St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko participated in his first on-ice practice session Monday since the pandemic began, and said he is on track to rejoin the defending Stanley Cup champions when the NHL begins its 24-team postseason later this summer.

The 28-year-old underwent surgery on his left shoulder in late October after being injured in a game against the Los Angeles Kings.

"I was really close to coming back playing when the season got delayed, so I got some extra time for recovery and practice to make [my shoulder] more strong," Tarasenko said in a video interview for the Blues website. "Everything is good."

Tarasenko, who has 214 goals since breaking into the league in 2012-13, played in only 10 games this season. He had three goals and seven assists, with points in five straight games at the time of his injury. The Blues persevered without him, and sat atop the Western Conference standings when the NHL went on pause on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It was hard in the start," Tarasenko said of watching from the sideline. "It's a really weird feeling. I've never missed a season like this. I think my family helps me a lot, because if I was single it [would be] very different emotions to stay home by yourself. They always support me, always be on my side. The closer you get, the more positive emotions you have, the more happy you are for seeing the boys for the first time, skating with them. I was lucky enough to go to a couple road trips with the team, and I am ready to come back and play some hockey."

As a top seed, St. Louis will not have to play in the NHL's "play-in round," instead qualifying directly for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Blues will play round-robin games against other No. 1 teams to determine seeding moving forward.

All practices right now are voluntary. NHL training camps are scheduled to begin on July 10.

After dislocating his left shoulder in October, Tarasenko and the Blues were told that he could be re-evaluated in five months. In December, general manager Doug Armstrong told ESPN that Tarasenko was so diligent with his rehab, the team "actually tried to slow him down a little bit."

"We told him to spend time with family, take vacations, because when we get into January and he can start going full barrel, we want him to," Armstrong said.

Since Tarasenko was on long-term injury reserve, the Blues could have spent his salary-cap space ($7.5 million) for a player at the trade deadline, but they would have had to get back to being cap-compliant if Tarasenko returned before the regular season. The Blues opted not to add any forwards, instead getting only depth defenseman Marco Scandella.

"There's no player we're going to get that's as good as Vladdy," Armstrong told ESPN in December. "So I'd rather get Vladdy back than spend that money."