Why Blues GM Doug Armstrong will take a step back and how he handpicked successor Alexander Steen (2024)

ST. LOUIS — Over their decade-plus working together, St. Louis Blues general manager and president of hockey operations Doug Armstrong has had to approach team chairman Tom Stillman with plenty of high-priority, hard conversations.

None, though, were like the one they had earlier this year.

In his 14th year on the job, Armstrong wanted to discuss a succession plan — someone who could replace him as GM at the end of his current contract in 2026.

Stillman’s reaction?

“He was more in disagreement,” Armstrong said. “He didn’t feel a new voice was necessary.”

Added Stillman: “I believe we have the best general manager in the league, so the idea of, ‘Let’s change and get a different one,’ at first, I was resistant to that.”

But secretly, the two would engage in several more in-depth talks on the topic, in which Armstrong expressed that “it’s just this feeling you have” and that change could be good. Eventually, Stillman saw the value in bringing in a new face and a new way of doing things at some point.

In a development that was as surprising to Blues fans as it was to Stillman at first, the succession plan was revealed Thursday morning.

Armstrong will fulfill the final two years of his contract and then begin a three-year extension strictly as the president of hockey operations.

Former Blues player Alexander Steen, who the organization hired a year ago as a European player development consultant, signed a five-year contract and will take over as GM after the 2025-26 season. He will be special assistant to the GM until then.

First, let’s look at why Armstrong decided to step back, albeit in two years.

Armstrong, 59, made it clear on several occasions Thursday that he could continue in his current role beyond 2026.

“I love managing,” he said. “I could manage for at least another decade without any reservation.”

But the veteran GM with the 10th-most victories in NHL history (811) felt that what would be in the Blues’ best interest was someone who could have a longer-term vision.

“I talked to Tom, and there were selfish reasons for me to stay on as manager — potentially get to 1,000 wins,” Armstrong said. “There’s things that I wanted to accomplish, but what I wanted to do was always outweighed by what’s best for the Blues, the fans and ownership.

“Like Tom has said, we’re nothing more than stewards of the team. It’s going to be here long after I’m gone. I think it’s best for someone that can look 15 years into the future, who can have staying power and build, not one more championship team but multiple championship teams.”

Armstrong acknowledged that he might’ve made this move sooner, but with the Blues in the midst of a retool, the timing wasn’t right. In 2021, when the club gave him a five-year extension, he knew there were going to be many difficult decisions ahead.

“I felt having an experienced hand at that point was going to be beneficial to the organization,” Armstrong said. “I just felt that I needed to make those decisions for the next guy. To walk away at that point and let someone else make those decisions, you’re setting someone else up to fail. I wanted to set the next guy up to succeed.

“These four years, making those decisions, now there’s going to be a runway with young players and cap space. All of this could change tomorrow, but as of now, I think we’re going to be in a good spot.”

So who would Armstrong be setting up, and how did he handpick Steen?

When Armstrong first went to Stillman earlier this year, he had a list of candidates. But with the GM making several trips to Europe this spring and speaking with Steen, 40, who was living in Sweden, he just seemed like the right fit.

Armstrong did his due diligence, speaking with Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, who in 2022 hired 49-year-old, first-time GM Patrik Allvin. Allvin, who became the first Swedish GM in the league, helped construct a Canucks team that finished first in the Pacific Division this season with 109 points.

There are also examples of other recently retired players around the league successfully making the transition: Philadelphia Flyers GM Danny Briere (46 years old) and New York Rangers GM Chris Drury 47.

“I just kept coming back to Alex,” Armstrong said. “When I brought it up to Mr. Stillman, he said, ‘He doesn’t have any experience.’ If you take someone you truly believe in, the experience will come. Let’s not lose the right person for the wrong reason.”

In 2020, Steen retired after a 15-year NHL career, which included winning the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. It was not on his own terms, as the veteran forward was forced out of the game with a back injury.

“I was a little heartbroken when I had to retire,” he said Thursday. “It was a tough time for me. I had some physical injuries that I wanted to take care of, and some family matters, so there were things I needed to tend to.”

But last year, Steen accepted the new role as European player development consultant, which led to more direct contact with the organization and increased interest in one day holding a management position. He acknowledged Thursday that being a GM was in the back of his mind, but with Armstrong entrenched in St. Louis, that didn’t seem like a possibility with the Blues.

However, the more Stillman and Armstrong explored the idea, the more Steen and a “GM in waiting” arrangement made sense.

“It’s like any discussion,” Stillman said. “It was, ‘Well, what about this, what about that?’ We’re both pushing each other. There were a lot of different permutations to this, but this is the one that we were most comfortable with.

“The way we’ve worked this out is we’re not losing the best general manager in the business. He’s still going to be here to guide Alex, teach him how to do the job and oversee the job of president of hockey operations. To me, it seemed like this is the best of both worlds.”

Steen didn’t just accept the job without doing his homework, speaking with former players who became GMs.

“I tried to inform myself as much as I could,” he said. “In the end, my passion for it is strong. I have one of the greatest managers in the game’s history, and to be able to lean on him, that’s a big reason.

“There’s only one way of getting experience and that’s going through it. The one thing I’ve learned growing up around the rinks with my father (former NHLer Thomas Steen) and playing a long time is that you have to have patience and soak up as much information as you can. That’s something I’m trying to be — attentive and humble to the task.”

Those characteristics are also what kept drawing Armstrong back to Steen.

“He actually does bleed blue,” Armstrong said. “It’s a passion and St. Louis is a passion. I’m not sure he signs up for this job, and I’m not sure if his wife signs up for it, if it’s any of the other 31 teams. He’s a Blue and he wants to be a Blue.

“He starts with the No. 1 ingredient: knowledge, passion and you just add in the love of St. Louis … this is a no-brainer. When I realized a new voice was best for the St. Louis Blues, I couldn’t find a better person to do it. We could’ve brought in an experienced guy. But I’ll bet on Steener.”

How much of a secret was Steen’s promotion? Kelly Chase, the former Blues player and broadcaster and a longtime friend of Steen’s, spoke with him Wednesday night and wasn’t told the news.

“He didn’t talk about what they’re going to announce exactly,” Chase said. “(Armstrong) asked him not to say anything, so he didn’t say anything. But I knew because I just know him. I always thought he was the natural candidate. You have to be a special person to play for this team and also work for this team. I don’t just mean that you’re gifted as a player. You have to be someone who cares about the city. If you think of the guys that have come through here who have had success, they’re always the guys that care about the city. He’s always done that.

“I don’t think anyone should be surprised. For me, he’s a no-brainer — like, a no-brainer.”

(Photo of Doug Armstrong: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

Jeremy Rutherford is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Blues. He has covered the team since the 2005-06 season, including a dozen years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is the author of "Bernie Federko: My Blues Note" and "100 Things Blues Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." In addition, he is the Blues Insider for 101 ESPN in St. Louis. Follow Jeremy on Twitter @jprutherford