The Career of Alexander Steen: What the Future GM Brings to the St. Louis Blues Front Office

Earlier today, the St. Louis Blues announced the next GM in franchise history to eventually replace current hockey operations boss Doug Armstrong starting in 2026. Former Blues C Alexander Steen, who played 12 of his 16 NHL seasons in the Gateway City, will become the Blues' 12th GM in franchise history.

St. Louis Blues: Alexander Steen has the experience needed to succeed as GM

Steen is a Swedish-Canadian, born in Winnipeg, while his father, Thomas Steen, was born in Sweden. He started his NHL career in Toronto after being the Leafs' 1st round, 24th overall selection in the 2002 draft. Steen totaled 253 games with 50 goals, 76 assists, and 126 points while playing for Toronto from 2005/06-2008/09, when he was traded to the Blues in the middle of that season. Now, you're probably wondering why Steen didn't play in the NHL from 2001/02-2004/05. Part of that was the NHL's cancellation of the entire 04/05 season due to a labor lockout, marking just the 2nd time in NHL history the Stanley Cup wasn't awarded. Steen played with SHL's Frolunda HC during that time and some seasons beforehand prior to beginning his eventual 16-year NHL career.

The Blues career of Alexander Steen saw him surpass the 1000-game mark, something only the greatest players have ever accomplished. He had 195 goals, 301 assists, and 496 points in 765 games with St. Louis, his last season in 2019/20, the year after the Blues won the franchise's first Stanley Cup. In total, Steen put 1018 games, 245 goals, 377 assists, and 622 points across his NHL career. Afterward, he became the Blues' European player developer, something the now-40-year-old still does today, until his new job arrives. But Steen is a Blues legend even outside the office. He ranks 4th in most games played for the franchise, 10th on their all-time goals list, and 6th in franchise assists and points totals. Additionally, he's 2nd in all-time playoff games played, just 1 behind fellow Blues legends Alex Pietrangelo and the Hall of Famer Brett Hull, the "Golden Brett" himself.

St. Louis Blues fans should be excited for the future

Even when Steen takes the GM job starting in the 2025/26 season, Doug Armstrong's contract will still be in place through 2028/29. The 59-year-old, who's led the Blues' front office since the end of the 2009/10 campaign, picked up an extension alongside the news of Steen's promotion. But given a player like Steen and his loyalty to the franchise, the Blues' front office looks to be well maintained for the next few seasons like it's been since the very first day in July that Armstrong became the head of hockey ops.