Schenn traded to Islanders by Blues for Drouin, 2 draft picks

Brayden Schenn was traded to the New York Islanders by the St. Louis Blues on Friday.

St. Louis received forward Jonathan Drouin, goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof, and first- and third-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft for the 34-year-old forward.

"When you look at the team, they're built with a solid goalie and a lot of good pieces with Matthew Schaefer, (Mathew) Barzal, (Bo) Horvat, the list goes on and on," Schenn said on TSN of the Islanders. "It's a great place to play. A lot of guys enjoy playing there and living there." 

Schenn has 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 61 games this season.  He is in the sixth season of an eight-year, $52 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) he signed with the Blues on Oct. 24, 2019, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2027-28 season. 

The No. 5 pick by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2009 NHL Draft, Schenn has 713 points (290 goals, 423 assists) in 1,083  regular-season games for the Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Blues, and 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) in 82 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Schenn, who was captain of the Blues for the past three seasons, helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2019. 

"Leading up to the Deadline, with all the rumors and where we're at, you think about it quite a bit. It's a great place with a great organization and good team. I think what people don't realize about it is the human element of it," Schenn said. "As you get older, guys have families. There's all that part of it that comes with pro sports, but we know what we sign up for. It's emotional.

"St. Louis was a great spot for me; probably the best thing to happen in hockey for me up until this date. Playing with just a bunch of good, solid people; great community, city, and won the Stanley Cup there. It's been a special place for me and my family. Going to miss St. Louis, but excited for the next chapter."

The Islanders (35-23-5) are tied for second in the Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of the fourth-place Columbus Blue Jackets. New York next plays at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSCA).

"We always said we want to be hard to play against,” Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche said. “We wanted some [snarl]. Brayden fits that -- you should see the text we got from former players and players that have been with him, and the type of player he is.

“He's a playoff guy, he plays hard. If something happens, he's not afraid to defend a teammate. He's scored 20 goals multiple times in his career, so we just feel he's going to help us out down the middle. … He's a competitor; that's what you want at this time of year. When you play hockey after the Deadline and in the playoffs, it's fighting for every inch on the ice, being able to take a hit and dish out hits. We want to be physical, and Brayden does that. So, I think he fits exactly what we need right now.”

Schenn said he didn't have to move far when he found out about the trade since the Blues and Islanders are staying in the same hotel in San Jose. St. Louis plays there on Friday (10 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, NBCSCA). 

"Kind of a crazy morning," Schenn said. "I heard of it, talked to family and friends, and then got to meet (Islanders coach) Patrick Roy and (general manager) Mathieu Darche. I met them on a different floor; kind of went back and forth. Playing in San Jose here with the Islanders (on Saturday) and then a few days later in St. Louis (on Tuesday). … Still in the same (hotel) room."

Drouin has 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 55 games this season. The 30-year-old has 395 points (110 goals, 285 assists) in 662 regular-season games for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Avalanche and Islanders and 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in 43 playoff games.

He signed a two-year contract with the Islanders on July 1, and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season.

Gidlof, a fifth-round pick (No. 147) in the 2024 NHL Draft, is 9-15-0 with a 2.84 goals-against average, .896 save percentage and four shutouts in 24 games for Leksand of the Swedish Hockey League, the top professional league in Sweden.

The Blues (23-29-9) are 14th in the Western Conference, 12 points behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card. They also traded defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday for Justin Holl, a first- and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.

“Obviously, ‘Schenner’ and myself go way back, prior to our Stanley Cup and then our Stanley Cup and him being a captain,” St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong said. “A great St. Louis Blue and good friend.”

The Islanders also signed forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau to a three-year contract on Thursday. The 33-year-old had 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 55 games this season and could have become a UFA after the season.

NHL.com independent correspondents Lou Korac and Stefen Rosner contributed to this report