The St. Louis Blues have announced that they placed defensemen Logan Mailloux (hand surgery) and Tyler Tucker (lower-body injury) on the injured reserve to start the 2026-27 NHL season.
The St. Louis Blues are starting their season with some difficult injury news.
On Monday, the team announced that Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker will start the season on the injured reserve.
Mailloux underwent hand surgery on Sunday, Sept. 27, and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks. Mailloux suffered his injury during a physical encounter with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 23-year-old dropped the gloves with enforcer Cole Smith in the first period. The two were charged with five-minute majors, and Mailloux exited the game and did not return following the fight.
Mailloux was slated to start the season on the top pair with Philip Broberg after showing strong chemistry with him through the end of the 2025-26 season. This is a major blow for both Mailloux and the Blues' defensive core.
As for Tucker, he has been labeled week to week with a lower-body injury. He sustained the injury during practice, forcing him to leave early. He has not resumed skating and will be sidelined.
Tucker seemingly lost his NHL opening-night lineup spot to Theo Lindstein, but was set to be the seventh defenseman to start the season. With a week-to-week timeline, it's unclear when we might see Tucker healthy. The Blues will hope for the best, but in the meantime, they've made moves to counter the injuries.
Over the weekend, the Blues claimed right-handed 24-year-old defenseman Justin Barron off waivers from the Nashville Predators. He joins the Blues with 208 games of NHL experience, including a 52-game campaign last year.
They also recalled 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek. The 20-year-old looked stellar in his pre-season action, showing he is closer to being NHL-ready than most had presumably thought.
He could easily find himself in the opening-night lineup on Friday and, if given the opportunity, run with it and be a key contributor all season long. The Blues will, of course, remain patient with his development, but so far, Jiricek has given no signs that this is too much for him to handle.
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