St. Louis Blues forward Zach Dean will be unavailable to the team to start the 2025-26 season as he has entered the player assistance program of the NHLPA and NHL, the league announced Wednesday.
Under the terms of the program, the 22-year-old forward will only be allowed to return to the Blues once he is cleared by the program administrators.
The player assistance program was established by the league in 1996 and offers help for anything from alcohol or drug abuse to mental health issues, sleeping problems or a gambling addiction. Confidentiality is guaranteed for players and their family members. An announcement is made only when a player becomes unavailable to his team during the season.
Dean made his NHL debut with the Blues in 2023-24 when he appeared in nine games.
The Grand Prairie, Alta., native spent last season with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds and recorded one goal and three assists in 11 games.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·