The St. Louis Blues would face a tough choice if the NHL expansion draft happened in 2027. The problem is not the draft itself. The problem is that the Blues would have to submit a list of protected players.
That’s where an interesting piece in The Athletic comes into play. In that piece (subscription required), In said piece, the proposed 7-3-1 structure did the Blues quite a bit of justice. The idea was to protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie.
And that’s where the conundrum lies.
Let’s look at the forwards protected:
- Robert Thomas
- Dylan Holloway
- Jimmy Snuggerud
- Jake Neighbours
- Mason McTavish
- Connor McMichael
- Pius Suter
Now, here are the defensemen:
- Philip Broberg
- Colton Parayko
- Logan Mailloux
The goaltender:
- Joel Hofer
So, the Blues wouldn’t protect Jordan Binnington?
That’s where the potential issue could lie. The Blues would have to choose one of Binnington and Hofer. And it seems the decision is pretty clear. It would be foolish to protect Binnington over Hofer. But the prospect of losing Binnington for nothing in the draft could be a tough blow to the organization.
Or would it? There’s a compelling reason why exposing Binnington would make the most sense.
Exposing Binnington would be a tactical move
The idea of exposing a veteran netminder like Binnington in an expansion draft is a good idea for any club. The possibility of taking such a goalie could be too much for the future team to resist.
It’s also the type of move that takes away attention from other crucial players.
Let’s think about that for a minute. If the expansion draft happened in 2027, the Blues would have several players that wouldn’t be eligible. For example, Dalibor Dvorsky and Theo Lindstein would be ineligible as they don’t have the requisite service time.
But what about a player like Tyler Tucker? Would the Blues rather lose Tucker than Binnington in the expansion draft? How about Pavel Buchnevich? Would the Blues be happy to lose Buchnevich for nothing?
If the answer is no. Then, there has to be another way out for the Blues.
Expansion draft could force Blues to make a move
All right, so if the organization is really dead set about getting something back for Binnington, then the possibility of an expansion draft would have to force a trade. The Blues would have to move Binnington ahead of the draft in order to get something back for him.
Otherwise, it’s either losing Binnington for nothing in free agency or the draft.
It’s a tough choice either way.
Fortunately, the NHL expansion draft isn’t happening in 2027. It’s likely happening in 2029 or 2030. By then, the Binnington won’t likely be around. But there will be other complex choices. Some players like Thomas, Holloway, McTavish, and Buchnevich will all be nearing the end of their current deals.
Are the players that the Blues would want to protect then? Would there be other young players worth protecting instead of a veteran?
That situation could trigger a trade sooner than anticipated. That’s why Alex Steen will need to figure out his protected list well in advance.
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