The NHL season is officially underway across the league, but the St. Louis Blues will need to wait until Friday, Oct. 2 to get their first look and official test of the regular season. Ahead of their start, two regulars have been placed on injured reserve, a waiver claim has been made, and a top prospect has been recalled.
With that all being said, let's dive into the latest news and notes for the Blues.
Injuries on the blue line
Two defensemen for the Blues, Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker, will both start the season on injured reserve. Mailloux was projected to take on a prominent top-four role with the Blues, potentially alongside Philip Broberg, and was looking to build upon the success he found late in the 2025-26 season.
Mailloux underwent successful surgery on his right hand and will be re-evaluated in approximately eight weeks. The defenseman injured his hand in the first period of Saturday's preseason finale against Chicago after fighting Cole Smith, who had tripped Broberg.
Tucker had a successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Wednesday and will be re-evaluated in six weeks after previously being listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
New additions to the roster
The length of these injuries has prompted multiple roster moves before the regular season roster deadline. The Blues claimed Justin Barron off waivers from the Nashville Predators and recalled 2024 first-round draft pick Adam Jiricek from the Springfield Thunderbirds. Jiricek was selected 16th overall by the Blues and is slated to make his NHL debut on Friday in Dallas. Barron has 52 points and over 200 games of NHL experience that he brings to the table.
To make room on the roster, the Blues finalized their roster cuts, assigning goaltender Georgii Romanov and defenseman Calle Rosen to the Thunderbirds after both cleared waivers.
Up front, the Blues' final forward spots have been awarded to Zach Dean and Dillon Dube. Dean was acquired by the Blues in the 2023 trade of Ivan Barbashev, making the Blues roster for the first time. Dube signed a one-year deal after contributing to Springfield's playoff run with five goals and eight points in 12 games.
With the additions of Dean and Dube to the roster, Blues forwards Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker, and Jack Finley were placed on waivers and cleared, sending them to Springfield.
Opening night ahead
The Blues' 23-man roster for Friday's game at Dallas features 14 forwards: Jonatan Berggren, Pavel Buchnevich, Zach Dean, Dilln Dube, Dalibor Dvorsky, Dylan Holloway, Ross Johnston, Connor McMichael, Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours, Jimmy Snuggerud, Pius Suter, Robert Thomas, and Alexey Toropchenko.
The seven defensemen features Justin Barron, Philip Broberg, Brandon Carlo, Cam Fowler, Adam Jiricek, Theo Lindstein, and Coltron Parayko. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer as the goaltenders, with Mailloux and Tucker on IR.
The roster will feature new members of the coaching staff and a leadership core with Robert Thomas taking over as the newest Blues team captain. The Blues will open their season on a three-game road trip starting with in Dallas on Friday, Colorado on Saturday, and Chicago on Tuesday, before the home opener against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, Oct. 8.
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