With all of the news bound to hit this weekend, it is best to put all of the draft weekend happenings in one place. This feed will provide you with everything you need to stay informed on St. Louis's picks and moves throughout the weekend.
Blues Trade for Pavel Buchnevich
Friday afternoon, the Blues acquired forward Pavel Buchnevich from the Rangers. In return, St. Louis sent Sammy Blais and 2022 second-round pick to New York.
A restricted free agent, the 26-year-old Buchnevich recorded 20 goals and 28 assists in 54 games for the Rangers last season, averaging 18:44 a game. Throughout five seasons in New York, he played in 301 games, posting 79 goals and 116 assists.
A former Blues sixth-round pick in 2014, Blais played 119 games through four seasons in St. Louis, recording 17 goals, 18 assists, and 366 hits. He has one more year on his current contract with a $1.5 million cap hit.
Round 1: Blues Select Zachary Bolduc 17th-overall
With the 17th-overall pick, St. Louis selected forward Zachary Bolduc of the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic.
In 27 games with Rimouski this past season, Bolduc recorded 10 goals and 19 assists. The season prior, he scored 30 goals and added 22 assists in 55 games.
Bolduc was ranked 22nd in Elite Prospects consolidated rankings. Their scouting report on him reads:
"Bolduc’s tools give him the upper hand in downhill battles. When defenders stand flatfooted or rush him, he dangles through them with rapid stickhandling motions. And when given an open shooting lane, he can take a couple of steps, kick a leg back, and sling pucks past the goalie." -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide
My Take: With some of the players that remained on the board when St. Louis was on the clock, I'm not sure Bolduc is the direction I would have gone. I was surprised to see Chaz Lucius still available and felt like that was the best pick for the Blues. After that, I would have put some strong consideration towards Fyodor Svechkov. At the same, Bolduc going to the Blues is far from something I'm going to raise a complete stink about. As is the case with every draft pick, only time will tell if Doug Armstrong and his staff made the correct selection here.
Round 3: Blues select Simon Robertsson
After moving up to the 71st-overall pick via a trade with the Sharks, St. Louis selected Simon Robertsson, a right-winger of the SHL.
Ranked 28th by EP's consolidated rankings, Robertsson is a big-bodied winger that is aggressive on the forecheck. In 22 SHL games, he posted one goal and one assist. Keep in mind, this is Sweden's highest league, and playing time is limited for younger players.
Elite Prospects scouting report on Robertsson reads:
"He pushes his top hand from his body and fully engages the lever-motion downforce on his stick for a mechanically clean shot with plenty of zip and accuracy. Robertsson couples that shot with savvy off-the-puck timing to make him a consistent scoring threat in the offensive zone." -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide
Round 5: Blues take Tyson Galloway
The Blues went for a big-bodied defenseman with pick 145, taking Tyson Galloway of the WHL's Calgary Hitmen.
At 6-foot-4 and 214 lbs, Galloway is a strong skater which assists his productivity in both zones. In 17 games last season, Galloway registered four goals and five assists. Though the sample size was small, there was certainly an improvement to his offensive contributions compared to the year prior.
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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