It's the end of an era for the St. Louis Blues. For the first time since 2010, Doug Armstrong will not make the roster decision. After nearly 15 years as General Manager, Armstrong has decided to step down from that role on July 1st and become the President of Hockey Operations. Former Blues forward Alex Steen is going to take over as GM after years in the Blues front office in a variety of roles.
Anytime a new GM takes over, there is always a fear of a long adjustment period. The new person in charge will need time to figure out how to do the job and turn the team into what he envisions. This can have a major impact on the entire organization. It can cause the team to struggle and set the team back for years. However, this is something that the Blues should not have to worry about. While there will be growing pains, they should only last a little while.
Alex Steen should be more than ready to take over as GM
The main reason a team can struggle under a new GM is that the roster does not align with the GM's vision. Everyone has their own idea of what it takes to build a successful hockey team. Whether it's an emphasis on speed, skill, or physicality, there is no single way to build a team capable of winning the Cup. When someone inherits a roster that is not to their liking, they can spend years tinkering and making moves in order to change things to their liking.
But this will not affect the Blues, as Steen has been with the organization since the 2023-24 season. He even spent this past season as the Special Assistant to the General Manager, being groomed to take over. This all indicates that Steen and Armstrong have a similar view of what makes a hockey team successful. He will not want to do a major reset or make many moves that turn the roster over. Instead, it will focus more on building on what Armstrong did.
There is also the fact that Armstrong is not leaving the organization. While he is not the main decision maker, he is the President of Hockey Operations. He will still be in the organization and will be able to provide his advice/opinion on different things. He is going to be in charge of the Blues draft this year, so he will still have a major influence over the roster. Steen can also go to Armstrong with any questions or concerns he has and get a good answer.
This transition should allow the Blues to continue the retooling they have been doing since the trade deadline. While he was not the main decision maker, Sheen was definitely part of the discussions that led to the Blues being sellers. He was somewhat on board with the decision and should help the Blues move into the next step of that plan. This is a major benefit for the team and should not change the timeline of when they are ready to compete again.
While Steen will not be a great GM from day one, he should get acclimated to the job very quickly. Everything is set up for Steen so he can avoid the shortcomings that other first-time GMs usually face.
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