St. Louis Blues would consider moving No. 16 pick to move up, trade for younger player

The St. Louis Blues were given some clarity on the future of their organization on Monday. President of hockey operations and general manager Doug Armstrong met with the media ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft to discuss the hiring of former Blues goalie Brian Elliot into a developmental role, the status and plan for pending free agents and an update on how they will utilize their first-round pick in the draft. 

The Blues hold the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft, along with eight additional picks. While that first-round selection could be used to draft a top-tier player, there are other options on the table. If St. Louis opted to trade their first-round pick, Armstrong said they would only do so for the return of a higher pick or a young player or group of players that could make this team better for the future. 

What Armstrong and the Blues will not do, however, is trade the pick for a current NHL player. 

Doug Armstrong said he will not use the No. 16 pick to trade for a player of today. Would he use it to package to move up, yes. Would he use it to package fora younger player with right term that fits in #stlblues plans, yes. Plenty of choices are open.

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) June 17, 2024

This not only shows that Armstrong is keeping many options open, but it also provides a pretty good sense of where this organization currently stands.

The Blues went 43-33-6 in 2023-24 and finished seven points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They have not made the postseason in two years and have not advanced past the second round since winning the Stanley Cup in 2019.

Armstrong also confirmed that he likely would have approached the 2024 trade deadline differently (adding pieces) if his club was able to beat the Nashville Predators in mid-February before they ultimately lost five of six and watched the Preds go on a massive run that leapfrogged them past St. Louis into a playoff spot. 

“If we beat Nashville at home (on Feb. 17) and we put them six in the [rear-view mirror] with games in hand, that probably changes my thought process at the deadline,” he told reporters Monday. “But we didn’t and I didn’t have to. It’s their job now to make that a much harder decision.”

Put all of this information together, and you see a clearer picture of an organization that understands it is in the rebuilding phase and looking for young talent to build around.