The St. Louis Blues are getting close to sorting out their blue line, and with preseason now about halfway done, the picture is starting to come into focus. Two games remain, and while there are still plenty of questions on defense, the opening-night group looks closer to set than it did a week ago.
After the Blues’ 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, there’s a growing sense of what the back end may look like on October 2. The biggest development is at the top of the defense, where Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux got their first real look together as partners in game action.
The result sheet showed both players at minus-2, but the performance itself looked better than that number suggests. For a team that needs stability from its top pair, that matters.
St. Louis needs Broberg and Mailloux to be steady from the start, because the rest of the defensive group still carries some uncertainty. If that pairing doesn’t hold together, the Blues don’t have much room to keep experimenting.
Adam Jiricek is also entering the conversation. In his first game with the Blue Note on his chest, he looked like he belonged, and the early signs were encouraging.
He still has two more preseason games to make his case, but there are obstacles in front of him. Colton Parayko and Brandon Carlo are still facing questions about their effectiveness, and if either one struggles to keep up, Montgomery may have to turn to Jiricek sooner than expected to give the group a jolt.
Tyler Tucker’s situation has gone the other direction. What looked like a path to a regular role has been derailed by a rough stretch that included a poor showing, an injury, and other players passing him by.
For now, No. 75 has been pushed into no man’s land. His availability for the final two preseason games is unclear because his return timetable has not been set, and while he’ll have a shot to work his way back once the regular season begins, the bottom half of the defense is looking less certain for him by the day.
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