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Did the St. Louis Blues put themselves in the league’s absolute worst rebuilding situation?

One major hockey outlet didn’t have kind things to say about the St. Louis Blues rebuild, and they brought up more than a few good points justifying their position.

By Todd Matthews

Feb 18, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong talks with the media about the acquisition of defenseman Marco Scandella from the Montreal Canadians prior to a game against the New Jersey Devils at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong talks with the media about the acquisition of defenseman Marco Scandella from the Montreal Canadians prior to a game against the New Jersey Devils at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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In his recent Rebuild Rankings, Mike Fink of The Hockey Writers placed the St. Louis Blues in 11th place out of 12 teams, hovering just in front of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fink described the Blues situation as follows: “One, they can push for the playoffs and keep the contending window open, one that will result in a few playoff appearances but not much else. Two, they need to rebuild and start tearing down the roster with a plan to turn things around a few years behind schedule.”

If you’re a Blues fan, you can see this playing out, as while general manager Doug Armstrong made a good move in retaining Pavel Buchnevich long-term, he also did himself no favors helping this team get better in the short term, or the next one-to-three years. 

This is a situation that should show other general managers in the NHL of how to NOT build a team for long-term, sustainable success. Don’t sign above-average blueliners to long-term deals with full no-movement clauses, for one, and you can say the same for a couple of forwards in the lineup. 

St. Louis Blues could find themselves in a hopeless situation for a while

Looking at the Blues lineup, I see more than a few issues besides just the defensemen, and that mainly goes to Brayden Schenn and Brandon Saad, another pair of seasoned vets who are good, but not great players who are also on full no-trade clauses.

If you want to talk about the ultimate catch-22 in hockey, at least from a perspective of where your team, while they may never be overtly bad, also won’t be that good, it’s the Blues. And you can specifically point to Doug Armstrong’s mismanagement of the team in recent seasons. 

Luckily for the Blues, they have a pair of good goaltenders led by Jordan Binnington, a respectable prospects pool with some outstanding talent just waiting to be unleashed, and a trio of forwards who they can build around. 

That said, it’s not all doom and gloom in the Lou, but wow, there had to be a better way to do this. So, Mr. Armstrong, if you’re reading this, can you do me a favor and not let yourself get so out of control with your plethora of no-trade and no-movement clauses in the future? 

Or at least refrain from giving players full no-trade and no-movement clauses? Trust me, you’ll save yourself some serious headaches in a few seasons, and the fanbase will thank you for your efforts.

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