The St. Louis Blues inquired about former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk prior to the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Florida Panthers, president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong revealed on Monday.
Armstrong also told reporters that while the Blues attempted to engage in trade talks for Tkachuk, the bruising forward did not have them listed as one of the teams he would waive his full no-move clause for.
“With the player that got traded, we knew he was available, we inquired about him, we were told [the Blues] weren’t on [his trade] list, and that’s the end of it,” Armstrong said. “You can’t create something that’s not there.”
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported Sunday that Tkachuk submitted a list of four preferred destinations – the Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights – after he informed Senators GM Steve Staios that he would not sign an extension once his deal expired at the end of the 2027-28 season.
LeBrun also added that Tkachuk did not promise to waive his no-move clause to join any team except Florida, where he will now play with his brother, Matthew, following their gold-medal win for the United States at Milano Cortina 2026.
The Blues were also interested in acquiring Matthew prior to a sign-and-trade away from the Calgary Flames ahead of the 2022-23 season but were unable to land the forward in a potential deal.
Both Tkachuk brothers were raised in St. Louis while their father, Keith, played a combined nine years across two stints with the Blues.
With Keith now working in the team’s front office as a director of recruitment, Armstrong told reporters that he was not disappointed that the Blues weren’t included on Tkachuk’s list of teams, instead putting the focus on his responsibility to make St. Louis a destination that players would want to come to.
“[The Hurricanes] weren’t on the list six years ago,” he said. “They’re on the list now because they’ve done a hell of a job and they’re a good team. So, you can work your way onto that list. You don’t have to be Einstein to figure out who those markets are now. The [other] 28 other teams, we’ve got to knock those four or five off and make them not as desirable because they haven’t won in a while. We haven’t done that yet.
“We’re in a market where you have to be a good team to acquire those players. They’re not going to come grow with us. I truly believe our job is to get into that group. When we get to the level where we’re competitive, then St. Louis will sell itself. But we have to take that next step, and that’s what [general manager] Alex [Steen] and I are working toward every day.”
