Transparent Blues reveal their Steen-powered succession plan to fans
Alexander Steen takes over the general manager's chair in two years.
Whenever a sports team teases a big announcement, fans and writers gather up all their wildest ideas first. Everything from a big trade to a big dismissal are on the table, and the most drastic things bubble to the surface soon after. In the end, the news is usually less than anything your brain was cooking up.
Last week, the St. Louis Blues called a major press conference, where Doug Armstrong revealed his eventual successor in the general manager’s seat: former Blue, Alexander Steen. There was no fuss, bullshit, or fluff. Armstrong will move into the President of Hockey Operations, the NHL equivalent to what John Mozeliak does with the Cardinals. Instead of just retiring or moving elsewhere, he’ll stick around and mentor Steen.
That’s a good thing. Outside of some poorly timed big contracts and an infatuation with no trade clauses (yet not with no move clauses?), Armstrong does a nice job leading this roster. While my article weeks ago was harsh, maybe it was a little too harsh. The Blues have spun off course, and there are ways things could have been done better. For the most part, however, he’s done the right things and pulled off a few steals.
Steen is a good hire. Hearing him speak at the press conference and knowing he’s been sitting in GM-type meetings for awhile tells me this will be a well-rounded, slow burn process. He isn’t taking over this winter; think two years from this upcoming season. The 2026-27 season will be his first year in the saddle, but it’ll be one that he was properly trained for.
Beloved by teammates and just about everyone in hockey, Steen is the perfect player general manager for the Blues. Seeing what Steve Yzerman has done with the Wings and Lightning gives me hope that a hardnosed hockey mind like Steen’s can help turn the tide for the Blues. As assistant general manager for the next two years, he can start the process of pushing St. Louis back into the surefire playoff threat instead of an optimistic one.
The transparency is the sexiest part of the whole deal. Blues owner Tom Stillman is a no nonsense kind of guy, and loves the game and team too much to beat around the bushes. Like their plan or not, they are making it clear to the fans what they plan to do. There will be no extra extravagant moves this offseason, but there will be roster moves and restructuring. The talk has been about building on the young players, and that’s a strategy often talked about around here yet rarely activated.
The Steen move settles in perfectly with the initiative of a slow but steady and sure retooling of the Blues. Instead of parceling more free agents and sending similar players out, they can define and determine what makes a roster spot on this team. He gets to be on the ground floor of the turnaround.
Steen is a gritty, do-whatever-it-takes kind of competitor, whether he’s wearing a suit or jersey. He took the lesser role on the eventual Stanley Cup team back in 2019, helping the team kickstart that amazing second half. He’s never had to be the main man or demanded the spotlight; Steen makes due with what he has in front of him.
In 2026, for the first time in a while, one of the major teams in St. Louis will have a new leader in Steen. Armstrong moves up a level. The same one that a guy who favors bow ties is moving out of before this new Blues front office setup goes into effect.
John Mozeliak plans to step away from the President of Baseball Operations role with the St. Louis Cardinals after the 2025 season. That’s the plan right now, at least. Cards fans don’t really know the plan. Yadier Molina was reportedly going to start a role as special assistant to the general manager, but that hasn’t taken off yet.
Chaim Bloom is the advisor to Mozeliak right now and looks to be the frontrunner to replace him in 2026. So why not bring Bloom out in front of the media and tell fans what the plan is? Your paying customers shouldn’t have to play Sherlock Holmes with your moves and strategy. Fans want to know the head speaker of the house for their team, so allowing them to understand and know Bloom is important, right?
Thankfully, the Blues don’t have this problem. Their fans already love the new guy in the office. Welcome to the precursor of the big time, Mr. Steen.