Gaudet Clears Waivers, Heads Back To Springfield
The Blues assigned the 22-year-old defenseman to the Thunderbirds on Sunday after no team put in a claim.
Marc-Andre Gaudet cleared waivers on Sunday and was assigned to AHL Springfield, the Blues announced, leaving St. Louis with 39 players on its training camp roster.
Gaudet was the first waiver placement of camp anywhere in the league, reported Saturday by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. No team claimed the 22-year-old defenseman, which was the expected outcome.
St. Louis drafted Gaudet in the fifth round in 2022 and signed him to his entry-level contract months later, in the middle of a breakout QMJHL season that saw him put up 15 goals and 46 assists in 66 games split between Chicoutimi and Sherbrooke.
That offense has not followed him to the AHL. He spent all of last season with the Thunderbirds and finished with five goals and 15 assists in 53 regular season games, plus four points in 11 playoff contests. He had more luck a level down, with 10 points in 12 ECHL games with Florida in 2024-25.
His entry-level deal expires at the end of the coming season, so the stakes in Springfield are straightforward: produce enough to earn a first NHL recall, or at minimum enough to warrant a qualifying offer in the spring.
