Trades are an important part of hockey. Whether your team is getting a player who will make an immediate impact or swapping draft picks with a view towards the future, rosters cannot be built without them. While the public focus is typically on active players involved in these moves, the draft picks can pay dividends in the future.
With the 2021 NHL Draft approaching, we thought it’d be fun to look back at some of the Blues’ previous trades involving draft picks and how they changed the course of franchise history.
June 21, 2003: Forward Cory Stillman is traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second-round pick in 2003. It is used to select future Blues captain David Backes.
June 21, 2003: Forward Tyson Nash is traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for a fifth-round pick in 2003, which is used to select Lee Stempniak. Stempniak is then traded to Toronto in 2008 in the deal that brings Alexander Steen to the Blues.
June 25, 2010: Defenseman David Rundblad is traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a first rounder in 2010, which the Blues use to draft Vladimir Tarasenko.
Feb. 18, 2011: Eric Brewer is traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Brock Beukeboom and a third-round pick in 2011. The kid they drafted with that pick? Jordan Binnington.
June 28, 2014: Defenseman Roman Polak is traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Carl Gunnarsson and a fourth-round pick in 2014, which is used to select Ville Husso.
June 24, 2016: Goaltender Brian Elliott is traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a second-round pick in 2016 and a conditional pick. At No. 35 overall that year, the Blues draft Jordan Kyrou.
Feb. 27, 2017: Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and goaltender Pheonix Copley are traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Zach Sanford, Brad Malone, a first-round pick in 2017 and a conditional pick. That first rounder doesn’t stay with the Blues for long, though. On June 23, it is a key piece in a trade with Philadelphia to acquire Brayden Schenn.
The 2021 NHL Draft begins with Round 1 on Friday, July 23 at 7 p.m. (ESPN2) while Rounds 2-7 will be held Saturday, July 24 at 10 a.m. CT (NHL Network). Click here to see where the Blues pick this season.
