ST LOUIS — Trader Doug Armstrong is at it again. Just a few hours before the NHL draft, the Blues announced they had traded forward Sammy Blais and a second-round draft pick in 2022 for New York Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich.
And once the draft started, Armstrong stood pat. He kept the pick, making the forward Zachary Bolduc the 16th player taken overall. (Technically he goes into the books at No. 17 since Arizona forfeited his pick at No. 11.)
Bolduc, 18, is 6-1, 175 pounds. In 27 games last season for Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he scored 10 goals with 19 assists. He was rated as the 17th-best player in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.