For parts of his career, Nick Leddy was a solid, play-driving second-pair defenseman who could put up a fair number of points. Now, however, as injuries and age catch up to him, he's not the player he was a decade ago and could find himself bought out this summer.
So, can the St. Louis Blues find a replacement for Leddy in the draft? While it's unlikely that anyone the Blues select at 19th overall will be NHL-ready come September, there are prospects that could fill Leddy's shoes a few years from now. Mostly, it will just come down to who will be available by the time the Blues are on the clock and if the right player is there. For example, Kashawn Aitcheson is a mean, defensive machine--but he likely won't score at the rate Leddy did in his prime. If Aitcheson is the only defenseman in a higher tier available to the Blues at 19, they may do well to select a forward.
However, if smooth-skating Jackson Smith is available, the Blues should be running to the podium to draft him. The 6-foot-4 defenseman's only red flag is his hockey sense; if he were even average at that, he'd be a lock for the top ten. Still, Smith isn't quite in the Leddy mold.
The closest comparable to Leddy in the draft may be Cameron Reid: he's six feet tall, competitive, a great skater, and brings enough skill that he could produce points at the NHL level, though he'll have to develop that to be a top-four lock.
Of course, if both of those players are off the board, there's Logan Hensler, who has major offensive upside. The biggest knock against him is a lack of compete, but he improved a ton during his season with the University of Wisconsin, and this would be a great swing for the Blues.
While finding a Leddy replacement in the draft for the 2025-26 season is a pipe dream, there are a handful of players who could take the job a couple of years from now. We'll see what General Manager Doug Armstrong decides on Friday.