The 2015 NHL Entry Draft will be held June 26 and 27 in the BBT Center in Sunrise, Florida and, barring a last-minute trade for which St. Louis Blues fans will be on their knees in front of the television for, the Blues still do not have a first-round pick.
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The 2015 Entry Draft class is considered to be the strongest we’ve seen since 2003, which many call the strongest of all-time. It featured 16 All-Stars in just the first round, and added ten more All-Stars over the following eight rounds. Furthering the class’s legacy, each player selected in the first round continued on to play in the NHL.
The 2015 class’s reputation for depth owes a lot to two generational talents in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, the two players expected to go one and two respectively to Edmonton and Buffalo. Both are equally good, if not better, than their no. 1 and 2 corresponding 2003 Draft picks, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes.
After the two-headed monster of McEichel is picked, the following 28 players are extremely close in skill and ability. While it is statistically likely not all of them will ever see an NHL game, forwards such as Dylan Strome, Lawson Crouse and Mitch Marner as well as defenders Ivan Provorov, Noah Hanifin and Zach Werenski are names we’ll be reading and writing about for years to come.
Can the St. Louis Blues really afford to let a player of their caliber slip through their fingers?
St. Louis Blues Draft Picks: 2003 vs 2015
In 2003 the Blues had the 30th pick, Shawn Belle. Belle never played a game on the Blues and was traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Jason Bacashihua, who did not make the regular roster out of training camp. Essentially, in the first round of a Draft class with names in it such as Seabrook, Kesler, Richards, Perry, Getzlaf, Parise, Suter and Horton, the Blues unerringly picked one of only six players who are not considered solid core members of teams today.
If the Blues have the opportunity to essentially make up for missing out on a solid pick in 2003 they should leap at it. In a Draft class that is considered so exceedingly deep, to go without a first-round pick if it is within their grasp is beyond foolish.
Union and Blue
The Blues initially traded away their first-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres as part of a package in exchange for Ryan Miller and Steve Ott. The Sabres then traded that first-round pick away to the Winnipeg Jets along with four players (Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux) in exchange for Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian and Jason Kasdorf.
The Blues hold picks in the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds, with multiples in the fourth and fifth. Holding numbers 56 (2nd round), 94 (4th round pick acquired from Edmonton), 116 (4th round), 127 (fifth round pick acquired from New Jersey), 146 (5th round) and 176 (6th round).
While six picks is nothing to sneer at, with each successive round the likelihood that prospect sees any time in the NHL grows smaller and smaller. Fifth-round picks are not usually what successful franchises are built around, though there is always the exception that proves the rule.
The only teams that hold multiples in the first round are the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers. While each have two picks, all these teams are in rebuild mode, as Bleedin’ Blue’ writer A.P. Andes suggests the Blues need to be, thus making them all the more interested in holding on to their first-round picks.
Surely, however, one or more of them would be interested in a trading a first-round pick for a strong forward such as T.J. Oshie, Alexander Steen or Paul Stastny. We’ll even throw in Jackman or Michalek if they need a little more convincing.
Who do you think the Blues should target for a trade?
Next: St. Louis Blues: Cup-Worthy, In Need Of Rebuild
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