Now that we know Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway will be in the St. Louis Blues system for good, there is no doubt that the NHL world will and has responded in a polarizing way from many different angles. Of course, the so-called “GM Code” was perhaps the biggest talking point.
Where this entire “GM Code” came from or if it even exists is anyone’s guess, and I’m not one to seek its so-called point of origin, or else I’d likely spend days scouring the internet. Instead, I just wanted to share Armstrong’s quip on the situation, which he elaborated on this past Tuesday.
It’s not personal. It’s business. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/Jk373K17b7
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) August 20, 2024
Armstrong spoke more about the subject, but you get the gist of it in the above quip. Either way, Armstrong was basically doing the job the Blues are paying him to do: Build a winning team in Gateway City and eventually bring a Stanley Cup back to the Midwest.
Doug Armstrong was right to sign Broberg, Holloway to offer sheets
If there should be a so-called “GM Code” in the NHL, it should go like this: “As General Manager of (Insert Team Name), I will do everything in my power to ensure I bring a winner to (Insert City Name).” And that’s about it - so as long as he wasn’t doing anything that blatantly goes against the written rules.
Not only was Armstrong right to sign Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway; he was obviously thinking about the future of a team whose roster is a shell of what it was back in 2019, when the Blues last won the Stanley Cup. That said, the franchise also made its fair share of strides lately, with Robert Thomas becoming a household name and extending Pavel Buchnevich.
Regardless of what you or others may think or say about Armstrong, it doesn’t matter. Feel free to have and voice your opinions, but at the end of the day, or to be more accurate, the offseason, Armstrong made the St. Louis Blues a better team, and one that is another step closer to competing once again.