Why the next person Doug Armstrong should fire is himself
The Blues general manager made this bed of playoff-less hockey, so sleep in it.
The 2023-24 St. Louis Blues were a better hockey team than the previous season, finishing in fifth place instead of sixth in their division. They collected 92 points with a 43-33-6 record, putting together a nice stretch of hockey together under interim head coach Drew Bannister in light of the Craig Berube firing after 28 games. In the end, it wasn’t good enough. There’s one person to blame, and I wouldn’t pin that badge on a coach.
Doug Armstrong knows who the person to blame is. A mirror will end the investigation. He’s the one who designed, made, and backed up this mess with media comments that border on “I’m sorry” and “I had no choice.” Five years after the team hoisted their first Stanley Cup, the general manager has some real work to do as their “re-whatever” continues. That term was put out by the owner of the team, Tom Stillman, in an effort to spin a more positive yet succinct take on the state of the team.
He doesn’t want to use the word, “rebuild.” Retooling is better for positivity, because it describes work being done on the fly. In the world of sports, what work isn’t done on the fly? The season is over, and Armstrong has to sort this team out. Who is the head coach? How will they score more next season? Who will be on the team, and who will not be? What’s the identity of the team moving forward? How many chat rooms and blogs can Jordan Kyrou fill up with content?
Armstrong did this. I like his style in pulling off big trades and some of his signings have been wise, but the man gives out no trade clauses like candy and long-term contracts that become immovable. The Blues have at least two defenseman and two forwards who have some sort of no trade clause or policy in their deals. After bringing home the trophy, he got foolish and believed in himself over the worth of this team.
The window to repeat was there and lost, partially due to the pandemic closing everything down. But Armstrong allowed the window to completely close on the team, locking them out of contention for two seasons in a row. The reason you watch hockey is to hopefully get playoff hockey, which is arguably the best round of action in all of sports. Baseball is great, but it doesn’t really change in the postseason. Hockey is ridiculously heightened in the postseason, and the Blues won’t be there despite winning 30 games under the interim coach.
Armstrong gave deals to Colton Parayko and Torey Krug that made them hard to move, even if the former’s solid season pushed his prospects up a decent amount. Kyrou is a natural goal scorer, putting up 67 points and 31 goals after an uneven first half. Does he deserve an eight year deal worth eight million dollars per season? Debatable. On the other hand, Robert Thomas led the team in points with 86, making his contract look quite respectable.
Still, Armstrong has backed himself into a corner this offseason, and big names will be moved. A defenseman, forward, and possibly Jordan Binnington could wear new jerseys next season. In a different world, Binnington plays the next couple of seasons in St. Louis and maybe never leaves. But the situation calls for players with decent value to be shopped as the “re-whatever” continues.
While I can be his biggest critic, Parayko put together a great comeback season and brought his trade value up. Torey Krug and Justin Faulk did not, and those are two more LONG TERM deals handed out by Doug that will be hard to move as each player gets older. Parayko at least gives him a chance to bring someone back in return. Possibly, in a different time, you keep Parayko and see if he turns into a true #1 defenseman. But, they should probably trade him.
All of the work done this offseason will not guarantee a playoff spot in 2025. Nope. Stillman didn’t want to overhype their offseason, using the magic word to deter fans from thinking they were bringing in Brady Tkachuk or a big head coaching name. So, it’ll be another summer and fall of “it could be, but possibly not” hunting for the fans to decide how much time should be given to a rebuilding team.
Anyone with a half scent of the general manager and owner know they want to win another Cup and don’t want to initiate a full rebuild, so someone screwed up if this next season is another toss-up. The one thing people hate and won’t say about rebuilds is that they can take time. Time that some fans don’t have in a modern world of smaller attention spans and much more options to entertain ourselves. The NHL isn’t the NFL or NBA. They fight tooth and nail to get on national television, and most regular civilians couldn’t name a player on half the teams.
My question is… should Armstrong’s latest rebuild fail, should he be allowed to rebuild this team, or should the next firing be his own? The Cup win aside, think of what he has accomplished in his time here. Playoffs galore, some break-throughs, but also plenty of disappointment and non-movement. He balked at Alex Pietrangelo’s demands, and the guy went elsewhere and hoisted the Cup with a new team. Unlike John Mozeliak, who was widely praised for letting Albert Pujols walk, Armstrong’s decision-making in the Pietrangelo negotiations was less admirable. Different levels of players, but similar pivotal points in each franchise’s future as a result.
It’s simple. The next person Doug Armstrong should fire is himself. If this regime fails, his seat should get warmer instead of a mere coaching change. No more head coach firings. Hitchcock, Yeo, Berube, Bannister, blah, blah, etc. Whether it turns the team into a contender or not, Stillman should shorten the chain considerably with his general manager. Part of a rebuild, retool, or re-whatever is the orchestrator of the madness should pay the piper as well.
St. Louis Blues fans got a taste of the promised land in 2019. Five years later, it hasn’t exactly went to shit, but it’s not a functional playoff team. Can they fix it? The fans aren’t ready to spend another few seasons waiting. They’re not waiting. Do you want to wait? The owner has preached patience, but the GM has to be held accountable at some point.
Doug Armstrong made the bed, and now has to figure out how to sleep in it or burn the thing altogether.