The NHL Entry Draft is nearly here and, though the St. Louis Blues are without picks in several rounds due to the offer sheets they extended to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway last summer, they do have their most valuable: a 1st-round pick at 19th overall. There are many paths ahead of GM Doug Armstrong on what to do with that pick, and today we're going to look at whether trading up in the draft order could be a useful course of action.
Now, we do have to be reasonable here: picks in the top ten are rarely traded, let alone picks in the top five, so in all likelihood, the Blues will have to talk to a team after tenth overall. The teams between 11th and 18th are, in order: the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens (twice!), and the Calgary Flames. One of those teams is the Blues' most likely trade partner.
However, as we said at the top, the Blues are without 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-round picks this summer, and those are generally the ammo used to move up in any given draft--and they don't have a 2nd-round pick for the next two years, either. That makes it unlikely that the Blues can move up in a deal involving draft picks exclusively, which means they'd probably have to part with a player or prospect. Not likely, but possible.
So, which team would be most open to moving back? The Penguins are trying to stay competitive in the twilight years of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, so maybe they could be enticed for a player who helps them win right now, but things are bleak and GM Kyle Dubas should have an eye towards the future as well. The Rangers, meanwhile, underperformed last season, have freed up a lot of cap, and need a wave of youth to keep their window open. Like the Penguins, we should expect the Rangers to make this pick.
Detroit's an interesting case. They need to turn the corner--now--as the Yzerplan doesn't seem to be working anymore. They don't need more picks, though; they need good roster players, and it's tough to see the Blues parting with anyone after a successful season. Ditto for Columbus and Vancouver: the Blue Jackets overperformed but look ready for the next step, and Vancouver underperformed and needs to get back to the playoffs. A draft pick in the teens won't be NHL-ready for years, so those two teams probably look for players that can help sooner than later which, again, requires assets the Blues likely don't wish to part with.
At 16th and 17th overall, you've got the Montreal Canadiens. Given the way prospect rankings are trending, the transition from one tier of player to another comes at about pick 15, so trading up from 19th to 16th isn't worthwhile unless a higher-tiered player has fallen lower than projected. Having back-to-back picks, though, may mean the Habs are more open to moving one of them--and if the Blues absolutely love a guy at 16 who they're sure won't make it 19, there's a world where they strike a deal. It's only three spots, so the cost to move up wouldn't be exorbitant like trying to get to 11, but it will still take some creativity.
While it would be fun for Armstrong to find a way to move up at the draft, the Blues' dearth of draft picks would make it difficult to cut a deal with most teams. Still, a bit of creativity and a willing dance partner, and the Blues could find a way to get an earlier pick. If not, there should be a number of good players for them to select.