Blues have the assets, but do they have permission?
- Jason Fink
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Jason Fink
After a second straight ouster from the playoffs, it looks like Brady Tkachuk’s time
in Ottawa might be coming to an end. Tkachuk, the Senators’ captain and former
fourth overall draft pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, could possibly bring the Senators
quite the haul in a trade and they definitely need help in a lot of areas.
A team who could help them with that is the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are the
owners of the 11 th , 15 th , and 31 st picks in the upcoming NHL Draft. Meanwhile, the
Senators are ranked 26 th overall in the NHL team prospect rankings according to
hockey expert Scott Wheeler. It seems the cupboard is bare when it comes to the
Senators pipeline of young talent. This is where the Blues come into the picture.
With Alexander Steen taking over for Doug Armstrong as general manager on July
1 st , would Army pull off one more blockbuster for old time’s sake to give Steen a
much needed leadership and physical boost heading into the 2026-’27 season?
Wheeler has the Blues sitting at 10 th in the prospect rankings so they are in a much
better position to make a deal.
Let’s say you are Senators general manager Steve Staios. What would you need that
would help your team not only in the future, but in the present as well? What if
Armstrong offered all three first round draft picks and forward Jordan Kyrou?
You’re not only getting three first round draft picks to pump into your prospect
pool, but you’re also getting a player who has been a consistent goal and point
scorer up until this past season. Yes, Kyrou had an off year with 18 goals and 46
points. But he is two years removed from a 36-goal and 70 point season. Before this
year’s decline in production, Kyrou had averaged 71 points and 33 goals per season
over the previous four years.
Tkachuk also saw a drop in his point totals this past season due to injuries. He
finished with 59 points in 60 games. Over the prior four seasons before that,
Tkachuk had averaged 70 points and 33 goals. Not to mention Tkachuk helped the
United States win the gold medal in the Olympics this past February. The output
from Kyrou and Tkachuk are almost identical. Here’s where they part company and
this is something the Blues have definitely missed since winning the Stanley Cup in
2019. Physicality. Tkachuk is a Tkachuk. And if you know anything about the family
bloodline, he plays a high-tempo, physical game. He is something the Blues have
missed since the days of David Backes. Imagine him on the second line with young
center Dalibor Dvorsky and a full season of top line Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway,
and Jimmy Snuggerud. Depending on who is on the other wing with Dvorsky and
Tkachuk, whether it be Pavel Buchnevich or Jake Neighbours, the Blues could do
some serious damage offensively with their top six.
With right wing goal scoring prospect Justin Carbonneau on the horizon, the Blues
can afford to take the risk. Kyrou needs a change of scenery. Things got so bad for
him in 2025-’26 that Blues head coach Jim Montgomery healthy scratched him
against Buffalo early in the season. Kyrou responded by scoring a pair of goals over
his next three games, but then went goal-less in his next six. He has too much talent
to be this inconsistent and the Blues have been patient enough waiting for him to
show up on a nightly basis. It’s time to move on and make a trade that will bring
some much needed leadership and toughness.
And yes, Tkachuk was nowhere to be found in the Senators playoff series against
Carolina. He went pointless in the Hurricanes four game sweep of the Sens. In the
year prior, Tkachuk scored seven points in six games in the Senators 4-2 series loss
to the Maple Leafs. But here’s where he can really help the Blues. On the power play.
The Blues finished 26 th overall this past season on the man advantage. Tkachuk has
scored 42 goals on the power play over the last four seasons. Kyrou? He has scored
30 over that same timeframe.
Now granted, this fantasy dream scenario is contingent upon one thing. Tkachuk
and Kyrou both have a no-trade clause in their contracts. Tkachuk has a full no-
movement clause in his contract, which means any trade requires his direct
approval. Would he reject a trade to St. Louis, where he has spent a majority of his
life? I would doubt it, but stranger things have happened. Sometimes, there is more
pressure playing in front of hometown fans as opposed to playing elsewhere. As for
Kyrou, he also has a full no-trade clause, which kicked in last July. The Blues were
reportedly trying to move him before the clause kicked in but supposed potential
deals didn’t come to fruition. Kyrou could easily say no but I imagine he would want
a fresh start in another city since his name has been the subject of trade rumors
following last summer.
On paper, Kyrou and Tkachuk aren’t that different. The production is comparable.
The age lines up. But hockey games aren’t played on paper. They’re won in corners,
in front of the net, and in moments when skill alone isn’t enough. That’s where the
gap between the two becomes impossible to ignore. The Blues don’t need more
talent. They don’t need another scorer. They need a tone-setter. They need someone
opponents hate playing against. That’s the difference. That’s Brady Tkachuk.
In the end, this deal won’t be decided in a front office; it’ll be decided by two players
with the power to say no. But if Tkachuk is open to coming home and Kyrou is ready
for a new beginning, the Blues would be staring at a rare opportunity. And
opportunities like that don’t present themselves very often.
Jason Fink can also be found at www.thesidearmer.com
