Things should be left tidy for Alex Steen when he takes over as GM of the St. Louis Blues next season
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – The Next Ninety One: Leo Carlsson episode – on St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong is not leaving the organization in a worse spot for Alexander Steen, who will be taking over as GM next season.
** NHLRumors.com transcriptions
Friedman: “The other thing I think, I really, I really believe here, this is Doug Armstrong’s last year as GM of the Blues. Alexander Steen is taking over next year. I think that Armstrong wants to leave the team in a good place for Steen. I just cannot believe for a second that Armstrong would do anything that he thinks would leave Steen in an overall worse position as he enters GM of the Blues.
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It just doesn’t strike me as the way that he’s wired. And he has really worked hard to put Steen in position to be successful once he takes over. I could always be wrong. I’ve been wrong before, but I would be really surprised if he did something that he didn’t think long-term was beneficial for the new manager. Who’s basically his right-hand guy. So I think about all of this stuff when it comes to St. Louis.”
Bukauskas: “Is there any part of you that just wonders, maybe deep down, Doug Armstrong, after all the years in St Louis, he’s still not quite ready to retire. Maybe a little bit of self-sabotaging. He’s like, I should just, I should stick around just a little bit longer, just until this all gets sorted out. I don’t want to put Alex Steen in a tough spot and then just extend his tenure a little bit.”
Friedman: “I do, like, I do think that he’s very, like I said, very careful about leaving it well for Steen. I don’t see him staying longer. No.”
Bukauskas: “I know.”
Friedman: “I don’t, I don’t. It’s interesting though, like Tom Stillman, the owner, said earlier this year, it’s not like Armstrong’s leaving and going somewhere else. I’m curious to see what Stillman thinks about Armstrong’s next role in the organization, and what’s that all going to mean?
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Because I think people thought, ‘Oh, well, maybe he would go and become the GM somewhere else.’ But the owner sure doesn’t sound like that.”
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