When the Blues unveiled their succession plan Thursday morning — transitioning general manager duties from Doug Armstrong to Alexander Steen in two years — they understood it was a bit unorthodox.
Professional teams don’t usually have succession plans. If they do, they’re not announced publicly. And they’re not typically centered around someone with a decorated playing career but a limited management one.
So ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ arrangement (two years with Armstrong as GM and president of hockey operations with Steen as special assistant to the GM, then three years with Armstrong as president of hockey operations and Steen as GM) was different from the rest of the NHL.
“In just about every line of business or any big enterprise in our country, the organization has a succession plan, especially for the top people,†Blues owner Tom Stillman said. “It’s well thought out, it’s all in place. In sports, it’s kind of seen as something unusual. That just doesn’t make sense to me, or to us.
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“We want to be thinking not just about the next game or of this season, but what comes next. If we want X to come next, what do we have to do now to put that in motion? That’s prudent planning so that as we go forward, we know what we’re doing. We’re prepared for it. We’re aligning ourselves.â€
Stillman said it was important for the Blues to outline a vision publicly “as an operation in the public eye,†a move that can “give people some confidence that we’re set for not just next year, but well beyond that.â€
Blues owner Tom Stillman announced Thursday morning that Alexander Steen would be the future general manager of the team, taking over for current GM Doug Armstrong following the 2025-26 season.
None of the current 32 general managers were named GMs in waiting, although succession plans have been discussed in other markets. Dallas has confirmed that it was working on one to prepare for the end of Jim Nill’s tenure. Washington is rumored to be setting one up to follow Brian MacLellan.
Less than half of the current GMs (14 out of 32) were promoted internally to their position and 11 of those were because the previous GM was fired, resigned or was not renewed. In only three cases has there been an internal hire with the previous GM sticking around in some capacity.
In Vegas, George McPhee became president of hockey operations as Kelly McCrimmon ascended to the GM role. Same in Colorado with Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland. Of course, Blues fans might remember the third instance: Armstrong taking over as GM in 2010 with Larry Pleau serving as a senior advisor across the next decade-plus.
Stillman said he and Armstrong had discussions about succession plans going back years, but this time resulted in action.
“You talk about it, and you talk about it again and you become more acclimated to the idea,†Stillman said. “As the discussions go, Doug’s view (was) that we need new energy, youth and a new voice. That becomes more persuasive and more compelling, especially when it comes from the person I consider the best in the business.â€
How Steen inspired a Stanley Cup-winning team with a selfless move caught the attention of both Doug Armstrong and Tom Stillman.
It should come as no surprise that Armstrong favored this approach, given his managerial history. In Dallas, Armstrong learned for more than a decade under Bob Gainey before becoming the Stars GM. In ºüÀêÊÓƵ, there was Pleau.
At 14 years, Armstrong is the longest-tenured GM in Blues history and currently is the longest-tenured one in the NHL.
“There were selfish reasons for me to stay on as a manager,†Armstrong said. “Potentially get to 1,000 wins. There’s things that selfishly I wanted to accomplish. But my selfishness or what I want to do was always outweighed by what’s best for the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Blues and its fans and its ownership.â€
When Steen takes over as GM in 2026, he’ll do so as one of the most inexperienced GMs in the NHL. At that time, he will have spent three years in Blues management, one as European development consultant (2023-24) and two as special assistant to the GM (2024-26).
Philadelphia’s Daniel Briere only had one year of NHL management experience before becoming the Flyers GM, but he brought four-plus years of running an ECHL team. Buffalo’s Kevyn Adams had more than a decade with the Sabres before becoming GM, but most of that was spent running the team’s youth hockey operations. Rob Blake (Los Angeles) had four years as assistant GM prior to his promotion.
“I’m as attentive as possible throughout the meetings and Doug and I have spoken a few times after the meetings just to go through where the thought process was before and after, and things for myself to evaluate and think about,†Steen said. “The experience is one part of it. I have so much respect for Doug’s work ethic and how hard he works, and how hard the whole staff works. It’s interesting for me to see the thought process but also to understand where all that came from.â€
There are currently just two GMs younger than the 40-year-old Steen: Chicago’s Kyle Davidson (35) and Pittsburgh’s Kyle Dubas (38). Both of them, however, were able to begin their management careers early while Steen was still playing in the NHL until he was 36.
“I feel like he’s drinking through a firehose right now,†Armstrong said. “From whether it’s player development to drafting to free agency to budgeting. There’s a whole host of things. We have contracts that we have to sign. … I wish I could give you four drafts in the next year and a half, but I can’t. It’s going to take four years to get four drafts.â€
— Steen will also be just the second Swedish GM in NHL history. Vancouver’s Patrik Allvin was the first.
KPLR is interested in returning to the business of televising ºüÀêÊÓƵ pro sports teams.