It's a good thing the St. Louis Blues tend to do pretty well with their draft picks, finding impactful NHLers throughout the draft, though especially in the first round. Some of that can be attributed to development as well, but finding the right players is a testament to the scouts within the organization.
But with the franchise's only first-overall pick, the Blues kind of...well, blew it
In 2006, the Blues had the privilege of selecting first overall, and with that pick they took defenseman Erik Johnson. A fine player, but when you see that Jordan Staal to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jonathan Toews to the Chicago Blackhawks, and Nick Backstrom to the Washington Capitals went second, third, and fourth, you really start to wonder what could've been for the Blues.
We're only focusing on one player that haunted the Blues, however, and of those three, there's only one clear selection: Jonathan Toews.
In 67 regular season games against the Blues--more games than any other NHL team--Toews has scored 18 goals and 50 points; the only teams he's scored more against are the Minnesota Wild (52 points) and the Colorado Avalanche (53 points).
Through the 2010s, the Blackhawks dominated the division and, to be honest, the entire Western Conference. They were an absolute force of a team during that era, winning three Stanley Cup Championships.
Erik Johnson had a fine career, surpassing a thousand games and winning a Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. Still, it's easy to envision a world where the Blues selected Toews first overall, and St. Louis went on to have a decade of success akin to the Blackhawks.
Now, Toews is back in the league with his hometown Winnipeg Jets--the 2024-25 Presidents' Trophy winners and team that bounced the Blues in round one of the playoffs. If the Jets are anywhere near as good as last year, Toews has a chance to be a thorn in the Blues' side once again.