The Blues want to trade up, not down.

I can’t imagine this offer comes even close to getting keller AND dumping Andersons terrible contract .
The price to get a top line winger on a great , long term contract would be a 1st and several high end pieces .
The cost to dump Anderson with his contract is probably a first and a decent prospect.

Yeah don't see the blues being interested in trading down

Stamkos isn't wasting his time in Montreal.

And that offer for Clayton Keller outside of the top 5 pick isn't even close.

No no no no no no no

I could see a reality where we aren't able to trade up for a targeted D and so we opt to trade down for Jiricek.

Maybe a spot or two tops. He should go right around our pick, but somebody always oddly falls. And yeah, there's probably a timeline where we trade down, and there's definitely a timeline where we aren't able to trade up, but as of now the mission is very clear. They're not going to trade down months ahead of the draft without something amazing coming back. If they do trade down, that's likely a floor decision in the moment.

The next Defenders are late first round/ Early second. People like Emery, Elick. Freij, Pulkinen, etc.

If even Jiricek isn't available, I think I might rather trade back and pick a few of these players.

Obviously this is a far less satisfactory outcome than landing somone like Dickinson, Buium, Yakemchuk, or Silayev.

Well, you may be satisfied with that outcome, but that's not what they will be trying to do before their pick. I didn't say trading down couldn't happen, I said they actively want to trade up.

And again, if you're fine settling for Elick or Skahan or Freij or whatever, I can see a timeline where that is part of a good draft outcome. But I sure as hell ain't trading down well ahead of the draft and hoping somebody nice falls to me. That's not a good pre-draft strategy in the best of times, and certainly not for this team at this time with this draft pool available.

No I agree with you completely. This is more of a last option draft day move as opposed to picking from the group of mid round forwards left for us potentially.