The first round of the NHL Entry Draft is a night filled with jitters, high expectations, and plenty of rumors flying around the room, with discussions among teams surrounding trades of not just draft picks, but players young and old, in hopes of making an organization better for the coming season. That was no different in 2017, when the St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong completed one of the most consequential trades in recent history.
On June 23, 2017, the Blues acquired 25-year-old center Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for center Jori Lehtera, the 27th overall pick in 2017, and a conditional, top-10 protected 2018 first-round pick.
At the time, the deal drew some mixed reactions across the league. Analysts questioned whether sending two first-round picks for a player who had yet to break the 60-point mark in his young career was too steep of a price to pay. Looking back, it is safe to say it was a home run for the city of St. Louis and the Blues organization.
St. Louis' Perspective
The Blues were coming off a 46-29-7 season (99 points) and a coaching change from Ken Hitchcock to Mike Yeo. The Blues desperately needed to find answers down the middle, with their top-nine featuring Paul Stastny (31), Patrik Berglund (28), and Lehtera (29), combining for 96 points, with Stastny leading the trio with 40.
Schenn arrived in St. Louis and immediately transformed the top-six center depth. In his first season, he not only broke the aforementioned 60-point barrier but also finished the season with 28 goals and 70 points in 82 games. His performance led all players on the Blues team and even earned him an NHL All-Star selection, proving that his offensive ceiling, and perhaps even his fit with the Blues, would be higher than previously thought.
Regardless of the point production he put together on the ice in the 2017-18 season, it was one season later, the magical 2018-19 championship campaign, that truly paid dividends on the Blues' investment in Schenn. Centering a relentless second line, Schenn provided the essential grit, 200-foot responsibility, and timely scoring throughout the postseason that was asked of him. The 27-year-old recorded 12 points (5-7--12) in 26 playoff games, including his third-period goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins, extending his team's lead to 3-0 and putting the Blues' first championship title well within reach.
After the championship, Schenn was rewarded with an eight-year contract extension in Oct. 2019. His growth and leadership became a true backbone for his teammates, eventually becoming the 23rd team captain in franchise history. Schenn played nine seasons with the Blues, scoring 181 goals and 465 points in 650 regular-season games.
Philadelphia's Perspective
For former Flyers General Manager Ron Hextall, the trade was inteded to stockpile Philadelphia's cupboard with draft capital while also clearing salary. However, the return package ultimately fell short of expectations. Lehtera returned in the deal as a salary match and added only 11 points in 89 games over two seasons before returning to Europe.
The 27th overall selection in 2017, Morgan Frost, displayed glimpses and flashes of high-end talent that prompted him to become a first-round selection, but he struggled to find consistency despite multiple coaching changes. Through 278 games across six seasons with Philadelphia, Frost grabbed 50 goals and 135 points.
The conditional draft pick, the 2018 14th overall selection, resulted in the Flyers' selection of winger Joel Farabee. The Syracuse native developed into a quality top-nine producer with two 20-goal seasons and one season hitting the 50-point mark. However, Farabee never found consistency or true game-breaking production in the City of Brotherly Love.
Despite their individual talent levels, neither Farabee or Frost grew into the franchise pillars that the Flyers seemingly had in mind for these young forwards. The front office ultimately decided to part ways with the duo, packaging them in a trade with the Calgary Flames in Jan. 2025, refocusing their roster around a new core and their new trade acquisition, Andrei Kuzmenko, officially closing the chapter on the original trade return for Schenn.
Final Notes
Trading away multiple first-round draft picks was certainly a risky move for Armstrong and the Blues. Both Frost and Farabee could have become two cornerstone players for the Flyers, while Schenn could have remained a heavy-hitting center who never found the next level in his development. Ultimately, the Blues and Armstrong's decision was spot on in their assessment, targeting a player whose age, style of play, and leadership style matched exactly what the organization needed.
Schenn didn't just fulfill his end of the bargain, but helped deliver a Stanley Cup down Market Street and a championship banner to the rafters of the Enterprise Center, establishing himself as one of the most influential members of the Blues organization in modern history.
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