Is Army a Genius?

[TheJackBurton]

Genius is finding impact players in the draft. Imagine being so good at finding talent that you have Broberg and Holloway on your bench. THAT IS A GOOD GM. The Edmonton fans are lucky to have that kind of talent in the GM.

Let's see how Army's next crop of talent stacks up to what other GM's landed. I'm very skeptical based on what I've seen so far.

Yeah, pure genius lucking into having that draft pick traded for in a previous deal, then winning the lottery in order to be able to draft McDavid.

Yeah, that GM knew exactly what he was doing, being able to find gold like that.

What is even worse you lose two young first rounders who have already shown much promise because you deem it more important to payvictor arvidsson and buyout boy jeff skinner. Oh after you have blown money on a ridiculous contract for Jack Campbell. This team had three first overalls in a decade and has nothing to show for it except one cup final appearance. Not a great resume .

Nope, but hey they have 2 top 50 players, and in the grand scheme of things(according to some), that's all that really matters and all a GM should be judged by.

[TBone]

DA is like a bear with the strength of ten bears.

He’s like a barracuda constantly on the hunt for weaknesses to be exploited.

What’s crazy is he essentially paid for Edmonton to sacrifice two 1st rounders AND do all the minor league development for a 2nd and 3rd. Plus they’re in the same age range as the players the Blues drafted. Like having years with double draft picks.

It’s great time to be a Blues fan!

[smilinjoefission]

How did Army get a guy like Fowler? He paid a 2nd round pick for him. As I pointed out in another topic, Blues GMs over the years have managed to draft NHL players in the 1st round since 1981 except one (Snugs and Jiricek don't count yet) so they tend to find NHL players even if they don't play for the Blues. The problem with Army is the money side, he doesn't make the best choices when it comes to contracts. You give out NTC to key players, top 6 forwards, top pairing Dmen, NOT Leddy.

[Army's Mom]

Y'all seem petty comfortable strollin' down the street while there's a cop on the corner.

I have never doubted The Man. Oh, not all his moves work out but he's delivered us some pretty good hockey for a number of years. The retooling in headed in the right direction. He's really a player's GM, he gives his players a chance to get it done and he's patient, not quick-triggered. When he moves a guy it really does seem like he attempts to find the exiting player a suitable opportunity.

Of course the Offer Sheets were a magnificent coup, a unique opportunity Army pounced on with a vengeance. The sparks of what these two young players had to offer were on international TV in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, it is no surprise to me they have quickly become stalwarts for the Blues. Holloway in particular, flying around the ice almost like McDavid. It was out there on TV for everyone to see, even an Oilers GM and they had two!

The Man went out on a limb for Binnington and was rewarded in spades.

His team is the talk of the hockey world right now. Being retired I'm in the mood and place in life to sit back and enjoy. Watching this team has been quite enjoyable, and it's not the first time Army has delivered like this. Win or lose down the stretch he deserves a huge THANK YOU.

He's going out on top. We should all be so lucky.

And, to be clear, he engineered his luck. It seems like every move we gripe about pays off in the end:

1. Bouwmeester being the lynchpin of a cup winning defense
2. Binnington continuing to own Hellybuck at the Four Nations after years of question marks
3. Steen turns into the next GM and likely already had a hand in the record number of WJC prospects
4. Schenn revitalized
5. Parayko setting a career high in goals and finally getting his dues

I don't see it happening, but with Army's track record I'm trying not to bet too harshly against Buchy. I guess it's good that I'm getting to like crow

[Army's Mom]

DA is like a bear with the strength of ten bears.

He’s like a barracuda constantly on the hunt for weaknesses to be exploited.

What’s crazy is he essentially paid for Edmonton to sacrifice two 1st rounders AND do all the minor league development for a 2nd and 3rd. Plus they’re in the same age range as the players the Blues drafted. Like having years with double draft picks.

It’s great time to be a Blues fan!

He literally gifted them extra picks because he knew he could, he'd bent them over a barrel that badly

[hullie]

DA is like a bear with the strength of ten bears.

He’s like a barracuda constantly on the hunt for weaknesses to be exploited.

What’s crazy is he essentially paid for Edmonton to sacrifice two 1st rounders AND do all the minor league development for a 2nd and 3rd. Plus they’re in the same age range as the players the Blues drafted. Like having years with double draft picks.

It’s great time to be a Blues fan!

Plus he’s yummy.

[Emma bleeds blue]

Not sure if some of the other posts are sarcasm or not, but (other than the cup run) this year feels like Armstrong's magnum opus. Broberg, Holloway, Fowler, Montgomery, Saad have been a master class on how to advance an organization. Faksa, Joseph, Suter have been great "connective tissue".

I can't see how he doesn't make the hockey hall of fame at this point.

[DawgDad]

Not sure if some of the other posts are sarcasm or not, but (other than the cup run) this year feels like Armstrong's magnum opus. Broberg, Holloway, Fowler, Montgomery, Saad have been a master class on how to advance an organization. Faksa, Joseph, Suter have been great "connective tissue".

I can't see how he doesn't make the hockey hall of fame at this point.

There's no question the Blues were caught in a pickle the season they dumped the pending FAs. The quality of the "connective tissue" has slowly risen, I mean it has been a detriment to the team, now pretty solidly in the productive stage. Or VERY productive stage in Fowler's case. Some will get squeezed by young skill players but the progression of the team is trending up.

[Emma bleeds blue]

Not sure if some of the other posts are sarcasm or not, but (other than the cup run) this year feels like Armstrong's magnum opus. Broberg, Holloway, Fowler, Montgomery, Saad have been a master class on how to advance an organization. Faksa, Joseph, Suter have been great "connective tissue".

I can't see how he doesn't make the hockey hall of fame at this point.

There's no question the Blues were caught in a pickle the season they dumped the pending FAs. The quality of the "connective tissue" has slowly risen, I mean it has been a detriment to the team, now pretty solidly in the productive stage. Or VERY productive stage in Fowler's case. Some will get squeezed by young skill players but the progression of the team is trending up.

oh yeah, I didn't mean to suggest that mojo, Suter, and Faksa are going to be on the 2027 Blues Stanley Cup team. But they've been good placeholders for the younger guys like you mention. Totally agree with your post.

[the miracle]

Genius is finding impact players in the draft. Imagine being so good at finding talent that you have Broberg and Holloway on your bench. THAT IS A GOOD GM. The Edmonton fans are lucky to have that kind of talent in the GM.

Let's see how Army's next crop of talent stacks up to what other GM's landed. I'm very skeptical based on what I've seen so far.

Just a point of clarification - the Edmonton fans DON'T have that kind of talent in a GM. Holland drafted those guys and he's probably relaxing by a lake in B.C. right now.

[blues2112]

How did Army get a guy like Fowler? He paid a 2nd round pick for him. As I pointed out in another topic, Blues GMs over the years have managed to draft NHL players in the 1st round since 1981 except one (Snugs and Jiricek don't count yet) so they tend to find NHL players even if they don't play for the Blues. The problem with Army is the money side, he doesn't make the best choices when it comes to contracts. You give out NTC to key players, top 6 forwards, top pairing Dmen, NOT Leddy.

Contractual clauses are never "given," they are negotiated.

As for NTCs, ask Brandon Saad.

[Barksdale's People]

I’m with that one guy, I’d be much more impressed had Armstrong lost two twenty something potential lynchpins for pennies on the dollar. That is what makes a good GM.

[dr0zombie]

Over his time with the Blues DA has shown a skill in having and trusting in good scouting for the organization.

I find the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to be a great example of DA skills. In 2016 they drafted 26 and 35. That is Tage Thompson and Jordan Kyrou. That is two 30+ goal scorers in the late 1st and early 2nd round in 2016.

Tage Thompson was traded for Ryan O'Reilly and his leading the team to a cup win. The redraft value on Tage is 5th overall. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/new ... 3chomtuotl

Jordan Kyrou has broken out to be the leading scorer on this team and arguably has been the better of the two in 2025. Though I don't think anyone here would be unhappy if had both of them and O'Reilly.

Really they picked two top 6 forwards between picks 25 and 35. He might not be a genius..... but the man clearly understands hockey and how to find and build hockey talent.

[somni]

I’m with that one guy, I’d be much more impressed had Armstrong lost two twenty something potential lynchpins for pennies on the dollar. That is what makes a good GM.

[steve li]

GM of the year?

Broberg/Holloway
Fowler
Montgomery
Saad

And while it's hard to judge a non-action, taking no action at the deadline.

Who did it better this year?

[MikoTython]

The other thing, he over-hauled the team based upon speed. That was a theme. Wasn't immediately impactful, but now is - on all four lines, and D-men who can bring it, as well.

Take last nite, they were sodden, hung-over, whatever, but once they burnt that off in the 3rd, back to puck possession, o-zone dominance, pucks in holes. They are also now shooting w/ confidence, taking that extra part-second to see the hole and shoot it. They picked apart Mountambeault, solved the hick goalie as well, when it counted.

That's the team that Doug built.