Sundqvist, Walker, and Finley All Cleared Waivers. Nobody Wanted Them.

Oskar Sundqvist chose St. Louis over teams that could offer him a one-way guarantee. A week later, he cleared waivers unclaimed and is headed to Springfield. Same for Nathan Walker and Jack Finley. All three forwards passed through without a bite from the rest of the league, assigned to the Thunderbirds after Zach Dean and Dillon Dube won the final two forward spots on the opening night roster.

The waiver wire result is what it is — three players the Blues couldn't fit, three players nobody else wanted either. But it does complicate the offseason story a little. St. Louis spent the summer reshaping its forward group, adding Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael, signing Dube, and making a point of building depth up front. The depth chart now has Sundqvist, a Stanley Cup champion with real NHL experience, playing in the AHL.

The more practical concern is what happens when the forward group gets tested. The drop-off behind the top names is steep — Robert Thomas anchors the center position and there isn't much behind him, and the right wing depth behind Jimmy Snuggerud is thin. Sundqvist in Springfield is accessible if something goes wrong, but he's there because the roster as currently constructed left no room for him. That's a fine line to walk over an 82-game season.