Doug Armstrong Signs Four-Year Extension With St. Louis

The St. Louis Blues have put an end to the speculation about GM Doug Armstrong’s future, and will announce a four-year extension according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. Armstrong was one of several NHL GMs operating in the final year of his contract.

While the Blues still haven’t captured that ever-elusive Stanley Cup, Armstrong’s tenure with the team has been filled with success in the regular season. Hired as the Director of Player Personnel in 2008, Armstrong took over as club GM in 2010 and has only missed the playoffs in that first year. With a record of 337-185-56, the Blues have been a contender every year and look like one of the best teams in the league once again.

Over his time with the team, the Blues have managed to pull off several impressive trades. Just recently Armstrong made successive deals on the draft floor that brought in Brayden Schenn for future draft picks while still allowing him to select Klim Kostin at the end of the first round. Before that, Armstrong had moved Kevin Shattenkirk despite the team’s playoff hopes, giving them the resources for the Schenn trade.

Armstrong has never been afraid to move out top players for future assets. He’s traded T.J. Oshie, Brian Elliott, Ian Cole, David Perron, Kris Russell, Brad Boyes, Erik Johnson, and David Rundblad among others, continually restocking the prospect cupboards while finding relative success in the NHL.

Look no further than the World Junior Championship, where players like Kostin, Jordan Kyrou, and Robert Thomas are set to star before one day pulling on a Blues sweater. While the Stanley Cup remains just out of reach, Armstrong has positioned his club about as well as you can.