Blues claim Jack Finley off waivers from Lightning

Finley found himself on waivers largely due to performance, as he had gone 10 games without registering a point. The Lightning had the space on the roster to keep him, but likely thought that some time in the AHL over the Olympic break would give him some time to reinvigorate his game.

However, he will instead get some rest over the Olympic break, as the Blues claiming him off waivers means he remains on an NHL roster. Due to the Olympic roster freeze, Finley doesn’t have to report to the Blues until February 17th, so he also gets some time to relocate and allocate himself in St. Louis.

Since the NHL season is past the first month in October, the waiver priority order is determined based on the inverse of the NHL standings for the 2025-26 season. The Blues are currently second in the waiver priority behind only the Vancouver Canucks, as they sit 31st in the league, so they had a strong chance of getting him when making a waiver claim.

Finley is in his first full season at the NHL level after securing a spot on the Lightning roster out of training camp. He hasn’t been overly productive in a bottom-six role and hasn’t been a consistent mainstay in the lineup, as he has just two goals and one assists for three points in 22 games.

Finley also had a brief stint in the AHL when the Lightning reassigned him their in December, where he had one goal and two assists for three points in three games. However, Finley had spent just enough time on the NHL roster this time around to become eligible for waivers, which resulted in the Lightning losing him.

The Blues enter the Olympic break with a 20-28-9 record, which is the worst record in the Central Division and the second-worst in the league. They’ll look to snap a three-game losing streak when they return from the break and host the Seattle Kraken on February 26th at 7 p.m. CT.