şüŔęĘÓƵ

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 şüŔęĘÓƵ’ 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.

“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.”

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.”

Why the Blues will have Alexander Steen take over for Doug Armstrong as GM in two years

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.”

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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 şüŔęĘÓƵ, 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 şüŔęĘÓƵ Blues and its fans and its ownership.”

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.”

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.”

— Steen will also be just the second Swedish GM in NHL history. Vancouver’s Patrik Allvin was the first.

New Channel 32? Established stations 11, 5, BSM? Sports TV intrigue continues: Media Views

KPLR is interested in returning to the business of televising şüŔęĘÓƵ pro sports teams.

It was a day of fond reminiscing, the fifth anniversary of the Blues’ only Stanley Cup championship in their more than 5½ decades in the National Hockey League. As in previous anniversaries, Game 7 of the Cup Final reaired on şüŔęĘÓƵ television.

But on this showing, which was Wednesday, that game appeared on MyNetworkTV, Channel 32 over the air, rather than on Blues longtime local television partner Bally Sport Midwest. Channel 32 is owned by Gray Media, as is longstanding şüŔęĘÓƵ CBS affiliate KMOV (Channel 4). Then on Saturday, the Blues’ victory parade is scheduled to be streamed on the app of KSDK (Channel 5) at 6 p.m. — five years to the day the raucous celebration unfurled downtown.

Is that a harbinger of where their games, at least a good chunk of them, eventually could end up?

BSM parent company Diamond Sports Group has been mired in a bankruptcy case for more than a year that involves MLB and NBA teams as well as the NHL. The next hearing is scheduled for July 29 — only about 2½ months before the hockey season starts. The Blues as well as the Cardinals remain under contract for BSM to continue showing their local package for years to come, but that could be impacted by developments in bankruptcy court.

Bally seems intent on honoring its Cardinals deal through the rest of the season, so any potential change for them likely would not take place until next spring. But the hockey team could be more immediately impacted, and Blues CEO Chris Zimmerman said the club is closely following the situation.

“With us, the Cardinals and nine other NHL teams, the answer is an ongoing monitoring of Diamond Sports’ work with the bankruptcy court,” he told Matthew DeFranks, the Post-Dispatch’s beat writer covering the team. “... One of the greatest challenges throughout this process is uncertainty about what’s next and the timelines.”

Channel 32, which showed the Blues anniversary coverage, has been available over the air (on “free TV”) only since last week and also is carried by Spectrum (Charter) cable’s Channel 186. It shows reruns of shows such as “Law & Order,” “Chicago Fire” and “Dateline,” and previously had been on the digital 4.2 channel, which now is devoted to weather coverage.

Zimmerman said the club is working “to keep building and evaluating new broadcast partners,” and added that Gray and KSDK “have been important partners in different programs.

“Quite honestly, we’ve done some interesting things with KSDK, particularly during the Cup year when NBC was still the national broadcaster. I would tell you that both of those entities have been important partners in different programs.”

One local television executive told the Post-Dispatch this week that the Blues “have snuggled up” to the Gray operation, which runs a weekly in-season program devoted to the team on KMOV and Zimmerman called “an important ongoing partner.”

JD Sosnoff, general manager of Gray’s local endeavors, said he can’t speak about pursuing the Blues now because they remain under contract with Diamond. But when asked if Channel 32 would be interested the next time the Blues’ and Cardinals’ TV rights are in play, he firmly said, “Yes sir.

“Any time a şüŔęĘÓƵ major league sports organization is available, we’d have an interest in it if the opportunity was there. But it’s not now.”

If the bankruptcy court that is presiding over the Bally/Diamond case makes Blues rights available this summer, that would leave little turnaround time for any new TV partner before the hockey season opens.

“It would be a heavy lift,” Sosnoff said. “That’s a lot to put together in a very short amount of time. But we’d do everything we could within reason.”

Viewership reach

If Gray ever would get a local team’s TV rights in the current TV environment, Sosnoff said the vast majority — if not all — the games would be on Channel 32. That’s because the legacy station, KMOV, has CBS network obligations that rarely can be preempted. It’s a similar situation that most, but not all, of the other major şüŔęĘÓƵ network affiliates face. Although they do have ancillary channels, there is a varying degree of transmission strength and video quality as well as ability to bump shows.

Sosnoff said the MyTV pre-emption restrictions aren’t rigid.

“We have positioned ourselves as a great option if this ever becomes available,” he said.

Sosnoff added that Channel 32 is available over the air throughout the region, anywhere that receives the KMOV signal, and people watching TV through an antenna might need to re-scan their device to access the new outlet. It is transmitted from the same tower as KMOV, and the move to Channel 32 from 4.2 might be more in status enhancement than in impact because 4.2 recently converted to high definition and also is widely available.

However, a big drawback with Channel 32 is that the only cable/satellite/streaming service that the station currently has a deal with is Spectrum (Charter), thus making it foreign to non-Spectrum customers who are outside the station’s over-the-air reach. But while the station is available throughout the region, the reality is that not many people likely are watching it — viewership-tracking company Nielsen says only about 15% of U.S. households receive over-the-air TV via antennas. So greater ancillary distribution would seem necessary.

“I would love to make that a reality,” Sosnoff said of adding more ways to obtain Channel 32. “We’re just starting, we’ve only been on since last week and haven’t even promoted it yet. It’s too early to say.”

When local pro sports broadcast rights eventually become available, whether that be through bankruptcy or expiring contracts, there figures to be spirited competition for them.

“I think the future is likely going to be a model that could have multiple forms of distribution that would look different than just one carrier,” Zimmerman said.

That could entail utilizing existing over-the-air outlets, streaming, cable and/or a mix of any of those entities. As an alternative, the Blues and Cardinals could form their own networks — or create one that has both.

“Regardless of what happens, I think access to Cardinals games will get easier,” Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III recently told Post-Dispatch business reporter Annika Merrilees. “It won’t just be on two or three bundled cable products. I think you’ll have an expanded array of options for getting our games in the future. I just don’t know exactly what those options will be. But I think from a fan’s standpoint, they’re going to be better off.”

KSDK general manager Alicia Elsner said the station “remains interested in the possibilities to partner with the şüŔęĘÓƵ Blues and the şüŔęĘÓƵ Cardinals.” Because of Channel 5’s NBC affiliation, that likely would have to be on an ancillary channel.

But KDNL (Channel 30) and its offshoots wouldn’t be in play, at least in the short term.

“I’d love to have them,” station general manager Tom Tipton said but added those outlets already have a bevy of programming that can’t be significantly bumped.

Back to Channel 11?

What about KPLR?

Channel 11 broadcast the Cardinals and Blues for many years but hasn’t done so in more than a decade and a half since both clubs embraced cable-exclusive plans, a model that now is obsolete. A big plus for KPLR in addition to its rich local sports legacy is that it wouldn’t need to utilize a secondary outlet if they’d return.

Kurt Krueger is general manager of that station, the local CW Network affiliate, as well as Fox network-aligned KTVI — both of which are owned by Nexstar Media Group. He said because Nexstar is the majority owner of CW Network, it would be easy to pre-empt its programming to clear the way for local sports teams.

“I’d love to do over-the-air for the viewers,” Krueger said. “Nexstar has shown an appetite for sports.”

CW recently has added LIV golf, ACC football and basketball. NASCAR’s Xfinity Series arrives in 2025.

Standing pat?

All this very well could be getting well ahead of the situation because the Blues and Cardinals remain under contract with Diamond/Bally pending bankruptcy rulings.

“They’ve been a good partner,” Zimmerman said. “We’ve grown with them. We deliver consistent ratings with them. We’ve got a strong audience. Quite honestly, we have a number of years of term left on our agreement. That’s the one side of, �Well, they’re working to restructure their debt. Will they be able to do that?’ If they are able to do that, then there’s a going concern that they could continue to carry our games.

“There is a need, a clear need, to be developing new local broadcast distribution plans. We’re evaluating options and partners and business models in the event that Diamond isn’t able to continue and particularly in the event that they wouldn’t carry our games next year.”

FanDuel Sports Midwest?

If Diamond survives in bankruptcy court, fans in the region eventually could be watching games on FanDuel Sports Midwest.

Diamond said in bankruptcy court last week that it has “reached an agreement in principle with a third party on rebranding” its regional sports networks. While the name of that entity was not revealed, the Bloomberg news service reported that the deal is with sports betting behemoth FanDuel. Bally’s naming-rights deal with Diamond expires at the end of the baseball season.

Diamond previously struck an agreement with Amazon for an infusion of cash in exchange for streaming rights to some of its inventory and a minority stake in the company.

Tom Stillman admits he was cold on the idea at first.

The passionate owner of the şüŔęĘÓƵ 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.

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 şüŔęĘÓƵ 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.

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Alexander Steen isn’t the only one getting a promotion in the Blues front office.

On the same day they announced their front office succession plan, the Blues announced the promotion of Tim Taylor to assistant general manager from his previous role as director of player personnel. Taylor joins Ryan Miller as the two assistant general managers to GM Doug Armstrong.

Taylor has been with the Blues since 2011, when he joined the organization as the director of player development. He was named director of player personnel in 2022, overseeing the club’s prospects.

“He’ll still handle that, but that staff’s expanded,” Armstrong said. “It’s just more of a recognition of what he does. He’s been doing that without the title. I just want the hockey world to realize how important he is to us.”

Taylor and Miller are part of Armstrong’s inner circle when it comes to decision-making, as Taylor oversees development and scouting while Miller specializes in salary cap compliance and contract negotiations.

“I don’t make a decision without consulting those two guys,” Armstrong said. “They’re brilliant in their areas. This is a promotion for Tim that’s long overdue.”

Armstrong said the Blues do not need to hire a replacement for Taylor because he will still be overseeing development. The team will, however, need to find one for Steen.

Steen, previously the European development consultant, was promoted to special assistant to the general manger for the next two years and will become the team’s GM after the 2025-26 season for the following three seasons. Across the past year, Steen worked with European prospects, which included 2023 first-rounder Otto Stenberg.

Armstrong said both Taylor and Steen were compiling names for the position. Armstrong mentioned the Blues have European scout Tommy Sjodin living in Sweden.

Where is he playing?

Since the season ended, the Blues have been busy signing five of their draft picks to entry-level contracts: Stenberg, Simon Robertsson, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Juraj Pekarcik and Jakub Stancl. In the last month of the season, they also inked Theo Lindstein and Dylan Peterson to deals.

None of them are expected in the NHL next season, so where will they be? Well, it depends on the player.

Lindstein (a defenseman) and Stenberg (a forward) were both first-round picks last year who are playing professionally in Sweden. Armstrong said “the plan is to stay in Europe for another year” for both of them.

Kaskimaki is a Finnish forward who was a third-round pick in 2022 and has spent the past two seasons playing for HIFK in Finland’s Liiga. Armstrong said Kaskimaki has one year left on his contract in Finland.

“We would like him to come over,” Armstrong said. “He has to make an agreement with his team over there. If he stays over there, we’re fine with it. We’ve got him under contract. I think he’s ready for the American League, but that’s something that we knew going in when we signed him.”

Robertsson was a third-round pick in 2021 who split time in Sweden last season with Skelleftea AIK (SHL) and Brynas IF (Allsvenskan). He is confirmed to be coming to North America next season, most likely with AHL affiliate Springfield (Massachusetts).

Pekarcik, a third-round pick in 2023, played last season with Dubuque of the USHL, coming to North America from his native Slovakia. While Pekarcik is eligible to remain in the USHL or even play in the AHL, Armstrong said, “I think he’ll end up in” the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Acadie-Bathurst owns his CHL rights.

Stancl was a fourth-round pick last year who is originally from Czechia but played last season in the under-20 league in Sweden. Armstrong said “if we can get the right junior team, (Stancl) might come over” to North America. Stancl’s CHL rights are currently held by Kelowna of the Western Hockey League.

Peterson finished his collegiate career with Boston University in the spring and joined Springfield on an amateur tryout after his season ended. He is expected to be back in the AHL in the fall.

• In addition to the entry-level contracts signed in the past two months, the Blues signed three of their pending restricted free agents: forwards Hugh McGing and Mathias Laferriere, and goaltender Colten Ellis.

McGing signed a two-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 in the NHL and $250,000 in the AHL. Laferriere ($775,000 in the NHL and $100,000 in the AHL) and Ellis ($775,000 in the NHL and $85,000 in the AHL) signed one-year deals.

The Blues have five pending RFAs left to sign: NHL players Nikita Alexandrov and Scott Perunovich, plus minor leaguers Mikhail Abramov, Keean Washkurak and Hunter Skinner.

“Trying to chip away at that every day,” Armstrong said.

The Blues have a succession plan in place.

Owner Tom Stillman announced Thursday morning that former Blues forward Alexander Steen would be the future general manager of the team, taking over for current general manager Doug Armstrong following the 2025-26 season.

Steen signed a five-year contract with the team to be a special assistant to the GM for two years and then take over as general manager for the final three years of the contract.

“We see Alex as a very special person for this,” Stillman said. “Doug has really been bowled over by him in the last year. We have an extraordinary person in our midst. Second thing, and this isn’t as important as ability and capability to do the job: It is important that his passion for the Blues, for the city, his dedication. You would think he had Blues tattoos on him. He’s just so devoted to the franchise and the city.”

Armstrong will remain in his current role as GM and president of hockey operations for the next two years and will transition solely to president of hockey operations for his final three years on his new five-year contract.

Armstrong, 59, previously had two years remaining on his contract before signing his extension that will keep him part of the Blues front office in various roles through the 2028-29 season. Armstrong has been the team’s GM since 2010, serving as the longest-tenured GM in club history and the current longest-tenured GM in the NHL.

“I love to manage,” Armstrong said. “I’m going to miss it. I guarantee I’m going to miss it. I love the work, but I love the Blues more. It’s my responsibility to do what’s best for the Blues. What’s best for the Blues is to support Alex in two years, but that’s 24 months (away). I’ve got a hell of a lot of work in the 24 months I want to accomplish.”

Steen, 40, finished his 15-year NHL career in 2020, spending the final 12 years in şüŔęĘÓƵ with the Blues. He played the fourth-most games with şüŔęĘÓƵ in franchise history and ranks in the top 10 in goals, assists and points in franchise history. Of course, he was part of the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning team.

He began his management career with the Blues last summer, when Armstrong brought him on board as a European development consultant. Steen gained more responsibility across the past year and was part of Armstrong’s close circle that named Drew Bannister head coach last month.

As Stillman and Armstrong discussed succession plans, Steen’s name kept coming up.

They both pointed to his passion for the sport: “This is what I was meant to do is to be around hockey,” Steen said.

They both pointed to his selflessness and team-first attitude: “His value system has always been related around the team. What’s best for the team? Not what was best for him,” Armstrong said.

They both pointed to his eye for the game: “His hockey knowledge is second to none. That’s going to be the easy part is assessing what we need and how we do it,” Armstrong said.

All that was missing, in their eyes, was experience.

“I’ve been over to Europe on multiple occasions to meet with him, to talk to him and travel with him,” Armstrong said. “It just became clearer and clearer that he had everything you need in a general manager except experience.”

Stillman said he and Armstrong have spoken about succession plans for years, or, “What happens if one of my beer trucks hits you?” as Stillman said. Armstrong said he thought about it four years ago but instead decided to guide the organization through its retool phase in an attempt to set the next GM in a good position.

At the time, there were decisions to be made in the coming years on veteran, Cup-winning players — Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, David Perron — and a potential transition period after that.

“I needed to make those decisions for the next guy,” Armstrong said. “You have to cycle down to cycle up. To walk away at that point and let someone else make those decisions and the record isn’t what it was three or four years before, you’re setting someone else up to fail. I wanted to set the next guy up to succeed.

“These four years, making those decisions, now in two years, there’s going to be a runway with young players and cap space. All that could change tomorrow with a phone call, but as of now, I think we’re going to have it in a good spot.”

Armstrong and Stillman both noted that getting a younger, fresher voice as general manager could help rejuvenate the team that has known only Armstrong since 2010. Armstrong said he spoke with Vancouver’s Jim Rutherford and Vegas’ George McPhee as former longtime GMs turned presidents of hockey operations.

In considering Steen for the GM position, Armstrong said he also drew inspiration from the success younger GMs like Chris Drury (Rangers) and Danny Briere (Flyers) have had.

Stillman, meanwhile, wanted “a balance” between old and new, he said, and became more and more comfortable with the idea of Armstrong’s succession plan.

“I don’t want to lose the best (GM) and all the experience and knowledge (he has),” Stillman said. “That was the interplay. A lot of conversations back and forth, over coffee, over beer, whatever. I think where we landed is what I see as the best of both worlds. We’re going to bring along, groom and teach this young, outstanding candidate who fits what we want. But we’re also keeping the knowledge, the experience and everything that Doug has brought for so long.”

Steen will learn on the job under Armstrong for the next two seasons, gaining the experience he lacks in an NHL front office. He participated in the team’s draft meetings over the past week and said he was looking forward to the draft at the end of the month.

“There’s only one way of getting the experience, and that’s going through it,” Steen said. “It’s nothing that can be rushed. I think the one thing that I’ve learned growing up around the rinks with my father and playing a long time is that you have to have patience with certain things. Soak up as much information as you can. That’s something that I’m trying to be attentive (to).”

Even when Steen takes over as GM with Armstrong as president of hockey operations, Armstrong is expected to have a role in assisting Steen. That, however, will likely decline across the span of their three years together, Armstrong said, eventually to the point “he’s going to know what he knows, and he’s going to give me the courtesy, �I’m calling you, but I don’t really need your advice on this one.’ ”

“I just didn’t envision myself starting over again somewhere else at that age in my life,” Armstrong said of sticking around as president of hockey ops. “There’s an excitement, too. If we had brought in a manger with 1,000 games experience, quite honestly, he might not need me. I think there’s things I can provide Alex as he’s learning.

“I do view it as a weighted scale. Over time, I’ll become less and less relevant in his decision-making because he’s going to gain that experience. I owe it to myself, I owe it to the fans is to give him guidance. I call them landmines. He doesn’t know where they are.”

Little is known about Steen’s management style or roster-building tactics. Some GMs prefer a patient draft-and-develop strategy. Some lean more toward aggressive acquisition and immediate contention.

Steen wouldn’t say where he landed on the spectrum other than that, “I believe in the plan that we’ve started here that Doug and his staff (have started) and the future of the team and the organization.”

Through it all, Steen’s relationship with the organization is the backdrop for his future role.

“When I told some of the players, he actually does bleed blue,” Armstrong said. “To have that in organization, the players feed off of that. They fed off of that when he played, they fed off of it when he came back to training camp last year, they fed off it when he traveled with the team. They know that it’s not just a job. It’s a passion. şüŔęĘÓƵ is a passion. I’m not sure he signs up for it if it’s any one of the other 31 teams. He’s a Blue, and he wants to be a Blue.”

Asked if he would have taken this opportunity with another team, Steen responded flatly.

“I would have a hard time seeing myself doing it with anybody else,” Steen said.

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As tickets go on sale later this week for the Winter Classic, the Blues’ newest special sweater “is very close to completion,” CEO Chris Zimmerman said in a recent interview with the Post-Dispatch.

“The general approach in the league and with our sweaters has been celebrating history, celebrating our club and, in some ways, just celebrating the game and its connection to şüŔęĘÓƵ,” Zimmerman said. “I would say all of those things will happen in our new sweater.”

In following with previous Winter Classic jersey announcements, the full design is expected to be released in November, with a presale opportunity in September, Zimmerman said.

It will be the Blues’ third Winter Classic jersey, joining the powder blue version worn in 2017 at Busch Stadium and the cream version worn in 2022 at Target Field in Minneapolis. Both jerseys featured the throwback “Heritage” blue note on the chest, and the NHL used that same logo on a recent Winter Classic announcement on social media.

Could that be a sign of things to come when the Blues face the Blackhawks on Dec. 31 at Wrigley Field?

“I wouldn’t necessarily make any assumptions based on that,” Zimmerman said.

In playing in their third Winter Classic, the Blues will become the fourth NHL franchise to do so, joining Chicago (five), Boston (four) and Pittsburgh (three). All three for the Blues have come since 2017, and no NHL team has more Winter Classic appearances across that span.

It will be the second Winter Classic played at Wrigley Field, as the Blackhawks hosted the Red Wings there in 2009.

Zimmerman said the Blackhawks as the home team would wear dark jerseys, leaving the Blues to wear a light variation. Most teams have worn white, but the Blues went with an off-white design when they faced the Wild in 2022.

“We’re excited about where that’s going,” Zimmerman said of the jersey design. “The general approach by the league — and you’ve seen it in the two sweaters that the Blues have had to date in the Winter Classic — has always been really playing off heritage and the iconic elements (of the Blues). ... We think we’ve got a great design that brings some new elements as well to the sweater.”

On a larger scale, the Heritage logo and colors have become a prominent part of the Blues’ brand recently. The team wears the powder blue jerseys for Saturday home games (they went 8-2-1 in them in 2023-24) and used similar colors for both the 2022 Winter Classic and the 2022-23 Reverse Retro designs.

Is there an appetite for the organization to use that logo in a potential rebrand?

“I will tell you that the Heritage uniform, the logo, all that that means has been really, really strongly endorsed,” Zimmerman said. “Our players have loved playing in that sweater on Saturdays. That’s become a great tradition. Our record is really strong. We are constantly evaluating where we are and how to both keep our uniform fresh and bring newness to it. That goal will continue.”

Zimmerman did note that this upcoming season will be the league’s first one with Fanatics after an extended period with Adidas and that rebrands are more likely to happen ahead of the 2025-26 season instead of for 2024-25. The Kings and Ducks are reportedly going through redesign processes, but it’s unclear if any other clubs will be doing the same.

“My belief is that uniforms are pretty much going to be the same for next year, the core uniforms, and teams can once again for the ’25-26 time frame look at adjustments, modifications, evolution,” Zimmerman said. “I expect us to be doing that as well.”

Tickets for the Winter Classic will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday on TicketMaster. Blues season-ticket holders on multiyear plans will have priority access to tickets, Zimmerman said.

“We sold out Busch Stadium,” Zimmerman said. “Target Field sold out quickly. I expect at least the same type of demand, if not greater, for seeing the Blues and Blackhawks go at it at Wrigley Field.”

Zimmerman added that the Winter Classic was a draw for fans to renew on multiyear plans.

“Our renewal numbers are strong,” Zimmerman said. “They’re comparable to other years. We finished a very strong year where we sold out all but one game (Nov. 14 vs. Tampa Bay). The Winter Classic clearly was a valuable tool in continuing to get people’s interest not just in renewing but in renewing for multiple years. We have our three-year lease plan that is very, very strong and the people who renewed under that plan, they do have some priority access around the Winter Classic.”

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