The St. Louis Blues will be looking to cash in some of that bountiful draft capital in the 2026 NHL Draft and move into the top five.
If that sounds like a pipe dream, it certainly is not. According to insider Andy Strickland, the Blues and the four first-rounders could be making a push to land one of the San Jose Sharks’ top 10 picks. In particular, we’re talking about the second-overall pick.
Can expect St. Louis to be among teams looking slide up to as high as #2. Willing to deal and have the assets to appease San Jose. Looking to capitalize off of their draft capital to make immediate upgrades to roster. #stlblues
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) June 25, 2026
As it stands, the Blues have the 11th, 15th, 16th, and 29th picks in the first round. That’s not bad, but it could get even better.
The Sharks hold the 2nd, 9th, and 27th picks. So, would it be nice to see the Blues turn, say, the 11th and 15th picks into the second?
Why not toss the 11th, 15th, and 16th picks for the second pick?
Now, it’s worth pointing out that the ninth pick doesn’t make sense as the Blues would be moving up just two spots from no.11.
So, it’s either the second-overall pick or nada in this year’s NHL Draft.
Blues could target high-end blueliner or transformational forward with 2nd pick
The big question would be: Who could the Blues target with the second-overall pick?
That depends on how you look at the situation. Following the Jordan Kyrou trade, the Blues will have an opening in the top six. So, why not plug that opening with someone like Ivar Stenberg?
The book on Stenberg is that he’s the best two-way forward in the entire draft class. While he’s not a center, he could easily slide into the second line with newly acquired Connor McMichael and Pavel Buchnevich.
Of course, that line would work assuming the Blues roll with McMichael as a center and not a winger.
There’s also the possibility of the Blues taking the best defenseman in the draft, Chase Reid. Reid topped Corey Pronman’s prospect list in The Athletic. He’s considered a superior prospect to Gavin McKenna and Stenberg.
That’s why the Blues would face a tough choice. In my estimation, the best road would be Stenberg. He’s just too good to pass up, even if he is a bit undersized. Stenberg has drawn comparisons to Jake Guentzel, making him a very good pick for a Blues team that doesn’t really need a superstar to carry the team.
Ultimately, it’s unclear whether the Sharks will bite on the offer (pun totally intended). If they don’t, there’s nothing wrong with St. Louis adding four new first-round picks to its prospect pipeline.
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