The 2025-26 season will be the last as general manager for Doug Armstrong. Armstrong became the St. Louis Blues’ general manager in July of 2010. Armstrong will have spent 16 seasons holding the reins of the Blues’ organization. In that time, Armstrong has established himself as one of the best general managers in the NHL, even winning the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in 2012.
As Armstrong prepares for one final season as general manager, we are going to take a look at Armstrong’s best transaction of each season as the Blues’ general manager. This will be a two-part installment as we are looking at 16 seasons. We will do the first eight today, then the second eight in a separate installment.
Doug Armstrong’s Best Transactions by Season
We will focus on transactions that had an immediate impact on the team. While the trade for the draft picks that became players like Vladimir Tarasenko and Jordan Binnington is undoubtedly a significant moment in team history, it took a few seasons to see that pay off. Today, we want to focus on the transactions that had an immediate impact.
2010-11 Season
Blockbuster Trade With Colorado
On February 19, 2011, Armstrong completed a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche. Former first-overall pick Erik Johnson and Jay McClement were sent to the Avs in exchange for Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk. Armstrong was looking to shake up the roster to try to get the Blues closer to contending for the playoffs. The trade had an immediate impact, as the Blues scored nine goals in the first game following the trade. Furthermore, Stewart scored his first two goals as a Blue in the 9-3 win.
Stewart would have some good seasons as a Blue, but Shattenkirk became one of the best defencemen in the league. He became a power-play specialist, consistently helping to create goals with the man advantage.
Armstrong made the trade to shake up the Blues roster and create a playoff contender. This trade accomplished that. From the time of the trade to Shattenkirk’s departure in 2017, the Blues made the playoffs in all but one season (2011).
2011-12 Season
Hiring Ken Hitchcock
The Blues were looking to make some noise in the 2011-12 season, but things were not starting well under head coach Davis Payne. Under Payne, the Blues started 6-7-0. Armstrong decided to make a change behind the bench, firing Payne and hiring Hitchcock to be the head coach. Under Hitchcock, the Blues won the Central Division and advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Blues would be consistent playoff contenders under Hitchcock. Furthermore, there were some seasons in which they would be Stanley Cup contenders. The closest the team came was 2016, when they got within two wins of reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
Before hiring Hitchcock, the Blues had only made the playoffs once since the 2004-05 lockout. Armstrong’s decision to bring him in helped the team turn the corner and bring playoff hockey back to St. Louis.
2012-13 Season
A “Bou” Atop a Playoff Team
Armstrong made a few moves in 2013 to improve the team’s defence. Jordan Leopold was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres. Still, the most significant acquisition was getting Jay Bouwmeester from the Calgary Flames. It was a great move at the time by Armstrong for multiple reasons. For starters, the Blues were getting a top defenceman. Secondly, Bouwmeester was under contract for the 2013-14 season, meaning he would not just be a rental. As it turned out, Bouwmeester would remain with the Blues for the remainder of his career.
Bouwmeester would become a core member of the Blues’ defence. During the team’s 2019 run to the Stanley Cup, Bouwmeester and Colton Parayko formed one of the best shutdown defensive duos in the league. Bouwmeester recorded six assists in 26 playoff games, including the primary assist on Ryan O’Reilly‘s opening goal of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. As a Stanley Cup Champion at last, Bouwmeester joined the Triple Gold Club, having won gold medals in the World Championships and Olympics in addition to his Stanley Cup.
Bouwmeester’s time with the Blues was not always perfect. There were times when Armstrong was questioned for trading for him and later extending his contract. However, it can be said with confidence that this was a great move by Armstrong, his best of the 2012-13 season.
2013-14 Season
A Trade of Thorns and Roses
Some trades are roses. Others are thorns. This one is both. Armstrong, recognizing the Blues were a Stanley Cup contender in 2014, acquired goaltender Ryan Miller from the Sabres to upgrade at the goaltending position, and in addition to Miller, the Blues also acquired forward Steve Ott.
Miller was the thorn in this trade. He struggled in the playoffs, posting just a .897 save percentage. He gave up at least three goals in five of the six playoff games before the Blues were eliminated. Miller left in free agency that summer, ending his time in St. Louis.
Ott, meanwhile, was the rose in this trade. Ott spent two more seasons with the Blues, providing a leadership role and a physical presence. After retiring, Ott became the Blues’ assistant coach, a role he holds today.
While the trade did not pan out as far as the 2014 season is concerned, Armstrong deserves credit for making a big splash. The trade made sense at the time; it just did not work out. Furthermore, Ott’s presence with the Blues makes this trade worth it and adds additional points to Armstrong.
2014-15 Season
Bringing Paul Home
Armstrong recognized the Blues’ need for an elite center. On July 1, 2014, Armstrong brought in an elite centre, signing hometown-centre Paul Stastny to a four-year contract. However, injuries and the emergence of Jori Lehtera forced Stastny into a third-line role, making his first season with the Blues rather underwhelming.
However, things picked up for Stastny the following season. This was especially true in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where Stastny recorded 17 points in 33 games. Stastny, alongside Troy Brouwer and Robby Fabbri, helped the Blues reach the Western Conference Final.
Stastny may not have moved the needle like the Blues thought he would, but he certainly helped the Blues make a deep playoff run, making this transaction a good one by Armstrong.
2015-16 Season
A Capital Shakeup
After three straight first-round exits, Armstrong decided it was time to shake up the roster. In a controversial trade, fan-favourite T.J. Oshie was sent to the Washington Capitals. Fans felt it was the wrong choice to trade Oshie, pointing out that other players had also failed to perform in the playoffs.
However, this trade would help shape the Blues’ future. Troy Brouwer, who came over in the trade, scored 18 goals in the regular season and another eight in the playoffs, helping the Blues reach the Western Conference Final. This was the closest the Blues had gotten to the Stanley Cup since 2001. Armstrong made the trade to try to get the Blues closer to the Cup, and they nearly got there.
Brouwer left in free agency after the season, while Oshie went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Capitals. However, Oshie may not have become the player he is with the Caps had it not been for the trade. Likewise, core members of the 2019 Stanley Cup Blues’ team got exposure to a long playoff round in 2016. There are many reasons why this was a good trade by Armstrong.
2016-17 Season
Choosing Steen Instead of Backes
Armstrong had choices to make in the summer of 2016. The Blues had multiple players who were unrestricted free agents, including captain David Backes. Furthermore, another key player, Alexander Steen, only had one year left on his contract. Armstrong could not re-sign everyone. He would have to decide who to keep and who to let go.
The first day of free agency was a rough one for the Blues. In the span of what seemed like minutes, Backes, Brouwer, and Ott all signed with new teams. The Blues, just six wins away from their first Stanley Cup, had lost multiple key players. However, Armstrong did re-sign Steen to a four-year extension in September. It was clear Armstrong had chosen Steen over Backes. Would that choice pay off?
It did. Despite Steen’s production dipping, the veteran forward embraced a defensive role on the team’s fourth line, forming a strong defensive forward line in the 2019 playoffs. Backes, meanwhile, had three decent seasons with the Boston Bruins, but his production was declining. After the 2019-20 season, in which Backes only played in 16 games, the Bruins traded him to the Ducks. When it was all said and done, Armstrong’s belief that Steen would age better than Backes was correct.
2017-18 Season
Protecting Ryan Reaves
With the Vegas Golden Knights set to enter the league for the 2017-18 season, all NHL teams submitted their protected list of players who could not be claimed in the expansion draft. Armstrong found himself with one more forward to protect, but unsure who it should be. He could protect Ryan Reaves, the team’s physical presence, who was generating interest in the trade market, or David Perron, a scorer.
Armstrong made a choice that may have shocked some at first, but made sense as the events unfolded. Armstrong chose to protect Reaves instead of Perron, ensuring Reaves would not be drafted and could be used in a trade. The Pittsburgh Penguins, interested in adding a physical player, gave the Blues a first-round pick and Oskar Sundqvist in exchange for Reaves. Sundqvist became a key member of the Blues’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2019, while Reaves did not make it a season in Pittsburgh before being traded again.
Perron, meanwhile, was drafted by Vegas. However, Perron only had one season left on his current contract. Armstrong was able to re-sign Perron after the 2018 season. Armstrong played chess while others played checkers. By protecting Reaves, Armstrong was able to get the full value in a trade while at the same time keeping the door open to bring back Perron after just a season away.
Stay Tuned
This is just part one. Next time, we will start with the 2018-19 season and go up to this current league year, the 2025-26 season. For that, we will state the best transaction so far, aware that more will likely happen, one of which could be better.
Main Photo: Jeff Curry- Imagn Images
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