Traditionally, one can only take away so much from any media availability NHL General Managers provide. As is the case with almost everyone in hockey, they rarely show their true cards before they have to, providing generic and vague answers to most questions.
Thursday's media conference call with Blues GM Doug Armstrong pretty much fit that mold. Still, there were a few things I found interesting.
1. Doug Armstrong will not trade Vladimir Tarasenko for the sake of trading him. When asked about the Tarasenko trade rumors, Armstrong explained how things came to be, mentioned that he reached out to every team hoping to do right by Tarasenko and the Blues, and made it clear that he is not talking about this anymore publicly.
Armstrong also stated that as of now, Tarasenko is still a member of the Blues organization and even went as far as to explain that it is not out of the realm of possibility that he is still with the team when the 2021-22 season begins.
More specifically, he said:
"I see there is certainly an outlook where I envision him putting on the jersey again. There's many players in the NHL that have requested trades (that haven't been traded). You always try to keep it below the surface, but our responsibility is to do what's best for the St. Louis Blues, and if that means he comes back and plays for us, then that's the outlook that it has."
Personally, I do not know how the Blues can go into next season with Tarasenko on the roster. The relationship appears beyond repair, with so much coming out about his displeasure with the organization. But I guess crazier things have happened.
2. Moving onto Jaden Schwartz, Armstrong stated that Schwartz's current intentions are to test free agency. He also mentioned, "That can change with one phone call."
Though I think there is some mutual interest from both sides for Schwartz to return to St. Louis, I believe he will head elsewhere. Armstrong provided nothing that hinted one way or the other. I feel like if he were returning to the Blues, he'd be inked to a contract already. My guess is Armstrong has his eyes set on Landeskog instead.
3. When asked about Mike Hoffman and Tyler Bozak, Armstrong provided an interesting response.
"We've had conversations with our own guys. July 28 is the drop-dead date. I thought Mike came in, and once he found some solid footing in our group, I thought he was a really good player for us. I have a lot of respect for him, and if he came back, I'd have no issues with that.
Certainly, Bozie has been a really good player for us for three years. I would say our depth in that area is a little bit stronger than it is in the Top 6, so both players I really respect and will certainly keep the lines of communication open."
Honestly, Armstrong does not sound enthusiastic about bringing back either of them. I always thought Hoffman was a bit of a wild card but thought Bozak would definitely be returning to St. Louis. With Armstrong stating that the team is quite deep in the bottom six, I'm not sure anymore.
4. Again, you can only take so much from these availabilities. At the end of the day, Doug Armstrong has his work cut out for him. He might have been able to keep it cool during the conference call, but the pressure is on.
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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