Rutherford: Doug Armstrong as Maple Leafs GM makes perfect sense for Toronto, but not for the Blues
Armstrong has a better pulse of the Blues organization than anyone, so why would owner Tom Stillman let him leave mid-retool?
theathletic.com
So you’re saying there are questions about Toronto’s Core Four forwards and tough decisions about what to do with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander? I present to you Exhibits A, B, C and D in which Armstrong allowed captains David Backes, Alex Pietrangelo and Ryan O’Reilly to leave St. Louis, as well as fan favorite David Perron. Not all of these decisions worked out, but Armstrong is not afraid to make franchise-changing decisions even if it’s sending the team’s top jersey-sellers on their way.
Would Armstrong even be the one making those decisions with the Maple Leafs?
In St. Louis, he took over as GM in 2010 and worked under team president John Davidson. But in 2012, the Blues bought out Davidson’s contract and then in 2013 appointed Armstrong as president of hockey operations. So for a decade now, Armstrong has been in charge of all hockey decisions in St. Louis. He has stability and the trust of his owner. He keeps Stillman abreast of everything and gets his endorsement on signings and trades, but for all practical purposes, no one stands in his way of doing things the way he wants them done.
Is Armstrong going to leave that setup to be second in charge in Toronto behind Shanahan? Well, Lou Lamoriello did it for three seasons from 2015 to ’18, but Lamoriello is now with the New York Islanders, and his replacement, Dubas, is now looking for a job. Either Shanahan would have to allow some give in having the final say — and why would he do that? — or Armstrong would be giving up a lot of power because he’s infatuated with the idea of working for the Maple Leafs.
Sure there would be a massive reward if all went well, but if it didn’t in four or five years, he’d be 62 or 63 years old and looking for a new place to land.
Granted, Armstrong’s position with the Blues right now isn’t perfect. The team missed the playoffs this season and has limited flexibility to alter the roster because of the long-term contracts on the books.
And yes, Armstrong is responsible for that, so feel free to criticize him. But on the flip side, he has a better pulse of the organization than any person on the planet, and he knows the strengths and weaknesses of every player on the roster and every prospect in the system. His masterful work at the trade deadline has bolstered the organization with three first-round picks, one of which belonged to the Leafs. He’s put months of work into how to use those picks, and soon it will be time to execute that plan.
So that brings us back to the point: Why would Stillman want anyone else to be at the wheel for the retool? I don’t believe he does, and that’s why I think he’s not going to give Shanahan permission to have that dialogue.
Maybe the only way it could happen is if Armstrong went to Stillman and said, “Hey, I’d like to talk to the Maple Leafs.” And is he really going to ask that of the owner who promoted him to president of hockey operations, made him one of the highest-paid executives in the league, allowed him to spend to the salary cap with a small-market team every year, stay long enough to win a Stanley Cup, work simultaneously for Team Canada, and so on?
That would be the gutsiest decision Armstrong has made in his hockey career.
