St. Louis Blues: Doug Armstrong Should Win MacArthur Genius Grant

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong pulled off yet another great trade by acquiring Justin Faulk which begs the question of why he hasn’t won some kind of award.

The MacArthur Genius award winners were recently announced today and for some reason, St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was not on the list after acquiring Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes.

The award is handed out to individuals who show high originality, insight, and potential. As far as this writer is concerned, Armstrong fits every single one of those qualities.

Not only has Armstrong found ways to display his originality by carefully maneuvering his recent trades, but he has also demonstrated his ability to dig deeper into each player to analyze the lasting effect on the team.

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How Army didn’t win the General Manager of The Year award this summer at the NHL Awards is mind-boggling. A single person does not build a Stanley Cup-winning team, and it takes everyone in the organization to come together to reach a common goal.

However, without the moves by Armstrong and the players selected in the draft by Bill Armstrong, the Blues would not be able to call themselves the defending champions.

Let’s look over the past moves made by Armstrong that helped propel the team to the ultimate prize in sports. Four trades stand out during Armstrong’s tenure, and without them, the Blues are on a totally different path.

The first trade of note he made was trading away Jori Lehtera, and a couple of draft picks for Brayden Schenn. To preface this trade, and every other trade we talk about, it’s hard to come to a complete conclusion about who won or lost the trade.

Prospects still need to develop, but the trade led to a Stanley Cup title, which means the Blues at least earned a tie when it comes to who won these trades.

Schenn has come to St. Louis and has played as the team’s first-line center in both seasons since coming over from Philadelphia. Without Schenn, the Blues don’t have one of the best lines in the league with him, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz.

A trade made following the Schenn deal is the acquisition of Oskar Sundqvist and Klim Kostin for Ryan Reaves. By far one of the most controversial trades in recent memory, but boy has it paid off big time for the Blues.

Sundqvist didn’t come into his own until the 2018-19 season, but he has proven to be a great two-way player for St. Louis. Kostin, meanwhile, leads the Blues in points this preseason and is knocking on the doorstep of the NHL.

The fun started last summer for Armstrong and the Blues when they shipped off Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund, and Tage Thompson along with two picks for Ryan O’Reilly.

There isn’t a whole lot that can be said about O’Reilly that hasn’t already been said. The Selke Trophy winner is a bonafide all-star and is the best two-way forward in the entire NHL.

The trade for Faulk is the icing on top of the cake, the three-time all-star is a perfect addition for the team that is looking to win multiple championships in a handful of years.

The Blues, like any championship-winning team, have a window. In my opinion, the window is however long the Blues are able to keep Tarasenko, Schwartz, and O’Reilly.

Faulk prolongs this window for a few years. Even if the Blues let Pietrangelo walk in free agency, Faulk gives the Blues an all-star defensemen who can slot in at any scenario on the ice.

Next. How Does Faulk Acquisition Affect Rest Of The Roster. dark

The MacArthur grant comes with a $625,000 bonus. I’m not sure Armstrong needs the monetary award, but he needs to be in consideration for whenever the award is handed out again in the future.

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