Tom Stillman admits he was cold on the idea at first.
The passionate owner of the Ƶ Blues is not shy about declaring his opinion that longtime general manager Doug Armstrong is the best in the NHL.
So when Army came to Stillman early this calendar year carrying with him a seed of a hockey operations succession plan, Stillman’s first reaction was to convince Armstrong to squash it.
But as the two have often done during their years spent together, different opinions at the start of a conversation merged into a shared one, and as they found the same page together, the short list of candidates to start preparing for the passing of one heavy baton quickly became just one name.
“This,” Alexander Steen said Thursday morning, “is what I was meant to do.”
Where beloved former Blues center and forever Stanley Cup champion Steen helps lead the Blues moving forward will be determined in the days, weeks, months and years to come. This is a decade-plus move, everyone at Enterprise Center hopes. Early on, the immediate feedback will depend on how a current roster challenges the perception of an ongoing rebuild.
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What was certain Thursday, though, was that Steen’s audition for a crucial apprenticeship that will culminate with him taking over for Armstrong in the GM role following the 2025-26 season began in the past, before Steen’s playing days even ended.
Steen’s commitment to an organization he spent 12 of his 14 NHL seasons representing on the ice can best be explained by how he set a team-first tone for one of the most remarkable teams in Ƶ sports history.
Like the Champagne-stiffened jacket that hangs unwashed in Stillman’s office from the championship celebration in Boston five years ago, the 2018-19 Blues were so drenched in compelling and inspiring storylines that it can be easier than it should be to overlook Steen’s inspirational impact.
Steen is just fine with the fond memories going the way of Craig Berube, Jordan Binnington, hometown hero Pat Maroon, Laila Anderson, “Gloria” and others. But without a doubt, and especially in the eyes of the two men now trusting him to start putting bigger and bigger fingerprints on the Blues in the seasons to come, Steen’s second-to-last season proved he had the DNA of someone capable of running a team. No, make that this team. Because he wouldn’t be interested in doing this with any other team, he said.
Steen’s willingness back then as a 34-year-old veteran to not just accept but truly embrace what could have been viewed as an embarrassing demotion to the Blues’ fourth line did not just help the Blues create a strength out of what had become a weakness. It sent a message that resonated with a group that emerged from deep struggles to become one of if not the best examples of true teamwork.
Steen was a walking, talking, skating example of putting the team ahead of the individual. Others bought in. The team kept getting better.
“I think it’s made out to be a bigger thing outside of what I felt it was at the time,” Steen said. “That season, we knew we were a good team. We were just trying to figure out where everything fit in and kind of needed some time to get in sync. We had a lot of changes in the lineup. Winning that year, it taught me a lot. I learned a lot from that. It gave me a lot of answers to questions I had years prior. In the end, it wasn’t just me doing that. A lot of guys sacrificed and did what it took.“
No debate there, but Steen’s sacrifice resonated. Still does. Even Thursday, it could be felt.
“I do think about that,” said Stillman. “It set the tone.”
Added Armstrong: “When your leadership group surrenders to the team, it’s way easier to follow. In general, and not just with our team, but just in general, everybody wants accountability — right after me. Steener wanted accountability starting with him. That’s a quality he underplays.”
It’s impossible to get every move right as a GM. Armstrong has missed more than usual since the championship was secured. But what he still has, especially among fans who vote with their wallets through ticket sales and attendance, is a significant level of trust. Lose it, and you are lost. Armstrong making this move now underscores how he’s earned that trust and kept it along the way. This is the beginning of his end.
“Everybody knows my rhythm,” Armstrong, 59, said about his status as the Blues’ longest-tenured GM. “It’s a good rhythm, but I think a little jolt is good. Change is good. I couldn’t sleep well at night if I didn’t think it was best for the team.”
Steen’s new five-year contract will have him working as a special assistant to Armstrong for two years before taking over as GM after that. Armstrong then stays on as president of hockey operations. His influence there will be intentionally drawn back as time goes. And no, he’s not going to fight that trend when the time comes.
“At some point, (Steen) is going to know what he knows, and he’s going to give me the courtesy of, ‘I’m calling but I don’t really need your advice on this one,’” Armstrong said. “There will be a time when we have another press conference and I get on a plane and go to Naples.”
Steen starts with a high level of hard-earned public trust, which can be the toughest thing for some new front office leaders to secure. What he must do moving forward is keep it.
There’s a lot he already knows, thanks to an entire life dedicated to the game, a father who helped teach it to him at a high level and his extensive playing experience. There’s so much more still to grasp. Yes, he will have to learn how to run drafts, starting with closely studying this upcoming one. Those contract negotiations he stood back from as a player, letting his agents handle the numbers, will now be important work for him. Already, he’s been behind the scenes learning on the player development side. Armstrong and assistant general managers Tim Taylor and Ryan Miller will continue to push Steen.
He wanted that as a player and welcomes it again now.
“If you take somebody you truly believe in, the experience will come,” Armstrong said. “Let’s not lose the right person for the wrong reason.”
Good leaders know before anyone else when it’s time to start changing gears to make the team better. Armstrong is proving that now, just like Steen did as a champion.