Armstrong busy leading up to Trade Deadline

St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong has had a busy month to say the least.
With the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline passing as of 2 p.m. CT on Friday afternoon, Armstrong made four trades and a successful waiver claim to begin re-tooling the roster to be more competitive in the long term.

After a decade of Stanley Cup contention - including the ultimate culmination in 2019 - Armstrong recognized it was time to make these major roster decisions and move forward.
"Today is the first day of the next decade," Armstrong said after making a trade that sent captain Ryan O'Reilly to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Since he took over in 2010-11, Armstrong has shaped the roster to the tune of a 548-322-104 record. His 548 wins rank No. 5 in the NHL over that span.
Additionally, the Blues are one of just five teams to have made the postseason in 10 of the 12 years in that time.

Below is a list of the transactions Armstrong made leading up to the Trade Deadline, netting him three players, four prospects and five future draft picks in total:
Armstrong's ability to collect such a large amount of assets could open a variety of options to improve the roster in the short or long term. Besides simply using the picks and developing the prospects, the Blues could use any number of these assets in future trades to swing for more immediate contributor(s).
"What we want to do is build our team back up," Armstrong said after the deadline. "It's going to be a process, we understand that... I think we're going to be competitive as we wait for (key prospects Zachary) Bolduc and (Jimmy) Snuggerud to mature into the NHL."
With an eye on the future, Armstrong is prepared to make sure the growth is sustainable. Adding Vrana and Kapanen on deals that expire after next season, he expects their hunger to keep the re-tool process swift and effective.