The St. Louis Blues are in an interesting position heading into the 2026 NHL Draft. The Blues hold three first-round picks, and 12 in total.
St. Louis holds its own pick at 11th, the Detroit Red Wings’ pick at 15th (from the Justin Faulk trade), and the Colorado Avalanche’s at 31st (from Brayden Schenn trade).
Now, the order of these picks could change. The 11th pick, for example, could become the first-overall selection. The Blues could also move up from 15th, and the 31st pick, well, it’ll likely stay around there considering how well the Avalanche are doing in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
That said, there’s something that has to be said here: The Blues could weaponize one, two, or all three of their first-round picks.
How so?
There could be any number of teams looking to trade up in the first round or get back in after trading away their first-rounders. And that’s a situation that the Blues could take advantage of.
For instance, what if the Blues were willing to move Detroit’s selection? There could be teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, or Dallas Stars who might be willing to make a deal to get back into the first round.
Would a team like that be willing to pull off a deal for one or multiple first-rounders? It could happen, depending on the circumstances.
Consider this scenario: The Stars have to re-sign RFA forward Jason Robertson. He’s likely going to clean up after a huge season this year. But what if the Stars just can’t make his cap hit work? What if Robertson and the Stars come to a stalemate where a trade might be the only way out?
That’s where the Blues could come in, draft picks in tow, and potentially make an offer. Jordan Kyrou, two first-rounders, and a prospect.
Such an offer could be enough to move the needle.
What if Blues just keep their picks?
It’s certainly plausible for the Blues to keep their picks. This year’s draft is believed to be one of the deepest in a long time. So, why not just keep the picks?
That would hardly be a bad idea.
St. Louis could use even more solid prospects coming up the pipeline. With several veterans potentially heading out the door, the Blues could use even more young stars coming up the ranks.
According to The Athletic's prospect pool rankings, the Blues are 10th in the NHL. So, wouldn't it sound great if the organization could just add even more solid players to that pipeline?
It will all pretty much depend on the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery. Where the Blues ultimately land in the first round could determine if the organization would be willing to weaponize its picks, or perhaps just hold onto them.
The Draft Lottery will be on May 5, and it could prove to be a potentially watershed moment for the Blues organization moving forward.
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