The draft appeared to be breaking in the Blues’ favor, with many of the top half dozen defensemen being bypassed early for forwards.

But then Carter Yakemchuk went seventh to Ottawa, Zayne Parekh went ninth to Calgary, Anton Silayev went 10th to New Jersey and Sam Dickinson 11th to San Jose. Denver defenseman Zeev Buium was still available at No. 12, with Philadelphia on the clock and a delay as the Flyers worked on a trade.

In the end, Minnesota made its move. The Wild traded pick No. 13 and a 2025 third-rounder in order to move up to No. 12 and select Buium.

Even though a hypothetical move from No. 16 to No. 12 by St. Louis would have been more costly than Minnesota’s deal, the Blues had the requisite draft capital to work with as they own two second-rounders and two third-rounders.

Jiricek’s selection could headline what is expected to be a quiet weekend for the Blues as they continue their transition towards a younger core.

The Blues filled a need in their bottom-six by acquiring Alexandre Texier from Columbus. They traded a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Blue Jackets, and then signed the pending restricted free agent to a two-year extension worth $2.1 million annually.

Texier, 24, had 12 goals and 18 assists last year in 78 games. He was one of Columbus’ top penalty killers and has versatility to play both wing and center, although he primarily played wing last season. He is an above average skater, according to NHL Edge’s top speed and burst data.

Last season was Texier’s first back in the NHL after he was granted a leave of absence in 2022-23.

With Texier’s inclusion on the roster, and the presumed re-signing of depth forward Nikita Alexandrov, the Blues could have 12 of a possible 14 spots up front spoken for prior to the opening of free agency on Monday. Dvorsky, Bolduc and Dean are also expected to be in the mix for the final spots on the roster.

St. Louis also has almost $12 million in cap space to work with in the case it wants to weaponize cap space in order to accumulate assets.

The Blues could use more scoring from a second-line center, and they could use a top-four defenseman, but they face more of a roster crunch than a cap crunch at this moment. As so, both Armstrong and owner Tom Stillman warned against a splashy offseason.

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