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The Blues waived defenseman Nick Leddy on Wednesday morning, potentially clearing space on a crowded blue line.

Leddy has one year remaining on his contract with a $4 million cap hit but is due $3 million in salary for the upcoming season. He was one of eight Blues defensemen projected to be on the NHL roster after ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ acquired Logan Mailloux from Montreal on Tuesday morning.

If Leddy is claimed, that team will absorb Leddy’s full contract. If Leddy does not get claimed, he will remain a part of the Blues organization. Leddy’s placement on waivers does not have anything to do with a buyout, as the buyout window has closed.

In order to send a waivers-eligible player to the AHL, he must be waived in the “playing season waiver period,� which begins 12 days before the start of the regular season. So that means the Blues would have to waive Leddy in the fall again if they chose to send him to AHL affiliate Springfield (Massachusetts).

Leddy, 34, owns a 16-team no-trade list, so it remains possible that Leddy is claimed by a club on his no-trade list. That could explain why the Blues went this route instead of a trade.

This could also be the first step toward a mutual contract termination, one that would be similar to what the Blues executed last season with forward Brandon Saad. Saad went unclaimed on waivers and instead of reporting to the AHL, he chose to forfeit more than $5 million in order to terminate his contract and sign as a free agent with Vegas.

Leddy could face a similar choice if he clears waivers. If it becomes obvious that no team wants him at his current cap hit and salary, he could opt to terminate his contract, forfeit the $3 million in salary and sign a cheaper deal elsewhere.

If the Blues get to the point of sending Leddy to the AHL in the fall, they can only receive $1.15 million of cap relief from the transaction, meaning Leddy would still count $2.85 million toward the Blues’ cap picture.

Even with Torey Krug not placed on long-term injured reserve yet, the Blues are still about $750,000 under the $95.5 million salary cap. When the Blues choose to place Krug on LTIR (either in the offseason or during the season), they can create close to $6.5 million more in cap space.

Of course, if Leddy is claimed by another team, that would allow $4 million more in cap space for the Blues and give them about $11.25 million in purchasing power.

The Blues acquired Leddy in March 2022 from Detroit in exchange for a second-round pick, Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Walman. That summer, the Blues signed him to a four-year contract at his $4 million cap hit.

Leddy has played 211 games with the Blues, stacking up nine goals and 55 assists while primarily Colton Parayko’s partner on the top pair. Last season, Leddy missed almost four months due to injury and averaged 14:11 of ice time in the playoffs against Winnipeg.

Cam Fowler proved to be a productive partner to Parayko on the top pair, and Philip Broberg’s arrival last summer took another spot on the left side. With Tyler Tucker available as a third-pairing option, the Blues had decisions to make on the blue line.

As it stands now, Tucker appears to have the inside track to a role on the third pairing, potentially alongside Mailloux. That would leave the top four of Fowler-Parayko and Broberg-Faulk untouched, with Matthew Kessel as the seventh defenseman.

When he spoke to reporters on Tuesday following the acquisition of Mailloux, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was asked how the Blues would look at the logjam on defense. He replied coyly, “We’ll look at it.�