The St. Louis Blues have spent the opening months of the 2025-26 season trying to find a consistent footing. Their record shows a team stuck in the middle of short bursts of progress and long stretches of frustration, leaving them near the bottom of the Central Division. Recent moves, including recalling young players and bringing in fresh depth pieces, show a front office trying to spark momentum wherever it can.
These changes have offered small boosts, but the Blues still look like a group trying to rediscover its identity. With the team facing pressure to turn things around, attention naturally shifts to the veterans carrying weight on and off the ice. That sets the stage for the discussion surrounding one of their most familiar names.
Are the Blues Really Playing Hardball Over a Brayden Schenn Trade?
Trade talk around Brayden Schenn has resurfaced as St. Louis works through a difficult start. The team sits at 6-9-5 and continues to deal with stretches of inconsistent scoring, defensive issues, and a penalty kill that has struggled to find form. They have earned strong wins over the Flames, Oilers, and Canucks, yet those results haven’t been enough to shape any lasting turnaround.
The constant roster shuffling, including the additions of Calle Rosen and recalls of Dalibor Dvorsky, shows a team searching for the right mix.
Schenn finds himself in the middle of this larger picture. The 34-year-old captain has been a key member of the franchise since arriving in 2017 and played a vital role in the Blues’ historic 2019 Stanley Cup win. This season has been challenging, with two goals and four assists through 20 games and a -13 rating.
He continues to play around 17 minutes a night, but he has not been able to produce at his usual level, especially during a quiet November where he recorded only one assist in nine games.
Despite the slow start, the Blues have not shown any urgency to move him. According to Elliotte Friedman, clubs have checked in on Schenn over the past two seasons and have been met with strong resistance. In his recent “32 Thoughts” column, Friedman wrote that “teams that have talked to St. Louis the last two seasons say the price was very high.”
He also noted Doug Armstrong’s history of using bold messages to shake his roster, recalling his pre-Christmas memo in 2018 that helped spark the run that led to the Stanley Cup. That background helps explain why the Blues remain firm whenever Schenn’s name surfaces in trade talks.
Schenn is signed to an eight-year, $52 million contract with a $6.5 million cap hit per season. The agreement runs through the end of the 2027-28 campaign, making him far more than a short-term rental. Any team considering him would be taking on a veteran leader with years left on his contract, which gives St. Louis the leverage to hold firm on its asking price.
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For now, the Blues seem more focused on fixing their season than moving one of their core players. Schenn’s best moments have come in their wins, and he remains an important voice inside the room. Still, the longer the Blues hover near the bottom of the standings, the louder the speculation will grow.