Carl Gunnarsson has opened up a little about his time in Toronto as a member of the St. Louis Blues.

The defender told CBS Sports Radio Blues reporter Andy Strickland that he played through a torn labrum over his last two years with the Maple Leafs.

Gunnarsson, 27, was acquired by the Blues via trade this past off-season in exchange for defenceman Roman Polak.

He is yet to dress for a game with his new team as he recovers from off-season hip surgery. He was cleared for contact at practice earlier this month.

The Blues tweeted Monday afternoon that Gunnarsson "says he feels good and is ready to go." He is expected to make his season debut Tuesday against the Dallas Stars.

"Once you get into games, you really know how it feels," Gunnarsson said via the Blues official Twitter account. "But here in practice, it feels good."

A member of the Leafs for parts of five seasons, Gunnarsson dressed for 80 of 82 games in 2013-14 and 37 of 48 in 2012-13.

Originally selected in the seventh round (194th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Leafs, Gunnarsson scored 15 goals and 71 assists in 304 games with the team. 

He has represented Sweden internationally on several occasions, including the 2009, 2010 and 2011 IIHF World Championships, winning a pair of bronze medals and one silver (2011).