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Day one of the 2021 NHL Draft is in the books. The Blues drafted center Zachary Bolduc 16th (but really 17h) overall. Bolduc was ranked 17th among North American skaters and was named the QMJHL Rookie of the Year in 2019-2020.
There were plenty of draft day surprises, too. Doug Armstrong shocked everyone by trading Sammy Blais and a second rounder in next year’s draft to the New York Rangers for Pavel Buchnevich. Buchnevich was nearly a point per game player last year and his talent will go a long way to shoring up the Blues left side. It also might be a sign that Jaden Schwartz or Mike Hoffman (or both) are out the door.
Today (10:00 AM, NHL Network) round two of the NHL Draft continues. Will Doug Armstrong hoodwink any other GM? Will we be able to laugh at any deals more as excessive as Chicago’s Seth Jones signing? Hopefully, and hopefully the Blues won’t be on the signing end of anything like that.