The 2026-27 NHL season is mere days away and, as a result, teams are cutting down their rosters to comply with the 23-man limit. The St. Louis Blues are no different, and earlier today they re-assigned four young players to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. They've followed that up with another round of cuts, sending three more players down.
This time, however, the players must clear waivers before they can join the Thunderbirds.
The Blues have placed Sundqvist, Walker and Finley on waivers. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) September 25, 2026
What this means for the active roster
All of Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker and Jack Finley are forwards. That is the position the Blues have the most players at, and there was going to be plenty of competition for a spot in the bottom six. It doesn't mean the organization is "done" with these players; it just means that, right now, there are other players who are performing better in camp.
If these players clear (which we'll get to in a moment), you can be sure they'll likely be early call ups in the event of an injury on the main roster. Walker and Sundqvist, in particular, have ample NHL experience, and can fill in whenever necessary. They're veterans in their early 30s--this is a natural career progression for players in their roles.
The likelihood any get claimed
At this time of year, every team in the NHL is sending players to the minors. Every year, few--if any--players like Sundqvist or Walker get claimed.
The reasoning's simple: each team has their own versions of Walker and Sundqvist already in their organization. There's no reason to claim a player in the mold of someone you've already got. On top of that, claiming a player means they have to join your main roster immediately. If another team decided to claim Walker, say, they would not be able to send him to the AHL without first waiving him themselves. It's not worth the hassle.
Finley, however, is a little more interesting because he's 24 years old--young enough to potentially have more to offer. A team in need of a depth forward with a bit of development left might find him an attractive option, but Finley's most likely outcome is a tweener: a player who's great in the AHL but never can elevate to the NHL consistently enough to deserve a nightly roster spot.
With over 500 NHL games, Sundqvist could catch on with another team, but his decline has been steep; it's possible he doesn't have the juice to hang in the NHL anymore. A team adding him would have to be desperate for a fourth-line center.
Given the time of year, it seems unlikely that any of the players the Blues waived will be claimed. We'll find out tomorrow afternoon.
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