The St. Louis Blues have many different notes to play when Friday rolls around.
GM Doug Armstrong, since 2026, has notably turned Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk, and Jordan Kyrou into five draft picks: three first-round picks, two seconds, and six players. But for the Blues, they’re just getting started. According to The Athletic, Armstrong said: “I think we’ve added valuable assets, and I think it gives this organization a great opportunity to get creative.” But how could the Blues do so?
The Blues have $22MM in cap space to allocate to the team’s current roster composition, 10th highest in the NHL. Their draft capital is even better; 13 total selections could be made by the Blues in the 2026 Draft, four in the first round at 11th, 15th, 16th, and 29th overall. Armstrong noted that it benefits the Blues that the rest of the league has had time to see their current situation and gauge how they can deal with the Blues. Regardless, with players like Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Colton Parayko, and Cam Fowler to note, those picks could be dealt elsewhere to benefit the current roster. Or, helping the young group of Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Philip Broberg might also be beneficial for St. Louis. Regardless, a lot is riding on how the Blues approach this weekend.
Additional Notes:
- Sharks GM Mike Grier was asked about his second overall selection and the intrigue of drafting top prospect Ivar Stenberg. After dealing away young winger William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators, it felt nearly obvious that the Sharks would take one Swedish winger and replace him with a younger one. However, according to Max Willer of SharksHKYDigest, Grier isn’t making his draft approach obvious. He said Stenberg was a great player, but also, “It’s all speculation on your part here. Six-three, right shot, D, who can skate and create offense, don’t grow on trees either.” San Jose has a plethora of elite young defenseman signed and still in the prospect pool, but with the draft’s surplus of top-tier defenders, does he go in that direction at two? Whatever he does could set the tone for what San Jose does later on Friday at picks 9, acquired from Ottawa, and 27th overall from the Sabres.
- According to the Fourth Period, Jason Robertson continues to circle the league as a talking point. The 96-point scorer remains a top priority for Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill to bring back, but that navigation hasn’t come without other teams inquiring. The Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Seattle Kraken, Utah Mammoth, and Pittsburgh Penguins are five teams that are believed to have expressed interest in the American forward. Robertson could go many ways in how his next deal is approached, with AFP Analytics projecting a long and short-term avenue; eight-years at $95MM ($11.9MM AAV) or one-year at $9.62MM. The latter would make him a UFA at age 27.
