning skate seemingly doesn't bode well for his chances of playing later in the evening. Fortunately for the Blues, Paul Stastny (illness) was on the ice for morning skate and appears on track to play, so the team should at least have more options on hand at center if Lehtera is unavailable for a second straight game.

Lethera did not play Saturday against the Islanders after taking a puck to the head during Friday's win over the Ducks, Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. He returned to Friday's game after the incident, but is thought to be day-to-day, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

EDGE Analysis

Lehtera, who was originally reported to be a healthy scratch, was replaced in the lineup by Ivan Barbshev.

Lehtera will watch Saturday's matchup against the Islanders from the press box, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Things haven't been the same for Lehtera since he has been removed from the line that holds Vladimir Tarasenko. After recording 25 assists over 79 games last season, he has dropped to 13 assists over 61 games this season. St. Louis has a lot of young talent so there is no time to waste with an unproductive center -- coach Mike Yeo has decided to give Ivan Barbashev a chance Saturday instead.

Lehtera tallied an assist in Monday's win over the Flyers.

EDGE Analysis

Those who drafted Lehtera knew they weren't drafting a goal scorer, but not finding twine in the last 10 games is discouraging. The Finland native has clocked 14:40 TOI over those past 10 games, adding only three assists. Although having no presence on the power play, Lehtera makes his minutes count by being on a line with Vladimir Tarasenko (23 goals, 52 games). As long as he's on a line with the Blues' top scorer, the center will be in a position for assists by default.

Lehtera posted a goal with a plus-1 in Saturday's 4-0 road victory against the Sharks.

EDGE Analysis

Lehtera snapped an 11-game goalless skid dating back to Dec. 15. After a 44-point rookie campaign in 2014-15, he took a step back with 34 points last season. Now, Lehtera is on pace to see a second straight decrease in season points. He has struggled most of the year and can only be trusted in the deepest of fantasy pools.

Lehtera scored his fourth goal of the season in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Devils. He finished with two shots on net, one hit and one blocked shot in 12:07 of ice time.

EDGE Analysis

Lehtera got himself to the front of the net and changed the direction of Robby Fabbri's shot/pass to score his first goal in 10 games. He's barely been noticeable since returning from a one-game scratch, having picked up an assist, four PIM and fired just one shot on goal during the five games leading up to Thursday. Lehtera had the least amount of ice time among the top-nine forwards against the Devils, but a player centering a line with Fabbri and Vladimir Tarasekno offers a possibility every night.

Lehtera had an assist, one hit and a plus-2 rating in 13:16 of ice time in Friday's 4-1 win over New Jersey.

EDGE Analysis

Lehtera's been back in the lineup for three games after a one-game wake-up call as a healthy scratch. Some players hear the message being sent by the coach and come back with renewed drive, but there's been little sign of Lehtera being driven. Friday's game was his best of the three and the first time he skated on the power play, but a player can fall into points and a positive plus-minus rate while skating on a line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Robby Fabbri. In three games back, Lehtera has yet to direct a shot toward the net and picked up two high-sticking penalties during the first period of Thursday's loss to the Islanders. His line was responsible for two goals Friday, which should be enough to keep the struggling center active Sunday when the Blues play the Wild in Minnesota, but he's not yet at the level where coach Ken Hitchcock wants.

Lehtera had one hit and a minus-2 rating in 13:23 of ice time in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win against Montreal.

EDGE Analysis

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock had delivered a message the previous game when he made Lehtera a healthy scratch for the first time in his career in St. Louis. The coach talked about the need for Lehtera to have a greater impact. His final numbers don't suggest a positive impact -- zero shots, minus-2 rating, no time on the power play -- but after starting the game on the third line, he was elevated to a top-six role in the second period, skating with familiar wingers like Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and Robby Fabbri. His usage Tuesday suggests he'll remain in the active lineup when the puck drops Thursday against the Islanders.

Lehtera will play Tuesday after being a healthy scratch Saturday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The center has struggled to get any sort of offensive momentum going, with only seven points in 20 games. He's not typically a high scorer, but he is expected to be better than he has been so far. It will be interesting to see if the benching spurs him to improve, and Lehtera owners should keep their eyes on this situation.

Lehtera was a healthy scratch for Saturday's game against Winnipeg. It was the first time he's been scratched while being healthy since joining the Blues for the 2014-15 season.

EDGE Analysis

In a matter of two games, Lethera went from centering the second line to the third line to being inactive. And this was not about points -- Lehtera has three goals and recorded points in five of 20 games -- according to coach Ken Hitchcock, who told Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Gazette that the 28-year-old center is not influencing games or garnering an opponent's attention. We're unsure how long this situation will play out in the short term or how regular it might be going forward, but Lehtera, who is in the first year of a three-year, $14.1 million contract, is getting paid like someone who should be on the ice nightly.