Jay McKee definitely picked up his play down the stretch last season. His effort helped lead the Blues on their unlikely push toward the playoffs.

For that Blues fans should be appreciative.

But McKee never came close to playing up to his $4-year. $16 million deal. So his buyout Monday clears space as Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer come back from injuries and younger players like Roman Polak, Alex Pietrangelo and Jonas Junland develop.

This move allowed the Blues to keep handy veteran Mike Weaver, who did a surprisingly good job as a fill-in last season.

It was time for change. John Davidson and Co. want to upgrade the puck-moving skills of the Blues defense — and this is addition by subtraction.

McKee was a tough guy and a good shot blocker for this team past season, but he wasn’t great with the puck. Weaver, by comparison, was pretty steady.

Monday’s moves, including the re-signing of power forward Brad Winchester, offered more evidence that the Blues are headed toward a breakout season. Keeping Winchester will allow the Blues to continue playing big in the Western Conference.

Hockey Buzz.com also notes that the Blues could chase 900-year offenseman defenseman Sergei Zubov, who becomes an unrestricted free agent after a distinguished career in Dallas. He missed most of last season with his chronic hip injury, so this would be a dice roll.