Blues acquire Schenn from Flyers for Lehtera, two first-round picks

ST. LOUIS -- For the second straight year, the St. Louis Blues have made a major trade on the first night of the NHL Draft, but unlike last year's deal that sent goalie Brian Elliott to the Calgary Flames, this year's trade will provide an immediate boost to the NHL club.

The Blues acquired center Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night, sending center Jori Lehtera, the No. 27 overall pick in this year's draft and a conditional first-rounder to Philadelphia in exchange for the talented young forward. The 25-year-old Schenn had 25 goals and 30 assists in 79 games for the Flyers in 2016-17 and has 109 goals and 139 assists over the course of a eight-season, 433-game professional career that has been split between the Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings.

The 29-year-old Lehtera, who had spent all three seasons of his NHL career with the Blues and often played as part of the "STL line" with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, had just seven goals and 15 assists in 64 games last season. Over the course of his 218-game career, he has 30 goals and 70 assists.