As the St. Louis Blues and General Manager Doug Armstrong are entering a frenzied time of uncertainity and mystery, the Trade Deadline is fast approaching. Before we all know it, March 6 will be here, and this team could either be a skeleton of what it once was, or something else entierly.
This is the final Trade Deadline for Armstrong, as he will be handing over the keys to former Blues star, turned General Manager in waiting, Alexander Steen. After the 2025-26 season is over, all responsibilities will be on the fresh youngblood. But, the Armstrong-era will remain for a little while longer, as it will be his legacy left behind.
That is what this deadline is all about, and what the Blues can muster in the last two dozen games of the season. What kind of legacy will Armstrong leave behind, and can it help keep the Blues competitive for years to come?
This is his squad
Armstrong is responsible for bringing in this current team, and depending on how much of it he is looking to trade away in a week or so, it will be his guys on this team for a couple of years. The core group of Brayden Schenn, Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko, and Jordan Binnington is all courtesy of Armstrong. But, all of those players are on the trade block, and rumors are hitting every major Hockey-covering outlet on the internet.
At the same time, the future is bright with this group, and again, that is all courtesy of Armstrong's ability to draft and use the rarely-used offer sheet. Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, Justin Carbonneau, Otto Stenberg, Philip Broberg, Adam Jiricek, Joel Hofer, Dylan Holloway, and the list goes on of young talent waiting to catapult this franchise into its next era.
Steen taking the reins
Once this season is over, the next draft class will be the first for Steen. It will be his first offseason to try to use whatever draft pick they get to their advantage. Likewise with the free-agency period, as this upcoming class could have some highly-profitable players. But, if they choose to wait and tank one more season, that is an option as well. This potential retool, or rebuild, will not be turned around in one offseason.
The possibilities are endless at the moment, and the entire hockey world is waiting on what Armstrong is going to do.