The Blues walked out of the 2026 NHL draft with nine prospects, and most of the attention went to the bigger swings - the Mason McTavish trade, the decision to pass on Ethan Belchetz for Maddox Dagenais, and the general push to add depth for both the short term and the long haul.
But the most interesting name in the class might be the one taken way down the board.
Lars Steiner, selected 171st overall in the sixth round, is the kind of winger plenty of NHL teams usually leave alone. He’s listed at just under 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, and that profile has burned teams more often than it has paid off. Unless a player’s skill level is so loud it overwhelms everything else, like Gavin McKenna, undersized wings can be a risky bet early in the draft.
Steiner does have some real believers, though. Elite Prospect ranked the Swiss forward 63rd in its annual draft guide, which is a pretty strong sign that there’s more here than a typical sixth-round flier. If the Blues get even a third-line winger out of him, that would be a major win for the organization at that slot.
The catch is that Steiner probably has to climb higher than that. Players his size usually don’t survive in a fourth-line role, so if he makes it, it likely has to be as a top-nine forward. His tenacity and drive could help him carve out that path.
There are a few names that fit the general mold. Logan Stankoven is the obvious one, though he’s almost certainly more talented on paper than Steiner. Zach Benson is another, and he made his presence felt in the playoffs for the Buffalo Sabres.
A more grounded comparison might be Philadelphia Flyers winger Denver Barkey. Barkey was a third-round pick in 2023, played 43 games last season and finished with 17 points, and even got a short look at center when injuries hit the roster. His effort and motor are the traits that stand out, and Steiner has some of that same edge.
That’s the path for a player like Steiner in today’s NHL: either score so much that size stops mattering, or bring enough compete that you keep winning battles and finding your way into the dangerous areas of the ice. If he hits, it’ll be because he belongs in that second group.
In Other News...
Kyle Dubas Faces The Penguins Problem Fans Feared Most
Kyle Dubas is running into the kind of rebuild problem Penguins fans have worried about for a while now: trying to get younger and build for the future without letting the present slip too far away from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Pittsburgh does not have much room to get aggressive, which makes even familiar roster-building tools harder to use, and it leaves Dubas balancing urgency with restraint as the organization tries to retool around an aging core.
For the Blues, the contrast is a little different. Alex Steen is focused on keeping the culture steady, and there is no sense of a front office shakeup coming soon, even as St. Louis continues to sort through roster questions of its own. Jordan Binnington is back in the fold, and the club has at least kept tabs on a few intriguing names, but the bigger challenge is deciding how bold to be without losing the stability the Blues seem intent on protecting. [Read more 🡒]
Blues New Number Decisions Are Another Sign This Era Feels Different
The Blues have started sorting out the small details that come with a new season, and jersey numbers are part of that reset after a busy offseason. Brandon Carlo will wear 25, Ross Johnston will take 49 and Connor McMichael will go with 77, a set of choices that helps put a little more shape around the roster as St. Louis moves into a different-looking era.
Those numbers also carry some franchise history, which is part of what makes these assignments worth noticing in the first place. The Blues have had notable players wear each of them over the years, and even something as routine as a number decision can feel like a marker of where the team has been and where it is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Add Sergei Zubov To Alexander Steens Growing Front Office
The Blues have added another notable name to Alexander Steens growing front office, bringing Sergei Zubov in as an Advisor to Hockey Operations. It is another sign that St. Louis is continuing to build out the decision-making group around Steen, and Zubov brings a long hockey rsum to the organization after a distinguished playing career and more recent coaching work overseas.
The move also comes at a time when front-office movement around the league is picking up, with the Islanders showing interest in Bruins assistant general manager Evan Gold as his contract runs through Aug. 1. For St. Louis, the Zubov hire fits the broader pattern of adding experienced voices to the hockey operations staff, even as other teams sort through their own personnel plans. [Read more 🡒]