When Martin Brodeur unexpectedly revived his career with the St. Louis Blues in
 December 2014, no one knew that the goaltending legend would remain part of
the Blues'; organization for the better part of four years. But, after retiring
 midseason, Broduer was named a special assistant to general manager Doug
Armstrong, and after the season, was promoted to assistant general manager on a
 three year contract.

Now, three years later, Brodeur';s contract has expired and he';s returned home
 to the New Jersey Devils, while the Blues have promoted scouting director Bill
 Armstrong (no relation) in his place.Brodeur';s Blues Tenure

Brodeur initially signed on with the Blues as goaltender - the first time he
had ever played for an NHL team other than the Devils. With Brian Elliott
injured and no clear backup to Jake Allen, Brodeur was brought in as relief. In
 seven appearances with the Blues, he went 3-3-0, and he recorded his final
shutout against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 29, 2014.Brodeur in net for the
Blues (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

When Elliott returned, Brodeur became the third goalie on the depth chart, and
he decided to retire. With his retirement was the announcement that he would
join the Blues'; front office as a special assistant to the general manager.
After the season, he signed a three year deal to serve as the assistant general
 manager.

In his time as assistant general manager, Brodeur built a name for himself in
the office. He was asked to join the Team Canada management team for the 2018
Olympics. Managing national teams is often the first step down the path towards
 becoming an NHL GM. He also spent half of the 2016-17 season as a goaltending
coach for the Blues, in which time Jake Allen turned around a rough season and
had a phenomenal second half.Jake Allen benefited tremendously from Brodeur';s
coaching (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Whether in the front office or behind the bench, Martin Brodeur has a bright
future in hockey, which should come as no surprise. For now, he returns to the
team with which he is synonymous - the New Jersey Devils - as their executive
vice president of business development. Joining the business side gives Brodeur
 more time to be with his children, as he explained in an interview with ESPN.
With Brodeur gone, the Blues had to name a new assistant GM, and they decided
to work from within, promoting longtime scouting director Bill Armstrong to
fill the role.Bill Armstrong, Scouting Extraordinaire

Armstrong has been the Blues'; scouting director since 2010, the same tenure as
 the team';s general manager Doug Armstrong (again, no relation). Though it';s
impossible to specifically assign credit for each draft pick, in that time, the
 Blues'; organization has had extraordinary success in the draft, selecting
great players and exciting prospects, all while never picking above pick 14.
Bill Armstrong was doubtlessly starting to draw interest from other
organizations, particularly given the fact that his farm system was recently
ranked third in the league by Corey Pronman.

ICYMI ... ⁦@coreypronman⁩'s NHL farm system rankings: No. 3 St. Louis Blues
  https://t.co/gFRxiepgTu

- Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) August 29, 2018

Promoting Armstrong was absolutely the correct decision for the Blues, as he
has been indispensable to building their team over the last decade. Though the
Blues are still in search of their first Stanley Cup Championship, they have
been in the playoffs all but two years since 2010, and now they have built a
legitimate contender with an elite farm system to boot. While the the two
Armstrong';s share responsibility for this success with lots of supporting
players, they are the main stars of the production, and going forward, the
Blues are in very good hands.Bill Armstrong and Martin Brodeur: The Future

Given their history and the position changes both men have received, there';s a
 good chance that both Bill Armstrong and Martin Brodeur will be general
managers in the NHL in the near future. Armstrong is primed to take over for
Doug Armstrong if he ever leaves the Blues or decides he';d like a different
role. If Doug continues as the Blues'; GM, Bill might be swiped by another
team.Blues'; GM Doug Armstrong (left) presents an award to former goaltender
Brian Elliott (Photo by Mark Buckner/NHL via Getty Images)

Marty, for his part, can probably take his pick of positions within the
Devils'; organization, but if the GM position opens, one would have to think
he';d be the top candidate. The only question then would be whether he';d
follow in the footsteps of Steve Yzerman, a superstar player that became an
incredible GM,  or whether he';d be more like the many players that have
failed in front office roles. Given his success with the Blues and Team Canada,
 that seems unlikely. If Brodeur is promoted, it won';t be just because he';s a
 franchise legend; Brodeur has earned his next role, and like everything else
he';s done in life, he';ll probably excel.

The post Blues Elevate Armstrong as Brodeur Heads Home appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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