The 2025-26 NHL season hasn’t been all that kind to the St. Louis Blues. Some major ups and downs have left the club in NHL Draft Lottery territory. The sell-off at the trade deadline didn’t help the club get back into the standings.
But if there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Blues stand to land a potential high-end talent in the 2026 NHL Draft.
According to Tankathon, the Blues are on pace to pick fifth overall. That placement, of course, could change following the Draft Lottery. But you have to think that the likelihood of a top-three pick wouldn’t be out of the question.
But as long as the Blues remain in the top five, the club has a solid chance of landing a player who could be a generational talent.
Tankathon projects the Blues taking Alberts Smits, a defenseman out of Finland, with the fifth pick. So, just how good is Smith?
The Athletic projects Smits as the sixth-best prospect in the entire 2026 NHL Draft. The publication’s assessment has Smits as a top-pairing defenseman, drawing comparisons to the Washington Capitals’ Jakob Chychrun.
That’s not a bad consolation prize for an otherwise tough season. Of course, landing a blueliner like Smits depends on the Blues’ final placement in the NHL Draft order. But as long as the Blues stay within the top 10, they’ll have a shot at a solid top-of-the-lineup player.
Why drafting a defenseman makes sense for Blues
Last season, the Blues took forward Justin Carbonneau with the 19th overall pick. Despite having just three picks in last year’s NHL Draft, the Blues got away with a solid player. Carbonneau could become a great middle-six forward who might even have some top-line talent.
That said, it would make sense for the Blues to take a defenseman after landing a forward last season. In fact, the Blues took three defensemen with the top three picks they had in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Adam Jiricek, the 16th overall pick in said draft, looks like he could be a significant piece down the line. So, taking another blueliner like Smits could, all of a sudden, give the Blues two high-end defensemen in the coming seasons.
Both Smits and Jiricek are 19. So, you would have to think that they could both join the big club around the same time. Their emergence could lead to what might be one of the best young blue lines in the league. The Blues already have young stars in Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux. Theo Lindstein could be here to stay. That still leaves three spots that may open up as veterans eventually move out of the lineup.
That’s why the silver lining could turn a little golden for the Blues this season. While we might not see this year’s top first-round pick in the lineup for some time to come, you have to think that the possibility of adding another high-end prospect would bode extremely well for the organization moving forward.
If anything, it could embolden management to finally move on from some of the veteran pieces already believed to be on the way out.