We're just a few days away from the 2026 NHL Draft, and we're starting to see some action around the league. Mock drafts abound at every media outlet, and the St. Louis Blues--with a whopping three first-round picks and 12 selections total--have their work cut out for them on Friday and Saturday.
In the first round, the Blues have picks 11, 15, and 29. Historically, 11th-overall has worked out pretty well for teams in the last 20 years, so the Blues have a good shot at picking a high-end, impactful NHL player of the future. The 15th-overall pick has a less illustrious track record, but it's not without it's homeruns.
The 29th-overall pick, however, might be cursed. It is littered with players who either never cracked the NHL in a meaningful capacity, or topped out as bottom-of-the-lineup players that don't move the needle that much. There are a couple of success stories (Adrian Kempe, mainly), but overall, at the back of the first round, it's barely worth more than a second-round selection.
That's why the Blues should trade back into the second round. They don't have a second-round pick this year, and the caliber of prospect available at 29 and from 32 to 64 is likely to be pretty similar.
Perhaps the Calgary Flames would make a good partner: they have four second-round selections, as well as the Vegas Golden Knights' first-rounder at No. 31. Maybe the Flames would trade two second-round picks to the Blues for 29, then use 29 and 31 to move up higher in the 20s for a better prospect. The Pittsburgh Penguins have two second-round picks as well, and we saw last year that GM Kyle Dubas loves to move around, trading back twice in the first round--maybe Dubas could use 20 and 29 to move up. The Chicago Blackhawks, too, with three second-rounders, may see value in moving back into the late first round.
It's unlikely any of this will play out ahead of draft day, because teams need to see how the draft board falls before making a move; there's no sense trading up for a specific prospect before knowing he's available. If a team is willing to move, however, the Blues should absolutely trade back from 29: get two prospects with similar projections, instead of just the one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google