Brayden Schenn didn't see it coming.
The forward says he was caught off guard when he found out he'd been traded by the Philadelphia Flyers to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night during the first round of the NHL draft.
“I was shocked,” Schenn told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday. “I wasn’t really paying attention to picks 10 to 20, and then I got a text from my agent saying St. Louis was involved (in talks with the Flyers), but really nothing was imminent."
Less than a minute later, general manager Ron Hextall called him to let him know he'd been dealt.
"And, boom, it happened,” Schenn said. “I just talked to (Hextall) quickly.”
The Flyers traded the 25-year-old for forward Jori Lehtera, the 27th overall pick (which they used to nab Morgan Frost), and a conditional first-rounder in 2018.
Schenn hit the 25-goal mark in each of the last two seasons, notching 26 in 2015-16, and Philadelphia will certainly miss his offensive contributions, considering only Wayne Simmonds scored more than Schenn did for the Flyers this past season.
Related: Hextall insists Flyers 'absolutely not' rebuilding despite draft moves
Schenn could get a chance to move back to his natural position with his new club.
"They told me they’ll give me an opportunity at center, so I’m excited,” he said. “They have a lot of skilled forwards there, obviously, in (Vladimir) Tarasenko, (Jaden) Schwartz and (Alex) Steen. The list goes on and on. They obviously have a great team and I’m looking forward to it. It’s a great opportunity. I’ve been looking forward to playing center for the past little while, and if I get a chance to do that in St. Louis, I’m going to take it and run with it.”
Schenn had nothing but praise for the Flyers organization and the city of Philadelphia, but he's looking forward to playing for the Blues.
“I have mixed emotions,” he said. “I spent six years in Philly and had an awesome time there. Great teammates and a great organization. But I’m excited to go to St. Louis and get a great opportunity.”
