The St. Louis Blues took a hacksaw to their preseason roster yesterday, cutting a whopping 20 players in one fell swoop. Eighteen players were loaned back to the AHL affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds, and two were returned to their junior clubs.
Returning to Springfield are forwards Nikita Alexandrov, Jakub Stancl, Hugh McGing, Matthew Peca, Juraj Pekarcik, Dylan Peterson, Simon Robertsson, Sam Stange, Nikita Susuev, Sam Bitten, and Christopher Wagner. The defensemen returning to the AHL are Michael Buchinger, Quinton Burns, Marc-Andre Gaudet, Samuel Johannesson, and Anthony Kehrer. Two goaltenders, Will Cranley and Vadim Zherenko, are going down as well.