The St. Louis Blues flipped a pair of longtime veterans at the 2026 trade deadline with former team captain Brayden Schenn and defenseman Justin Faulk heading out. In return, the Blues stocked up on picks and pieces that they quickly turned into younger talent.
Looking at the full picture—including what it cost to bring them in years earlier—shows a smart bit of asset management.
Starting with the original acquisition costs, Schenn arrived in June 2017 from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blues sent center Jori Lehtera, the 27th overall pick in that year’s draft (used by the Flyers on Morgan Frost), and a conditional first-rounder that became Joel Farabee in 2018. Schenn was 25, coming off a strong season where he put up 25 goals, 55 points in 79 games with the Flyers. With the Blues, the power forward fit right into the group that later won the 2019 Stanley Cup. He stayed nine seasons scoring 181 goals, 465 points in 650 regular season games.
Faulk came over in September 2019 from the Carolina Hurricanes. St. Louis gave up defenseman Joel Edmundson, prospect Dominik Bokk, and a seventh-round pick, while also getting a fifth-rounder back. Faulk signed a seven-year, $45.5 million extension right away. He became a steady top-four presence while averaging 22:37 minutes every night over his seven seasons wearing the Blue note.
Fast-forward to March 6, 2026. Both players were on the back end of those deals—Schenn at $6.5 million through 2027-28, Faulk at the same number through 2026-27. The Blues were shifting younger. They moved both on deadline day.
Schenn went to the New York Islanders for forward Jonathan Drouin, goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof, Colorado’s 2026 first-round pick (No. 29 overall), and New Jersey’s third-rounder (No. 76). Meanwhile, Faulk headed to the Detroit Red Wings for defenseman Justin Holl, forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, Detroit’s 2026 first-rounder (No. 15), and San Jose’s third-rounder (No. 73).
The Blues held four first-round picks heading into the June draft (their own plus the two new ones and another from the Jordan Kyrou trade). They put those assets to work. They used their own No. 11 pick on center Tynan Lawrence. Then packaged the No. 15 (from Faulk) and No. 29 (from Schenn) to the Anaheim Ducks for 23-year-old center Mason McTavish, a former No. 3 overall pick still under contract at $7 million through the 2030-31 season. The Blues continued their first round and took center Maddox Dagenais at No. 16 (the Kyrou pick)
Later, the Blues sent the two third-rounders (Nos. 73 and 76) to Toronto for defenseman Brandon Carlo. They kept their own third-rounder and selected defenseman Luke Schairer at No. 75.
Drouin was later bought out. Holl hit free agency. Buchelnikov is staying in the KHL for another year. Gidlof remains a developmental goalie prospect in the SHL.
So, did the Blues fair well? Yes. They turned two veterans with declining windows and sizable contracts into two first-round picks, two thirds, and supporting pieces. Those firsts became McTavish, a young, versatile forward with years of control, and the thirds became Carlo, a right-shot defenseman who added (limited) stability. Add the high draft selections of Lawrence and Dagenais, and the organization restocked the middle of the ice and the blue line while moving toward a core built around Robert Thomas, Jake Neighbours, and other younger players.
The original costs for Schenn and Faulk were costly, but ultimately they were pieces that were phased out of the organization. The 2026 deadline moves simply cashed out the remaining value at the right time. It is a clean example of a trade tree that ends with the Blues holding better long-term pieces than they started with on deadline day.