It is an important summer for the St. Louis Blues. After a miserable 2025-26 season, they need to retool the roster and bring in young NHL talent to give the Blues new energy. One of the best ways the Blues can do this is through the NHL Draft. With such a loaded draft class, there are plenty of guys who should be very successful NHL players. The only problem is the Blues' earliest pick is 11th overall, and it's unlikely anyone they select is ready to be in the NHL.
The only way they can land an NHL-ready player is if they trade up to the top five of the draft. One of the teams in the top five that has been rumored to be interested in trading their pick is the San Jose Sharks. Of all the teams in the top five, they are the ones in the best position to move the pick and get better as a team. But what makes the Blues and Sharks good trading partners, and what could a potential deal look like?
The Blues and Sharks could be perfect trade partners
The Sharks are coming off a pretty decent season. While they hold the second overall pick, this is a result of them getting lucky and jumping seven spots during the lottery. They were 39-35-8, missing the playoffs by just four points. It was the first time they finished higher than seventh since the 2021-22 season. It was also a breakout season for Macklin Celebrini, giving the Sharks their franchise cornerstone to build around.
As one of the young, up-and-coming teams in the league, the Sharks will be looking for pieces that can put them over the top. As good as a player like Ivar Stenberg or Chase Reid would be for the Sharks, they need proven NHL talent right now. It's time to surround the young core they have developed with veterans who can evaluate them. If they want to take the next step in 2026-27, they need guys they can plug into their lineup and know can make an impact.
There are two possible trades that the Blues and Sharks could do. The first one is to package Robert Thomas along with mid-round picks to move up. One of the areas the Sharks need to improve is their goal scoring. They only had two players who scored more than 20 goals last season. Thomas can fix that problem as he has scored 20 goals in four of the last five seasons. He's also a lock to register around 70 points a season. The only snag this trade has is Thomas' no-trade clause. He will have to approve a deal, and it's unclear whether he will want to go to San Jose.
The second one is less likely, but it would involve packaging the 11th and 15th, along with some late-round picks, to move up. With Blues veterans like Thomas and Jordan Kyrou having no trade clauses, it's unclear whether any of them will want to go to San Jose. This would give the Sharks more draft capital and trade assets to get creative with. They can take these picks, then flip them for a goal-scoring forward or a solid defenseman on another team who does not have an NTC.
If the Sharks are serious about moving down in the draft, they have to call the Blues. These two are perfect trading partners and have the assets that will take each team to the next step in their organization's plan.
