The St. Louis Blues made a bit of an intriguing move on Sunday, claiming defenseman Justin Barron from the Nashville Predators.
For Nashville, it was pretty much part of the organization’s roster trimming and cap clearing. But for the Blues, it could signal bad news for the club and especially Logan Mailloux.
Mailloux sustained an upper-body injury in the preseason finale against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. The injury occurred during an altercation in which Mailloux stood up for teammate Philip Broberg. The reaction, unfortunately, led to the injury.
Logan Mailloux jumps in to fight Cole Smith after Smith hit Philip Broberg: pic.twitter.com/FzJALWS9ed
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) September 26, 2026
That’s what forced the move.
And according to insider Elliotte Friedman, the Barron acquisition could be a signal that the news is no bueno for Mailloux.
“They (Blues) claimed Justin Barron, by the way, off waivers on Sunday, which says to me that the Logan Mailloux, his injury, is not great. I guess we’ll see what they announce.”
If the announcement is indeed an extended absence, it could mean that Barron might play a more significant role than the Blues might have otherwise ever contemplated.
Blues looking at Alexander Nikishin
In another not-so-earth-shattering bit of information, Friedman doubled down on the rumor involving the Blues and Carolina Hurricanes RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin.
It’s been out there for a while that the Blues have been looking into Nikishin. However, a deal hasn’t happened.
Friedman shed some light as to why it hasn’t really happened.
“I also believe St. Louis was around this for a while. They were legitimately interested.”
The issue, nonetheless, would come down to signing Nikishin. According to Friedman, the 24-year-old had been looking for about a five-year deal at a $9 million AAV. That number has seemingly gone up after Zeev Buium signed for around that number with the Vancouver Canucks.
And since Nikishin has dug his heels in regarding the contract he wants, most teams have backed off. That’s why the Blues don’t seem too keen on ponying up the equivalent of two first-round picks, as Friedman noted, in addition to the price tag it would take to sign Nikishin.
So, for the time being, the idea of the Russian blueliner landing in St. Louis is dead in the water.
I will say this, though: Things can change. It’s not uncommon for situations to drastically shift from one situation to another. And when they do, things can get moving. For instance, Nikishin faces a December 1 deadline. If he doesn’t sign by then, he would be ineligible to play for the entire season. As such, Nikishin may change his tune once it appears that he could miss the entire season over a contract holdout.
Whether that leads to St. Louis or not is another story entirely. But there might just be a way for the Blues to pull off this deal down the line.
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