Who will step up if Mailloux’s injury lingers?

Both got majors for fighting, with Mailloux getting a 10-minute misconduct. But that wasn’t the worst of it, as the right-handed defenseman headed to the locker room for the rest of the night with an upper-body injury. His timetable for return has not been established.

Now, this could have been a major injury, or possibly a minor one for stitching or a cut. Regardless, his uncertainty for the opening night in Dallas on October 2  means that someone may need to step up.  With the roster essentially all locked up and loaded with this final preseason game, now is the time to kind of scramble if Mailloux is out for a while.

But who? 

Colton Parayko 

This is probably the easier switch to make, as everyone on the right side just moves up a spot. That means Colton Parayko would skate alongside Broberg, and Brandon Carlo would move next to Theo Lindstein. Cam Fowler would then get either Calle Rosen or another potential call-up we will get to later. 

If Mailloux is out for opening night, expect this to be the cause of action. It is the safest option, and smartest move that Montgomery can make in terms of keeping this team as tight-knit as possible following this short preseason.

Adam Jiricek

As one of the last roster cuts a few days ago, Adam Jiricek might have found another way onto the Blues roster. Maybe head coach Jim Montgomery decides not only to call him up, but to give him some top-line minutes. 

Broberg and Mailloux had a lot of chemistry going this preseason, and it looked like it would be a nice partnership to start the season. Jiricek has the same playstyle as Mailloux and could slide in a lot more easily than Parayko would in terms of speed and elusiveness with the puck. 

This is a little more of an extreme option, but in some way, makes a whole lot of sense. 

The Blues are in a bit of a pickle before the season starts, and hopefully it does not have to come to any of this. Mailloux could use this extended period of time to heal up and be ready to go next week.