Mailloux Is Eight Weeks Out, Jiricek Is Starting, and Carlo Still Has No Timeline

Logan Mailloux had surgery on his right hand Sunday and won't be re-evaluated for eight weeks. Tyler Tucker is already on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. That's two defensemen gone before the puck dropped, which is how Adam Jiricek — sent down to Springfield just days ago after a strong preseason — ended up back on the roster and potentially making his NHL debut in the season opener.

The Blues claimed Justin Barron off waivers to help patch the gap; Barron carries a $1.575 million cap hit and has one year remaining on his deal. That's a serviceable depth move, not a solution. The blue line St. Louis is actually icing looks nothing like the one management envisioned when they acquired Brandon Carlo from Toronto over the summer to anchor the back end.

Which brings us to Carlo, who still has no clear recovery timeline. I've been noting this since the preseason — he was supposed to be the steadying presence the defense needed after last season's collapse. Instead, the Blues are opening with Jiricek and Barron filling spots that Carlo was meant to hold, and no indication of when that changes.

The season is one game old and St. Louis is already managing its blue line the same way it did last April: short-handed, improvising, hoping the forwards score enough to cover it.