Blues GM Sends Harsh Message to Team

The St. Louis Blues are finding a bit more traction, but their general manager still expects more.

Jan 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Nathan Walker (26) reacts after fighting Calgary Flames defenseman Brayden Pachal (94) in the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images / Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Blues made it clear over the offseason that they were ready to play hardball with the rest of the NHL if it meant a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Through the first half of the season, however, the Blues are on the outside looking in at the playoffs and are multiple games behind most of the teams ahead of them in the running.

Despite a 7-4-0 stretch since just before the Christmas break, there is belief that the Blues are still underachieving. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger on Insider Trading, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong paid a visit to the locker room to give a pretty forceful message.

“The coach is frustrated, and now the general manager is, as well,” Dreger said. “He recently visited the dressing room and relayed the message… he basically said ‘if you’re not going to get the job done, I’m going to start moving bodies.’”

Armstrong has been on a mission this season to get the Blues back to the top of the league. It started over the summer when he signed a pair of players away from the Edmonton Oilers via offer sheets. He fired his head coach to hire Jim Montgomery just days after he was canned from the Boston Bruins.

Dreger said his words to the locker room were “not a threat, but an acknowledgement that he needs more.”

Saying he’s start trading players seems like a threat no matter what way you slice it.

It’s tough to tell when Armstrong would have given this message to his room, however, because a 7-4-0 run isn’t terrible and has put them just one point out of a playoff spot. The Blues were 4-4-3 in the previous 11 games, possibly making that the focus of the heat.

There’s also a possibility that Armstrong also expects better than 7-4-0. Armstrong did everything he could to build what he believes is a Cup contender, and he wants to see them play like one every night.

The Blues have time on their side and are in a good position to really go on a run, but they need to find the right groove quickly, or Armstrong will continue to pull strings.

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