"He was such an important part, the player aside, in holding people on the team, on the ice, in the organization, accountable," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "You had no choice. His mental and physical toughness, his ability to play through injuries, the ability to play through tough situations, he was here through everything. He was here for the good days, the bad days, and back to the good days again. We all know what type of player he was but he was way bigger than that here because he made sure everybody was held accountable because you saw him limp in and still play games. I think he was a quiet leader that did it in a way that you really appreciate."

Jackman ranks No. 2 all-time in Blues' history in games played with 803, and including the postseason he has suited up in the team's uniform 842 times. The last time was on April 26, 2015, the night the club was eliminated by the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs.

"I pulled the jersey off the other day thinking that it might be the last time,” Jackman, who wore Bobby Plager's famed No. 5, said a few days after the defeat. "I was pretty emotional."

In early June, the Blues notified Jackman that they would not be re-signing the defenseman, making him an unrestricted free agent. He was a plus-3 in 80 games in his final year with the club.