Brayden Schenn’s nine-year run in St. Louis is over. The Blues traded their captain to the New York Islanders on Friday for a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and a prospect, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Schenn had to waive his modified no-trade clause to make it happen.
The Islanders weren’t on his 15-team approved list, but the veteran chose to go anyway. He didn’t want to leave last season. Schenn held a full no-trade clause in 2025 and chose to stay when the Blues explored moving him. But the landscape shifted this year with St. Louis near the bottom of the standings.
End of an Era in St. Louis With This Trade as Playoff Hopes End
The Blues have signaled their intention to tear things down.
They’ve been shopping for Robert Thomas and Colton Parayko alongside Schenn. The writing was on the wall. Schenn was a central figure in the franchise’s greatest moment.
He played a top-line role on the 2019 Stanley Cup championship team and became the club’s captain in 2023 after Ryan O’Reilly was dealt to Toronto. But so far this season, he has struggled to replicate that form with just 12 goals and 16 assists across 61 games.
Additionally, his $6.5 million cap hit runs through 2028, giving the Islanders a term rather than a rental. Career totals of 290 goals and 713 points across 1,083 games speak to his consistency. Nine of his 17 NHL seasons were spent wearing the Blue Note.
New York gets a physical, playoff-tested forward who can play center or either wing. His numbers have dipped this year, but he posted 50 points last season and has been a reliable top-six producer throughout his career.
The Islanders project Schenn as their second-line center behind Bo Horvat. That keeps Mathew Barzal on the wing, where he has thrived. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas round out the bottom six. Schenn also provides insurance if Pageau, a pending unrestricted free agent, doesn’t re-sign this summer.
The risk is real. Schenn turns 35 in August and carries a significant cap hit for two more years. But a change of scenery and meaningful games could spark a veteran who spent the last three years captaining a rebuilding club.
The Islanders sit third in the Metropolitan Division. They’re betting Schenn’s game ticks up now that he’s playing for something.
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