The St. Louis Blues are heading into this offseason poised to do something no NHL team has really done before: executing a management succesion plan. Sure, other teams have brought in future general managers as assistants to learn at the side of a seasoned veteran, but none of been on such an exact timeline. On July 1, Doug Armstrong will step down as general manager, and Alex Steen will assume the role, a transition years in the making.
The date is important because it's the first day of free agency, but it also means that Steen won't be leading the the Blues at the draft a few days earlier. He'll have plenty of input on Armstrong's selections, but Armstrong will ultimately get the final say on which prospects are selected or if the picks are traded for help right now. Still, Steen will have one priority, more important than draft picks, free agent signings and trades: picking a lane for the Blues.
Retool? Rebuild? Either option could succeed, but attempting both would likely end in disaster. Fans can be sold on either direction, but they need to know there is a direction; Steen's first job as general manager will to be communicate exactly what the plan is and how he intends to make it happen.
If the Blues are going to rebuild, there are some difficult trades on the horizon, and it'll be up to Steen to navigate them accordingly. If it's a retool, spending the Blues' surplus draft capital on the right players will be critical, as well as sound allotment of cap space and making sure young players are still getting their reps at the NHL level.
None of it will be easy for Steen, but we'll have to trust that years at the side of Armstrong has prepared him for the course ahead. The franchise depends on it.
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