Yesterday, we looked at ways the St. Louis Blues could move up in the draft order, if any teams were willing and the Blues could find the right mix of assets to make it happen. We've also talked about which prospects might be available at 19th overall, and that the Blues would likely get a good prospect there, too. Today, we're going to assess whether trading back would make sense for the Blues.
As we all well know, the Blues used their 2025 2nd- and 3rd-round picks last summer to offer sheet Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway; they also used their 2025 4th-round pick to acquire Alexandre Texier from the Columbus Blue Jackets, and their 7th-round pick was used to acquire Jakub Vrana two years ago. All told, the Blues have picks in the first, fifth, and sixth rounds of the 2025 draft.
Dropping down a few slots in the draft order to get an extra pick in the second or third round could be a way to fortify the pipeline with more prospects and still get a promising young player. So, which teams could the Blues talk to?
The first one that comes to mind is the Philadelphia Flyers: they have three 1st-round picks and four 2nd-round picks, which is plenty of ammo to move up. However, with the 22nd overall pick, moving up three slots might not make sense for the Flyers: the players that should be available at 19 and 22 will likely be of a similar caliber, and parting with assets might not be worthwhile for Philadelphia. That said, who knows how the board will fall? Consensus boards have Tier 4 becoming Tier 5 around pick 20, and gaining three spots could be the difference between two prospects with significant differences in their ceiling.
The Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Nashville Predators also have picks at the tail end of the first round, plus their own early 2nd-round picks. The rebuilding Blackhawks moved up in last year's draft, so it wouldn't be a shock to see them try to do it again. The Sharks moved up last year, too, and picks 30 and 33 could be quite enticing. The Predators, however, are in win-now mode and need NHL-ready players that can help them do that; no matter who they'd get at 19th overall in a swap with the Blues, that prospect is years from the NHL. Nashville may be better served trading some of its picks than trying to move up in the draft.
In a similar vein to Nashville, you have the Washington Capitals sitting at 27th overall. The Caps also have 37th overall, which is a pick the Boston Bruins traded to them two years ago. While the Capitals do need talent now to help Alex Ovechkin make one last run at a Stanley Cup, their team seems pretty tight as is with some young talent waiting in the wings--maybe they see the value in moving up to get a higher-end prospect than making both selections.
There are a lot of options in front of Blues GM Doug Armstrong leading up to draft day, and any one of them could be a boon for the franchise.