'It was obviously a little bit of a shock. I was hoping I would get picked up. Luckily I ended up here and excited for this new opportunity.'

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Justin Barron didn’t foresee what was about to transpire with the Nashville Predators, but once the defenseman’s name hit the waiver wire and he was told about it, the 24-year-old was ready for a fresh start.

So when the St. Louis Blues plucked Barron and provided him with a fresh start, he packed up his belongings, hit the road up Interstate 24 towards St. Louis and arrived got in on Sunday.

“They told me Saturday morning and I just went back to my apartment in Nashville, kind of waited it out for 24 hours, then got the news yesterday as soon as it broke at 1 (p.m.) Central,” Barron said. “I immediately was excited, started packing and drove here last night.

“It was obviously a little bit of a shock. I was hoping I would get picked up. Luckily I ended up here and excited for this new opportunity.”

Barron, listed at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds and who will wear Justin Faulk's old No. 72, was claimed by the Blues after news came down that defenseman Tyler Tucker (knee) would be getting a second opinion on his injured right knee and is listed as week-to-week, and when Logan Mailloux came down with a right hand injury in a 3-2 preseason loss to the Chicago Blackhawks this past Saturday that required surgery on Sunday that will sideline him at least eight weeks, there was a need for an experienced defenseman, and preferably one from the right side. And one the Blues liked.

“As a player, his mobility,” Blues general manager Alex Steen said. “Our scouts have liked his game when we watched him play. I think this is a fresh start for him. I think the timing is good for him also. We're going to have a few days here where he can get in with the group and learn our systems and get to know the guys he's going to be playing with. Also, for us, it addresses we brought Adam (Jiricek) up as well and we felt like organizationally we had depth on our left side and this helps create more depth on our right side.”

And not just create depth in the short term with Barron, a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, on a one-year, $1.575 million contract before he can become a restricted free agent next summer. The Blues feel they can invest in him for the near future.

"No absolutely, he's got 200 games in the league, he's a first-round pick, he's got a lot of tools, a lot of parts to him that we like," Steen said. "I think with our coaching staff working with him, he's going to get some time to get to know the staff, get to know the players and hopefully we're able to help him create an identity to his game that we see on a nightly basis and in practice."

Barron spent the past season-plus with the Predators after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for Alexandre Carrier; he had nine assists in 52 games past season and has 208 career games (52 points; 18 goals, 34 assists).

“Very smooth-skating defenseman, can skate, can pass,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “I’m excited to see what he can do for us and help us.”

The shock for Barron is that he felt like things were going nicely with the Predators but didn’t feel like there would be an opportunity to move up into the top four there.

“I wanted it to work out, but I felt like I was kind of in a little bit of a tough spot there in terms of moving up the lineup,” Barron said. “It feels like a bit of a fresh start here for me. I think it will be good. Obviously I’m here to show these guys what I can do, hopefully bring an aspect to my game and help this team win games.”

So what can Barron bring?

“I think some of the strengths of my game are skating, moving the puck,” he said. “Obviously we saw the Blues a lot in Nashville and just playing against the team here and how well they are at attacking off the rush, how much speed and pace they play with. I’m hoping I can kind of slide in and fit in with the way the team plays here.”

Barron isn’t coming into a situation completely foreign to him. He’s familiar and/or played with a number of his new teammates, including Mailloux, Joel Hofer, Jake Neighbours, and Dylan Holloway. And whatever guys he’s needing to get familiar with, there’s a team bonding trip currently underway in Austin, Texas ahead of the season-opener Friday against the Dallas Stars.

“There’s a few guys,” Barron said. “… there’s quite a few guys. So I think that makes the transition a lot easier coming in and seeing some familiar faces.

“I think (the team bonding trip is) great timing. Come in, get a trip away with the team, do some team bonding and do some quality time with the guys. I’m really looking forward to it.”

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