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Doug Armstrong

Latest On The Trade Market

January 3, 2023 at 7:26 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 4 Comments

As the calendar turns to 2023 and teams approach the halfway mark in their seasons, focus starts to shift towards the league’s trade deadline, set for March 3rd. That might feel far away, and in terms of a team’s season it is, but in reality it’s just two months away. Earlier, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Chris Johnston, and Darren Dreger convened for today’s Insider Trading segment, where the group discussed a number of topics related to not only the upcoming deadline, but team’s strategies approaching their builds, their assets, and how they’ll manage the next two months.

There’s always the odd trade or two in the months leading up to the deadline, but it seems most business gets done in the few days before and the day of. So, why would we expect any different this year? As LeBrun points out, the answer may lie at the forefront of Canada’s World Juniors performance: Connor Bedard. Every team would love to have the phenom, but presumably only the winner of the Draft Lottery will have the opportunity.

LeBrun explains that the Bedard sweepstakes could push teams to trade players earlier, perhaps even in January, in order to fortify their chances in the lottery. In other words, though teams are hesitant to use the word “tank,” if that’s their mission, getting the talent that might win a few games off the roster sooner than later could sink the team even lower in the standings than had they waited another two months. LeBrun says these conversations are certainly happening, but cautions that with the sellers, the buyers need to agree too, but the buyers must deal with a tricky cap situation. With salary cap space growing as time moves on, the teams in the market for those rental players might not be able to make the move they want until closer to the deadline.

Generally, the hot commodities at the deadline are the talented rental players, which explains why so many teams pay the high prices for them. This year, that will likely hold true, but another hot commodity will be first-round picks. Even beyond the chance to win the draft lottery for the 16 eligible slots, the 2023 draft is expected to be deep, inflating the value of all first-round choices to an extent. Thus, those picks will be in high demand, says Johnston.

In fact, Johnston says shutdown defensemen like Joel Edmundson of the Montreal Canadiens and Vladislav Gavrikov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, could both fetch their teams a first-round pick and then some. Surprising as that might sound, consider last trade deadline when Montreal was able to secure a first-round pick (and more) for veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot, then a pending UFA. Here, the 29-year-old Edmundson is under contract for another season at a very affordable $3.5MM AAV, while Gavrikov, a pending UFA, is considered one of the league’s best shutdown defenseman and is just 27-years-old himself.

Also of note on Gavrikov, Johnston adds that the struggling Blue Jackets still haven’t determined if they’ll trade him or not. Columbus of course isn’t necessarily hoping to get into the playoff race this season, but could hope to re-sign the blueliner for themselves.

One rather interesting team heading into the deadline is the St. Louis Blues, who came into tonight with a 17-17-3 record. The team recently placed star forwards and pending UFA’s Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko on IR, joining defenseman Torey Krug. Dreger notes that Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong doesn’t feel pressured to make a decision on what to do with either O’Reilly or Tarasenko, or his trade deadline approach for that matter. Instead, the organization will consider the trade value of their pending UFAs against the idea, and likelihood, of extending them.

There’s no doubt that either O’Reilly or Tarasenko would bring a large haul back for St. Louis, however trading either could foreclose any chance of bringing them back next year. That would be a tough loss, or losses, for a team still looking to compete and probably a bit surprised at their lack of success this season.

A final note, also from Dreger, is the status of the Chicago Blackhawks’ pair of franchise players: Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Both are pending UFAs and both rumored to be on the move this winter. Dreger expects Pat Brisson, agent to both players, to engage in serious talks in the near future with each to determine the following: Do they want to be traded? If so, what does the contending field look like? And, would it be best to accept a trade, then look at the open market come July, or is a trade-and-sign an option?

As tough as it will be to move on, the Blackhawks will hope both players can be moved for a large return. However, both control their destiny, having complete no-move clauses, so a trade will not only be up to Chicago and their trade partner, but the player themselves.

Ben Chiarot| Chicago Blackhawks| Columbus Blue Jackets| Doug Armstrong| Joel Edmundson| Jonathan Toews| Montreal Canadiens| Patrick Kane| Players| Salary Cap| St. Louis Blues

4 comments

Snapshots: O’Reilly, Subban, Forbort

November 10, 2022 at 5:24 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues have lost eight in a row and suddenly, a player that was once considered a core piece is starting to be discussed in trade speculation. Ryan O’Reilly, the team’s captain, and (tied for) highest-paid player is a focus of two different pieces from The Athletic today.

Blues’ beat reporter Jeremy Rutherford penned a column about the smaller changes that Doug Armstrong was forced to make to the roster (recalling Josh Leivo and Nikita Alexandrov), while Pierre LeBrun touched on several potential trade candidates including O’Reilly, teammate Vladimir Tarasenko, and Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat. Both O’Reilly and Tarasenko are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season and if the Blues don’t turn things around quickly, could find themselves on the move by the March deadline.

  • It should come as no surprise that former NHL defenseman P.K. Subban has signed a three-year contract with ESPN to become a full-time studio analyst, given his boisterous, charismatic personality. The network had tried him out in the past during the playoffs and ESPN’s Mark Gross calls Subban’s perspective “unique” because of how recently he retired.
  • The Boston Bruins had to clear some extra cap space to activate Charlie McAvoy, and PuckPedia confirms that they have moved Derek Forbort to long-term injured reserve to do it. That doesn’t really solve the issue but does give them a bit more time to figure out how they will make everything fit. Mike Reilly, after clearing waivers today, was sent to the minor leagues to clear a bit more space.

Boston Bruins| Charlie McAvoy| Derek Forbort| Doug Armstrong| P.K. Subban| Snapshots| St. Louis Blues

0 comments

West Notes: Flames, Blues, Pettersson

September 17, 2022 at 4:01 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Flames have had a busy summer up front with Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri coming in to help replace Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk.  Even with that type of turnover at the top of their roster, GM Brad Treliving told Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription link) that the team is still looking to add to their forward group for next season.  Calgary is one of the few teams that still has a bit of salary cap flexibility with a little over $2MM in space, per CapFriendly with RFA center Adam Ruzicka still to re-sign and Cody Eakin already in on a tryout.  While Treliving won’t be able to add an impact forward with what space he has left, an upgrade to their bottom six should be on the table.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Blues GM Doug Armstrong has acted quickly to extend Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou but don’t expect that to be the case for any other of their pending free agents. As NHL.com’s Lou Korac relays (Twitter link), the current plan is to let the season play out and then see what they can do on the extension front.  Veterans Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko highlight their list of pending unrestricted free agents but with the raises for Thomas and Kyrou a year away from coming into effect, they’re going to have a hard team keeping their veteran core intact.
  • The Canucks are leaning towards using Elias Pettersson back at center this season instead of keeping him on the left wing, notes Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. Head coach Bruce Boudreau feels that Vancouver’s additions up front – including wingers Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko – give them the potential for three scoring lines.  If Pettersson does indeed shift back down the middle, that will only boost his value heading into extension talks next summer as centers often cost a premium to sign long-term.

Brad Treliving| Calgary Flames| Doug Armstrong| St. Louis Blues| Vancouver Canucks

0 comments

St. Louis Blues, Jordan Kyrou Working On Extension

September 8, 2022 at 10:28 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Earlier this offseason, the St. Louis Blues locked up part of their future when they signed Robert Thomas to an eight-year, $65MM contract. The 23-year-old center exploded with 77 points in 2021-22, establishing himself as one of the best young pivots in the league. His teammate, Jordan Kyrou, may soon be getting the same treatment. Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest tweets that the Blues have begun extension talks with Kyrou.

Now 24, Kyrou had his own breakout season in 2021-22, reaching 27 goals and 75 points in 74 games. He was a horse in the playoffs as well, adding seven goals in 12 games. Last year at this time, the Blues decided to go with identical two-year bridge deals for Thomas and Kyrou, contracts that carry an average annual value of just $2.8MM. It was an incredible bargain in year one and likely will give even more surplus value in 2022-23.

It will be interesting to see if another matching deal is coming, given the positional differences. While Thomas is a full-time center, Kyrou is a pure winger, something that isn’t usually quite as lucrative when it comes to long-term deals.

Importantly, the Blues have some other contracts to think about in any negotiation. Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko are both set to become unrestricted free agents next summer. General manager Doug Armstrong has been more than willing in the past to move out key pieces early if they have indicated they aren’t going to re-sign, but losing O’Reilly in particular right now seems like it would set the team back significantly. If he’s to be extended, the 31-year-old will likely be looking for a deal at least as lucrative as the $7.5MM cap hit he currently carries.

For now, if contract talks with Kyrou are going “very good,” as Strickland says, the futures of O’Reilly and Tarasenko might have to wait.

Doug Armstrong| Jordan Kyrou| St. Louis Blues

0 comments

Alexei Toropchenko Undergoes Surgery, Unlikely Ready For 2022-23

July 1, 2022 at 6:06 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

When discussing the team’s hiring of Craig MacTavish as an assistant coach today, St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong revealed that forward Alexei Toropchenko underwent shoulder surgery this offseason, putting his availability for the start of the 2022-23 season in doubt.

Toropchenko broke into the NHL later in the 2021-22 season, playing the first 28 games of his career and scoring two goals. He replicated that point production in the playoffs, notching two assists in 12 games. The Russian forward did play in every game, but averaged just 8:50 of ice time per night, down from 10:43 in the regular season.

Drafted in the fourth round (113th overall) in 2017 by the Blues, Toropchenko demonstrated solid defensive play in a fourth-line role, well enough to keep him in a regular lineup role into the playoffs. He’s signed for one more season on a two-way deal at the league minimum ($750,000), helping provide a solid lineup spot on the cheap for the cap-strapped Blues. Of note, Toropchenko is now eligible for waivers, so the only time he could see in the AHL next season without the possibility of getting claimed by another NHL club would be on a conditioning stint after he’s recovered.

There will be an additional spot open in the Blues’ forward core come training camp, giving a slightly higher chance to youngsters like Jake Neighbours to make the opening night roster.

Doug Armstrong| NHL| St. Louis Blues| Transactions

0 comments

Armstrong, Guerin Among Staff No Longer Involved In Olympic Selections

December 27, 2021 at 3:10 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

Dec 27: As expected, Quinn will take over the head coaching duties of Team USA. John Vanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of USA Hockey, will serve as general manager–a position he already holds for the National Junior Team that is currently competing in Alberta. Without NHL participation, several members of that junior group could find themselves on the Olympic team in a few months.

Dec 22: The NHL isn’t going to the Olympics, and that doesn’t mean just Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane. The active NHL executives and coaches that had previously been announced will also be pulled out, meaning, for instance, that Bill Guerin is no longer the general manager of Team USA and Doug Armstrong is no longer with Team Canada.

For the U.S. the announcement that the managers and coaches will no longer be involved was made this morning, though no direct replacements have been officially named. David Quinn, formerly of the New York Rangers, has been linked to the head coaching position by several reports, including Chris Peters of Daily Faceoff. The U.S. management group is expected to name the final roster–one that will now be made up of players from college, the minor leagues, and European leagues–by mid-January. Peters projected a potential “Plan B” roster earlier this month.

For Canada, Armstrong confirmed to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he will step down as general manager. He’s handing the reins to Hockey Canada’s Scott Salmond who will now have to find a roster outside the NHL to compete at the Games, one that doesn’t have the luxury of the Spengler Cup later this month to prepare. In LeBrun’s interview with Armstrong, the St. Louis Blues manager confirms that Crosby would have been the team’s captain, something that was decided very early on. He also explained that they had already locked in “three full forward lines and two sets of D” with January 12 the date they would reveal the entire group.

The managers and coaches involved will all now have to focus on their own NHL schedules–ones that are currently on hold and seemingly changing by the hour.

Bill Guerin| Doug Armstrong| Olympics| Team Canada| Team USA

4 comments

Team Canada Announces First Three Members Of 2022 Olympic Team

October 4, 2021 at 10:27 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The first three members of the 2022 Canadian Olympic team have been announced, as general manager Doug Armstrong revealed to Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com that Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Alex Pietrangelo have made the team. Each participating country was required to declare three players, while the full “long-list” of 55 potential names will be submitted by October 15.

Crosby is an easy choice and likely the team’s captain, after finding so much success at the head of Team Canada in the past. The 34-year-old center has won World Junior, World Championship, World Cup, and Olympic Gold (x2) throughout his dazzling career, including scoring one of the most well-known goals in Canadian hockey history at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. A three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Conn Smythe winner, two-time Hart Trophy winner, there was never any thought of leaving Crosby off of the team.

If Crosby is the legend, McDavid is the focus though, entering his first Olympics as the best player in the world. The 24-year-old has won gold at the World Juniors and World Championship but hasn’t been able to suit up for Team Canada at the Olympic level to this point due to the NHL not going in 2018. The reigning Hart winner, McDavid had 105 points in just 56 games last season and has already won the Art Ross Trophy three times in a six-year NHL career. There’s no doubt he will be the forward that the rest of the roster is built around, and it makes sense he would be announced at this early stage.

Pietrangelo may be the most surprising of the three, but that doesn’t mean he’s much of a surprise. The 31-year-old has his own long history of success with Team Canada, taking home World Junior, Olympic, and World Cup gold medals. He has a long history with Armstrong from their days in St. Louis and there was little doubt he would be one of the defensemen to suit up in February. Pietrangelo finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting in 2020 and has received votes for the award in seven different seasons.

The list of potential names that will be submitted later this month will include many that won’t end up going to Beijing, making the first part of this NHL season something of a tryout. Only these three have their spots guaranteed, but that wasn’t something that really was in question even before this announcement.

Alex Pietrangelo| Connor McDavid| Doug Armstrong| Olympics| Sidney Crosby| Team Canada

0 comments

Blues Agree On Five-Year Extension With GM Doug Armstrong

September 25, 2021 at 5:20 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 6 Comments

5:15pm: St. Louis has officially announced a five-year extension for Armstrong. The extended term begins at the end of the current season and will see Armstrong become the longest-tenured GM for St. Louis. A member of the Blues since 2008 and the top executive since 2010, Armstrong is carving out a special place for himself in the history of the franchise.

2pm: The Blues have called a press conference for 5:00 PM CT today for what they’re describing as a “major announcement”.  Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic and ESPN’s Kevin Weekes report (Twitter links) that the announcement will be a multi-year contract extension for general manager Doug Armstrong.

Armstrong has been working in an NHL front office for close to three decades now after starting out with Minnesota as their assistant back in 1992-93 before the franchise moved to Dallas.  He stayed with them until being let go partway through the 2007-08 season but caught on with the Blues soon after, starting as their Director of Player Personnel in 2008-09 and being promoted to GM two years later, a role he has held ever since, making him the fifth-longest-tenured GM in the league at the moment.

Armstrong has brought in several core players to the Blues in recent years including centers Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn plus defenseman Justin Faulk through trades while inking blueliner Torey Krug and winger Brandon Saad over the last two offseasons in free agency.  St. Louis has made the playoffs in all but two seasons with Armstrong at the helm with their best performance coming in 2019.

Rutherford notes that Armstrong was signed through this season with an option for the 2022-23 campaign.  It appears that option will be exercised with more years tacked on or torn up entirely as part of this new agreement.

Doug Armstrong| St. Louis Blues

6 comments

St. Louis Blues Legend Bob Plager Passes Away At 78

March 24, 2021 at 6:15 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 5 Comments

Longtime St. Louis Blues defenseman Bob Plager passed away on Wednesday at the age of 78 due to injuries sustained in a car accident. Plager played 14 seasons in the NHL, from 1964 to 1978, including 11 years with the Blues after beginning his career with the New York Rangers. Though undersized for a defenseman at that time, especially one that focused primarily on the defensive aspects of the game, Plager was no pushover. His reputation on the ice was built on his physicality and smart defensive play, which made him a difficult match-up. Plager channeled his passionate and intelligent playing ability into a career beyond his playing days, serving as a scout, coach, and top executive. Plager’s reputation off the ice was one of kindness and humor.

Plager will always be remembered more for his connection to the Blues and to the city of St. Louis than for any one thing he did on or off the ice with the team. A member of the inaugural St. Louis Blues of 1967, Plager was the longest-serving member of that original roster. When he retired from playing, he jumped immediately into serving the club in other ways. Quite literally, too; Plager went from playing with the Blues and their CHL affiliate, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, to coaching the Golden Eagles all over the course of one season. He then spent the next six years as a scout for St. Louis, three years as Assistant General Manager, and five years as Director of Player Development. He also had stints as head coach of the Blues and their IHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, mixed in as well. Plager retired from hockey in 2000, having spent a combined 33 years in the service of the Blues. However, he very much remained involved with the team as an iconic alumnus.

The response to Plager’s passing has come from all corners of the hockey world. Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch collected comments from names such as former Blues coach Scotty Bowman, Blues owner Tom Stillman, a fellow Blues honoree in Bernie Federko, and current Blues GM Doug Armstrong in a detailed story on the life of a legend. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also released a statement on Plager’s passing. Even Ben Bishop, goaltender for the rival Dallas Stars but also a St. Louis native, shared his memories of a man that meant so much to he and others who grew up in the city.

All of us at PHR send our condolences to the family and friends of Bob Plager and the hockey community of St. Louis.

Ben Bishop| Doug Armstrong| Gary Bettman| New York Rangers| RIP| St. Louis Blues

5 comments

Hockey Canada Announces Olympic Management Team

February 3, 2021 at 9:15 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Hockey Canada has announced the management team for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which will be led by St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. He’ll be joined by Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis, Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney, and Florida Panthers special assistant Roberto Luongo, who will all serve as assistant general managers for the event. Tom Renney, CEO of Hockey Canada, released a statement on the management group:

It is an exciting time to be able to introduce the members of Canada’s management group, who each bring a tremendous amount of international and championship experience that will benefit our team if NHL players are able to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Under Doug’s leadership, as well as that of our entire management group, we’re thrilled to task them to lead us into 2022, with the opportunity to oversee our staff and players as they compete for an Olympic gold medal.

The management staff’s resumes speak for themselves, including Luongo who is a relative newcomer to front office work but won two Olympic gold medals as a player. Armstrong, Holland, and Francis have been involved in international events many times before, but Sweeney is getting his first taste of Hockey Canada after a long successful stretch with the Bruins. He joined Boston in 2006 as director of player development and worked his way up to GM in 2015.

Though the NHL’s inclusion in the Olympics isn’t an absolute guarantee, it does feel inevitable because of the work the league and union put in on the last CBA. These appointments only strengthen the idea that players like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon will be teammates next year.

Doug Armstrong| Olympics| Ron Francis

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