St. Louis Blues General Manager Alex Steen has already been forced to make several difficult but calculated decisions ahead of the 2026-27 season. Sunday afternoon, the Blues announced a wave of transactions across their roster, claiming defenseman Justin Barron off waivers from the Nashville Predators, placing defenseman Calle Rosen and goaltender Georgi Romanov on waivers with the intent to assign them to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, and finally recalling defenseman Adam Jiricek from Springfield.
All of this is coming after a 3-2 preseason loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, with defenseman Logan Mailloux leaving the game with an upper-body injury. While the Blues have not made further comment regarding his status, the flurry of moves could mean Mailloux could miss substantial time.
Reinforcing the right side
Barron offers size at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, along with the skating and puck-moving ability that helped shape him as a player throughout his junior years and now his early professional career. Originally a first-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2020, he has bounced between the NHL and AHL with the Avalanche, Canadiens, and Predators. Barron's nine assists last season were a small drop-off from five goals and 12 points in his 2024-25 season, but he continued to develop his defensive game.
As a right-shot defenseman, Barron can pair with either Brandon Carlo or Cam Fowler and should not require much adjustment from the coaching staff to experiment without much of an impact on the ice.
Rosen has proven he can serve as a valuable depth defenseman in the organization, but at 32, the Blues have a good idea what they still have and where he falls short at the pro level. With Barron now on the roster and Tyler Tucker already dealing with a knee injury, Rosen has been placed on waivers and, should he be unclaimed, will report to Springfield and play as a veteran helping guide the young crop of defenders in the system while remaining available as a call-up.
Pressure can remain off Jiricek
Jiricek's recall by the Blues gives the 20-year-old a bit of an unexpected look in the NHL after he was reassigned to Springfield on Friday. He impressed during training camp, and while he is already a rising top prospect for the club, the waiver claim of Barron will allow for more internal competition and the flexibility to ease Jiricek into professional competition. After a huge 59-point regular season in the OHL and a dominant international showing, the Blues are giving themselves and Jiricek a buffer.
While the young defenseman may very well be capable of playing in the NHL, there is the inherent risk of burnout and disrupting his development by throwing him straight into top-four NHL minutes. With Barron in the mix now, the coaching staff can offer more sheltered minutes or ease him into the NHL at a realistic and beneficial pace.
Jiricek has the skating, vision, and the 6-foot-3 frame that checks all the boxes for a successful career in the NHL. However, he still needs consistent, high-minute games to help sharpen his defensive reads, physical engagement, and decision-making. Whether Mailloux's injury out for a few days or weeks, the Blues have given themselves a buffer to help balance their blue line that can handle an injury without messing up their top prospect's development.
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