After playing a role in the St. Louis Blues first Stanley Cup as a player, Alexander Steen will have the opportunity to do it again. The former Stanley Cup champion will get to do in a major front office role.
Doug Armstrong has signed an extension to remain as President of Hockey Operations through the 2028-29 season.
Alexander Steen will take over as General Manager in 2026. #stlblues
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— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) June 13, 2024
St. Louis Blues Promote Alex Steen In Front Office
The Blues announced Thursday morning that Steen had been promoted to assistant to the general manager, Doug Armstrong. Steen has spent the last season as the Blues European player development consultant.
Steen will hold that title for the next two seasons. After that, he will become the next general manager of the St. Louis Blues in 2026. Steen will spend the next two seasons being mentored by Armstrong. Furthermore, Doug Armstrong will remain with the team after that point, as the Blues also announced he had signed an extension to be the the President of Hockey Operations through the 2028-29 season.
The Blues announced Wednesday evening that an announcement would be made regarding a “major hockey operations announcement.”
Watch Thursday at 10 a.m. on YouTube and https://t.co/qz2Ghf4cey
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— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) June 13, 2024
Reporters and fans immediate began to guess what the announcement would be. As a result, a great deal guessed it would involve Steen.
Alexander Steen’s Playing Career With Leafs and Blues
Steen was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002. Furthermore, after spending four years in Toronto, Steen was traded to the Blues, where he spent the remaining twelve years of his NHL career.
Steen started his Blues career as a goalscorer before transitioning into a different role on the Blues fourth line. With Oskar Sundqivst and Ivan Barbashev, the Blues fourth line matched against other team’s top lines on the Blues run to the Stanley Cup in 2019. Moreover, Steen retired after the 2020 Stanley Cup Final ended.
Looking Ahead
Steen’s quick rise through the Blues front office suggested he could be a candidate to be the next general manager when Doug Armstrong’s tenure ends. Armstrong and the rest of the front office clearly agreed.
Steen will have big shoes to fill. Armstrong is a former “General Manager of the Year” winner, and was the architect of the roster that won the first Stanley Cup in team history.
If Steen can help bring the Blues success in the front office, his popularity with the fans will only increase. Steen’s playing career already put him on the radar for the Blues Hall of Fame. Therefore, a successful tenure in the front office will only increase his legacy.
Main photo: Jeff Curry USA TODAY Sports
