It's the time of year, right before the start of the season, that NHL teams start sending their players back to their junior teams or down to their AHL affiliate team. The 2026-27 season starts in just a few days, and everyone's paring down their rosters to get to 23 players. The St. Louis Blues are no different, with a few cuts coming through today.
The youth sent down
The four young players cut today were Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Dylan Peterson, Otto Stenberg, and-perhaps surprisingly-Adam Jiricek. All four are waiver-exempt and can report directly to the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Kaskimaki and Peterson were long shots to make the team, and the Blues' deep forward group meant Otto Stenberg would've had to really pop in training camp to make a case for being part of the opening night roster. Jiricek, however, may've had a real shot at making the team.
The Blues' defense is probably the weakest link in their roster. Beyond the likely top pair of Philip Broberg and Colton Parayko, there are enough questions about the ceiling (and even baseline capability) of the remainder of the Blues' blue line group. Giving Jiricek a few reps--at least to start the season--wouldn't have been outlandish.
All a part of the process
That said, there's no real reason to rush Jiricek to the NHL. The Blues' defense may be uninspiring, but it's not a true disaster. Plus, the Blues are notorious for sluggish starts to the season; subjecting a rookie defenseman to that is never a good idea.
We've already seen what can happen when a young defenseman is rushed to the NHL--just last year, actually. For most of the season, Logan Mailloux was an unplayable mess who had to spend some time in the AHL to get his game back on track. He figured it out towards the end of the season, but he was brutal and in the running for the worst individual goal differential in the league. There's no reason to put Jiricek through that and shatter his confidence so early in his pro career. Besides, the coaching staff seems to like him, and he'll get a fair shake at some point.
After last night's game, Monty was asked if he's seen many young defensemen who can move the puck, create space and jump into plays like Jiricek: “Yeah, Makar comes to mind, Hughes. There’s other players in the league. But it’s nice to say that he kind of looks like them." (1/2)
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) September 25, 2026
For Stenberg, too, returning to the AHL isn't a failure--it's just another step in the process. It's rare for any young player to be a roster regular right out of the gate. When Jiricek (and hopefully Stenberg) do become nightly NHL players, some time marinating in the AHL will have done them a lot of good.
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