The St. Louis Blues turned draft night in Buffalo into a statement, swinging a deal for 23-year-old center Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks while still walking away with two first-round prospects. In one hectic evening at KeyBank Center, the Blues reshaped the middle of their lineup for the 2026-27 season and gave fans a clearer look at the franchise’s timeline.
Trade-night shocker
St. Louis landed McTavish in a deal that sent the Nos. 15 and 29 overall picks to Anaheim, according to NHL.com. The 23-year-old center put up 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 75 games this season and sits at 181 career points (77 goals, 104 assists) in 304 NHL regular-season games, as noted by the league’s site. He has five seasons remaining on the six-year contract he signed last fall, so this is not a short-term rental situation.
Blues turn picks into prospects
The trade was only part of a busy first round for St. Louis. The club entered Friday’s draft holding four first-round selections, as the St. Louis Blues preview noted. With the No. 11 pick, the Blues selected center Tynan Lawrence, as reported by The Hockey Writers, and at No. 16 they grabbed power forward Maddox Dagenais, according to Daily Faceoff. Local TV station FOX 2 had already spotlighted the McTavish deal earlier in the evening, with the extra first-round ammunition coming from trades made over the past several months.
What the new prospects bring
Tynan Lawrence is a quick, high-IQ center who split his season between the USHL and Boston University. Over two USHL campaigns he totaled 35 goals and 36 assists, then added seven points in 18 collegiate games, per EliteProspects. Maddox Dagenais, listed at 6-foot-4, is a power forward who finished at a point-per-game pace with 62 points in 62 games for the Quebec Remparts, according to EliteProspects. Together they give St. Louis two distinct development tracks, with Lawrence projecting as a polished two-way center and Dagenais offering size, finishing touch and heavy net-front presence.
Why the Blues pulled the trigger
General manager Doug Armstrong’s front office appears to be threading the needle, trying to stay competitive in the near term while rebuilding the prospect pool. McTavish arrives as an NHL-ready option down the middle, while Lawrence and Dagenais help restock the system. The Blues missed the playoffs by four points last season, making a center-ice upgrade a clear priority, per NHL.com. McTavish is locked into a multi-year deal with an average annual value in the neighborhood of $7 million, a payroll commitment reported by Sportsnet, and the willingness to part with mid-first-round picks signals the Blues are trying to speed up their next competitive window rather than wait it out.
