"Last season the Blues were hit by a rash of long-term injuries to their skilled forwards, and there was a lesson that came along with it. They'd better be prepared next time by having some NHL-ready depth in the organization.

It's difficult to have replacements on hand for the likes of David Perron (concussion), Andy McDonald (concussion) and T.J. Oshie (broken ankle). Few teams, if any, have that type of talent in the minor leagues, which makes a midseason trade perhaps the only option.

That can be a difficult task in itself, though, as few clubs are willing to part with their skilled forwards. But the Blues' reluctance to add significant payroll made those transactions impossible anyway.

The club was forced to move role players Matt D'Agostini, Vladimir Sobotka and B.J. Crombeen into top-six roles, creating a trickle-down effect that led to Chris Porter, Ryan Reaves, Adam Cracknell, T.J. Hensick, Philip McRae and others all gaining extensive duty in the NHL. Some were worthy of their promotion at times, but it proved not to be a sustainable situation.

So, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will travel to this week's NHL draft with a plan of trading draft picks for a player or two who could give the club depth at forward.

The desire is to acquire experienced third- and fourth-line help so if the team incurs more injuries, it won't have to rely as much on its American Hockey League affiliate in Peoria, Ill.

"Your depth is not only what you have on opening night, but when you have those two or three injuries, what are you putting on the ice?" Armstrong asked. "What you need is you need NHL-ready replacement players. Someone that knows how to play the position, knows how to play in big games, knows how to navigate through those difficult times of the year and can lend that experience."

If Armstrong can't find any trade partners at the draft, the Blues will look for veteran help once free agency opens July 1.

The Blues' top-six forwards, for the most part, will be healthy once training camp opens in September. Perron's condition is said to be improving somewhat, but he still hasn't started his offseason training.

"Same as a couple of weeks ago," Armstrong said."