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The St. Louis Blues have a fascinating opportunity on their hands in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Their picks align just right to take both Ruck brothers in the first round.
That would be Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck, two young Canadians who probably will both be taken in round one.
They're unlikely to be top-10 picks, but they're certainly strong talents.
Markus went for 21 goals and 87 assists this season in the Western Hockey League for the Medicine Hat Tigers. Liam had 45 goals and 59 assists.
Could the Blues take a chance on keeping that connection together? They certainly have a route to do so.
MORE: Dylan Larkin's trade request points out a major NHL flaw
How the Blues can draft both Ruck brothers
It starts with the Blues having a pair of picks in the top-15.
"No team is better positioned for a Ruckfest than St. Louis," Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin wrote on Tuesday. "Already holding the 11th overall and 15th overall selection, they own two selections in the range that would permit them to take the brothers without having to trade up."
Given that the Rucks may be more like bottom-half of the first round picks, the Blues might even be able to trade down from one of those picks and still pull it off.
"They might even have leeway to trade down before taking the second brother," Larkin writes. "Better yet, incumbent GM Doug Armstrong and incoming GM Alex Steen have another first-rounder at 29th overall, meaning the Ruck decision might feel like less of a gamble given they can take another blue-chipper in the top 32."
It's certainly a good deal for the Blues to have three first-round picks. Clearly, there are directions they can go that don't involve the Ruck brothers.
But if they want to have some fun, and potentially create an awesome NHL partnership, this could be the way to go.
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