Central Division Team May Be on the Verge of a Retool, Per Analysts
Photo credit: The Hockey News
The Blues ended last season as the hottest NHL team, and GM Doug Armstrong may make some changes to contend for a Cup, per NHL analyst Lou Korac of The Hockey News.
t. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was disappointed and dismayed, just like the players, the coaches, and the fans, after the team made the playoffs, finishing as the hottest NHL club, only to be bounced in heartbreaking fashion.
But in the aftermath of losing a late two-goal lead against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 7 of the Western Conference during the first round, in which the Blues ultimately lost in double overtime, Blues' GM Doug Armstrong will get a summer to look back, reflect, and appreciate everything that happened.
Armstrong's goal is to make enough changes to get the Blues competing for a Cup
He will then need to put a plan into motion for how to take the next steps. His goal will be to get his hockey team, which made the playoffs for the first time in three years, back into the NHL's upper echelon and actually compete for the Stanley Cup.
Doug Armstrong had plenty to say on the final day of exit interviews conducted last week, from the horrific feeling of losing a game when it appeared the Blues would knock off the Presidents' Trophy-winning Jets, to how the team got there, to bringing in an experienced coach like Jim Montgomery.
A lot of additions were also made, and the team could plan to go into the second half of the off-season looking to upgrade.
Armstrong is also likely heading into his final season as GM before relinquishing the role to Alex Steen, and Armstrong assumes the sole role as president of hockey operations instead.
Where do you see this roster needs improving?
"I think we shored up our top four 'D' for now. If we improve five percent point-wise and think we're going to bring back the same team and improve five percent again, that's not realistic, so we have to make changes. I think bringing [Jimmy] Snuggerud into our group is a positive change. I think if we could add another player that can provide 200-foot offense, that's something that we can look at. But again, the problem I have with today is I say something and then come July 15 it's not done and people think that we're not trying. We're trying to get better. If I tell you exactly what we want to do, the agent's going to know how much I want to spend and he's going to charge me 10 percent more so I'm going to keep some of those things to myself, but we would like to improve in the 200-foot offensive game."
"I'm excited to where the Blues are at today. To our fans, I just want to say thank you for sticking with us. We're trying to make this a really difficult place to play. The guys did that at the end of the year and it starts with the enthusiasm they brought every night when the guys came out of the tunnel. I don't want to under-emphasize how bitter we feel today, how disappointed we are, but I also do want to let people know we thank them for putting us in this spot to feel like that, giving us the support and we're going to keep pushing ahead and hopefully we're not doing this next year for another few weeks."
- Doug Armstrong
"I think we shored up our top four 'D' for now. If we improve five percent point-wise and think we're going to bring back the same team and improve five percent again, that's not realistic, so we have to make changes. I think bringing [Jimmy] Snuggerud into our group is a positive change. I think if we could add another player that can provide 200-foot offense, that's something that we can look at. But again, the problem I have with today is I say something and then come July 15 it's not done and people think that we're not trying. We're trying to get better. If I tell you exactly what we want to do, the agent's going to know how much I want to spend and he's going to charge me 10 percent more so I'm going to keep some of those things to myself, but we would like to improve in the 200-foot offensive game."
"I'm excited to where the Blues are at today. To our fans, I just want to say thank you for sticking with us. We're trying to make this a really difficult place to play. The guys did that at the end of the year and it starts with the enthusiasm they brought every night when the guys came out of the tunnel. I don't want to under-emphasize how bitter we feel today, how disappointed we are, but I also do want to let people know we thank them for putting us in this spot to feel like that, giving us the support and we're going to keep pushing ahead and hopefully we're not doing this next year for another few weeks."
- Doug Armstrong
However which way the second half of the offseason plays out, it's definitely interesting times in St. Louis, and the team is looking to do quite a bit of damage next season.
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