Doug Armstrong on trading Kevin Hayes, acquired Alexandre Texier and the NHL Draft

all right Doug always uh a whirlwind when you come to these drafts right what's it like when it's over after you put in a full years of preparation yeah it's obviously it's uh I don't say stressful but there's a lot of work the last uh month or two honing that list down and talking to our Scouts finding out uh why they think these players should go in a certain order and comparing that against all the mocks that are out there every day and seeing if we're in the right ballpark it lets ask lots of questions and then uh when we see our players that are there we're excited to pick them all you had some extra draft picks in your pocket a couple second round picks a couple of thirds as well I know you had some conversations with some general managers how close were you to to potentially even moving up or or making a different deal yeah not really I I think every everyone the phone rings in around around your picks I call to see what you know if there's somebody there but uh our our list we were pretty comfortable with getting people that we liked and uh we could have moved back but it the risk wasn't worth uh we didn't have multiple names there so if you you move back five or six Lots only have one name especially early in the draft there's a chance you you miss your own player so I've learned over time you know uh you know if you like the player take the player all right prior to Friday's first round you make the deal with Columbus you bring in Alexander Tessier he's going to add some speed what do you like about him yeah I think he's just a good utility forward for us I think that he really looked like he had his upside was was was moving forward when he was first here then he had some things he was deal dealing with he went back to Europe for a year and uh we think yeah he's certainly a top nine forward we think he can push ahead with our group uh we like the age 24 going to be 25 this year uh we control him for three years uh you know sometimes a second team and a fresh start is good for guys I thought he had a good year last year and he fits into what what we're trying to uh type of players we're trying to add you can't keep everybody so Kevin Hayes goes to Pittsburg talk about that decision yeah that was a difficult decision uh uh I have you know I got to know Kevin last year and and really respect him uh on the ice and off the ice but sometimes it just doesn't work and and you don't know why and you wish it did but uh uh I don't think that uh our our fit was was good for him and and unfortunately you have to make decisions and it's a harder decision because why I'm sure let me it's an easier decision because how much I like him it gives him an opportunity to go to different organization and and reconnect uh and it made it a little bit more pable for us to have to give up a second round pick because we've had uh 10 picks in the top three rounds last couple of years uh and to not not to fre out the cap space but you know we we are we are a business $6 million cash is something that uh that you had to pay to to to move along and uh we could have brought him back and tried to jam a square peg into a round hole for a second year and uh it I'm not sure was going to work so I I hope this is the best for Kevin and uh I you know I thank him he's he's a hell of a human being and sometimes it doesn't work um took a lot of defenseman Army was that the plan coming in uh no I I I do believe uh that we take the best player available uh it just happened to be where how it was falling for us and that was a good thing uh we our our depth charts if you look at our you know those picks that we have we have a a first round pick on the right side of Defense a first round pick on the left side of the fence a first round pick at Center ice and dorski a first round pick with snug on the right side and a first round pick left side with wlup so you know I I I think we're we're trying to build that depth back up uh and and we're excited not only for those players but but the rest of the players as I said having we we're excited about all our picks but having 10 first 10 picks in the first three rounds the last uh two years is is is quite a bit when you look around the league and we're excited for that I do want to ask you about your first rounder Adam yurich uh he had some injuries so you I know you went over to the World Juniors weren't able to really see him play a whole lot because he got F hurt in the first game but but what excites you about his upset uh well he's got good Bloodlines obviously his brother's a heck of a player and and we liked him in the hinka we we likeed how he was progressing obviously the injuries set him back and sometimes you find with an injured player uh where they are on your list whether it's 6 8 10 you know they as they don't play in other players play they they drop but as our guys watched other players and continue to watch the video from his past he was able to hold his serve there which was impressive for us uh we we think he's got good upside we think he's a legitimate top four defenseman uh and and those are hard to find and and we got one free agency begins Monday how active do you expect to be how busy will you be yeah that's hard to say I like we're we we have a plan obviously we're we're going to stay uh true to our our beliefs uh but you never know what might happen if there's players there that can help us uh uh I I don't think anyone we bring regardless of the term is going to hold anybody out because we have other players over time that are that are going to to uh their contracts will expire like you know we we do these actu tables for a reason like there's a like where where you took the players uh last year in the in the first round when they play their 100 game it's usually uh three or four years uh and and so I think we we can try and see what's out there uh and then try and stay competitive now and then still uh leave room for guys moving forward all last thing for you uh p bvic I know you've expressed a desire to keep him Beyond just next season where do things stand with pav yeah we've had very good conversation with Todd diamond and pavl and uh uh it's something we'll probably attack again in July uh there's really no timeline on it for us uh he wasn't a player that that I discuss with anyone at at this draft our our goal is to see if we can get him signed and uh uh that that's our focus and uh uh I give him a ton of credit that's his Focus too and it's that it's always that last little bit of getting comfortably uncomfortable for him and for us and we're getting near that point all right good news for blues fans what do you think of the the sphere being here in Vegas here over the course of the last couple days yeah it's hot yeah no Vegas is a great place but uh I it's also a great airport to get on to go home too back to St Louis and cool down we'll see you at development camp