- Justin Barron is heading to his fourth NHL team in six years after the Blues claimed him Sunday
- St. Louis needed the depth with Tyler Tucker and Logan Mailloux both banged up on the blue line
- Read below for how Nashville already lined up his replacement
Justin Barron is running out of teams to call home.
The St. Louis Blues claimed the defenseman off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Sunday, according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston. It’s the fourth organization Barron has played for since Colorado drafted him back in 2020.
St. Louis needed a body. The Blues are already down Tyler Tucker, who is set to open the season on the shelf with a knee injury, though that absence isn’t expected to run past the first week. Logan Mailloux is banged up too, after leaving Saturday’s preseason finale against Chicago with an upper-body injury from a fight with the Blackhawks’ Cole Smith.
Barron gives St. Louis a defenseman who has actually logged real minutes. He posted nine assists in 52 games with Nashville last season while averaging 14:15 of ice time, and he’s up to 52 points in 208 games across six NHL seasons.
Colorado made him a first-round pick, 25th overall, in 2020. The Avalanche flipped him to Montreal in March 2022, sending Barron and a second-round pick to the Canadiens for winger Artturi Lehkonen. The Canadiens moved him again in December 2024, dealing him to Nashville for defenseman Alexandre Carrier.
Nashville isn’t sweating the loss. The Predators had already lined up a replacement, claiming defenseman William Trudeau off waivers from the Rangers a day earlier.
Depth was the priority beyond just Barron. The Blues also recalled defenseman Adam Jiricek from AHL Springfield, who is still waiting on his first NHL game. Between Barron, Tucker, and Calle Rosen, St. Louis now has three extra defensemen fighting for one open spot once Tucker is back to full health.
