Blues Eye Bold Move Up in 2026 NHL Draft

The St. Louis Blues hold picks 11 and 15 in the 2026 NHL Draft and plan to attach a player to climb as high as second overall.

Draft Capital and Trade Window

The Blues own consecutive first-round selections at 11 and 15 after finishing the 2025-26 season outside the playoffs. Darren Dreger reported on the Hockey Sense podcast that St. Louis has shown willingness from the San Jose Sharks to discuss the second overall pick. Pairing the two selections alone falls short of the required value, forcing the inclusion of a roster player to bridge the gap. The April 28, 2026, report on NHLRumors.com framed the effort as part of a retool rather than a rebuild, keeping the core intact while adding high-end talent.

Conversations with the Buffalo Sabres that surfaced before the 2026 trade deadline could resume. A separate near-miss with the Anaheim Ducks in the same window left pieces on the table that might now align. Each failed prior negotiation narrows the remaining partners and raises the price for a top-three selection. The causal link runs from stalled deadline talks to an accelerated draft-week push.

Targeted Prospects and Market Dynamics

Ivar Stenberg sits at the center of one scenario if available at the top of the board. Caleb Malhotra, son of former NHL forward Manny Malhotra, draws strong interest from the Vancouver Canucks at third overall, according to the same Dreger update. The Blues must therefore decide whether to target Stenberg or pivot to another name once the first pick clears. The 11-15 combination plus a quality piece creates the exact leverage needed to jump multiple spots.

The San Jose Sharks retain control of the second selection and have signaled openness. Any deal must clear the value threshold that two mid-firsts cannot meet alone. Attaching a player such as a middle-six forward or top-four defenseman supplies the missing asset and explains why the conversation has intensified in the final week of May 2026. The growing sense around the league, as Dreger described, stems directly from the Blues’ stated intent to maximize their two first-round assets.

Path to Execution

A completed package would likely land between second and fifth overall. Historical precedent shows teams that surrendered similar capital in one year reaped multiple top-five selections within two drafts. The Blues’ front office has already restarted those deadline dialogues, compressing the timeline into the final weeks before the June draft. Success hinges on identifying a partner whose roster needs align with the attached player rather than pure draft compensation.

The retool philosophy keeps veteran contracts intact while the incoming prospect accelerates the timeline. Two first-rounders inside the top five would represent the deepest influx of young talent since the 2017 class. Execution before June therefore determines whether the 2026 draft resets the Blues’ prospect ranking or merely adds depth at the margins.