The St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils each made a waiver claim on Sunday, with the Blues adding defenceman Justin Barron from the Nashville Predators and the Devils bringing in goalie Remi Poirier from the Dallas Stars, according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston.
Barron, 24, put up nine assists in 52 games with Nashville last season and averaged 14:15 of ice time. The former first-round pick, taken 25th overall by Colorado in 2020, was part of a March 21, 2022 deal that sent him to the Montreal Canadiens with a second-round pick in exchange for winger Artturi Lehkonen. He spent a little more than two seasons in Montreal before being moved to the Predators on Dec. 18, 2024, in a trade for defenceman Alexandre Carrier.
Poirier, also 24, spent last season with the AHL’s Texas Stars, where he appeared in 52 games and went 27-19-6 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average. Dallas picked him in the sixth round, 185th overall, in 2020, and he has not yet made his NHL debut.
Nashville also put two defencemen on waivers Sunday with the regular season only days away, sending Ilya Lyubushkin and Nick Perbix to the wire.
Lyubushkin, 32, joined the Predators in July after recording one goal and eight assists in 53 games with Dallas last season. He is in the final year of a three-year, $9.75 million contract with an average annual value of $3.25 million. Across 486 career games with the Arizona Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks and Stars, he has seven goals and 63 assists.
Perbix, 28, had three goals and 10 assists in 79 games with Nashville in 2025-26, his first season with the club. The American is also in the final season of his contract, a two-year, $5.5 million deal carrying an average annual value of $2.75 million. In 299 career games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Predators, Perbix has collected 16 goals and 60 assists.
In Other News...
Ryan O'Reilly Trade Buzz Is Back For The Predators
Ryan OReilly is back in the conversation as the trade market starts to take shape, with Elliotte Friedman noting that his name could carry real weight because of both his contract situation and Nashvilles uneven results. The Predators entered the season with aspirations to stay in the mix, but when a team is fighting to find its footing, every veteran on an expiring deal gets a little more scrutiny, especially one with OReillys reputation and appeal.
For now, Nashville still has the comfort of a verbal promise that OReilly would not be moved, but that assurance is not the same as long-term security. He is heading into the final year of his contract without trade protection, and with interest around him still strong, the Predators may soon have to decide whether their best play is to keep pushing forward or address his future before the market does it for them. [Read more 🡒]