ST. LOUIS \u2014 Here we go again.<\/p>\n
The Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and team president jobs are vacant<\/a>, and Doug Armstrong is likely on the team\u2019s wish list.<\/p>\n This was also the case in 2023, when Toronto fired Kyle Dubas. Armstrong was under contract with the St. Louis Blues, and I wrote at the time that though it made sense for the Leafs, it made none for the Blues<\/a>. They eventually hired Brad Treliving, and after three seasons of steps back<\/a> under Treliving, they\u2019re in the market for management again.<\/p>\n Naturally, Armstrong\u2019s name quickly came up. He\u2019s the front-runner on The Athletic\u2019s list of early candidates<\/a>.<\/p>\n This should be no surprise.<\/p>\n Toronto has become an embarrassment of a franchise on the ice, and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment has to get its next steps right.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the most important decision that I\u2019m likely to make in my time at MLSE,\u201d MLSE president Keith Pelley said Tuesday.<\/p>\n The Blues have fallen on hard times under Armstrong in the past few seasons, but as the NHL\u2019s longest-tenured GM \u2014 with 1,600-plus games in the league \u2014 as well as one with a track record of success at the international level with Team Canada, the 61-year-old would be viewed as a solid hire.<\/p>\n The problem: This time, like last time, Armstrong is under contract with the Blues.<\/p>\n Armstrong is handing over GM duties to Alexander Steen beginning July 1 \u2014 an arrangement that was announced two years ago<\/a> \u2014 but, under that same arrangement, Armstrong agreed to a three-year contract extension to stay on as president of hockey operations. He does not have an out clause in that contract, so MLSE would have to request and be granted permission to speak with him.<\/p>\n In 2023, it made no sense for St. Louis to grant that permission to Toronto and Armstrong, and three years later, it makes even less. That\u2019s because when it came up the first time, the Blues could have \u2014 they wouldn\u2019t have, but they could have \u2014 brought in another veteran GM to replace him. This time, the team is in the midst of transitioning to an inexperienced GM in Steen and will need Armstrong around more than ever.<\/p>\n Blues chairman Tom Stillman isn\u2019t going to comment on a hypothetical situation, but to know his feelings on the subject, we can go back to his comments when the succession plan was brought to light in 2024.<\/p>\n It was Armstrong who came to Stillman with the idea of \u201ca new voice,\u201d and Stillman acknowledged that initially he was resistant. But after several conversations, he came around, and the convincing argument for him was that Armstrong would be sticking around.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way we\u2019ve worked this out is we\u2019re not losing the best general manager in the business,\u201d Stillman said at the time. \u201cHe\u2019s still going to be here to guide Alex, teach him how to do the job and oversee the job of president of hockey operations. To me, it seemed like this is the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n The best of both worlds.\u00a0<\/p>\n And now, three months before that transition is scheduled to happen, we\u2019re supposed to believe that Stillman is going to gift the mecca of the hockey world a chance to take that away from his organization?<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t to say Armstrong wouldn\u2019t have any interest in the Toronto job. It\u2019s a high-profile gig, which he\u2019s shown he can handle with Team Canada, and though the current landscape with the team would be a challenge, the reward, if he were able to bring success, would be an elevation of his legacy.<\/p>\n In March, Armstrong said he\u2019s aware of the speculation but told The Athletic<\/a>, \u201cI can\u2019t control what everyone else says and thinks. I understand it. (But) I don\u2019t really want to get into it because it\u2019s never-ending.\u201d<\/p>\n