Gordo: Doug Armstrong seeks improvements during his final offseason as Blues GM

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong has done much of his best work in the offseason marketplace, engineering trades and shopping free agency.

Now, he has entered his final offseason as Blues general manager. Next year, Alexander Steen will be running point as GM.

So what does Army have in store for Blues fans in his last go-around?

“You have to look at free agency for sure,” Armstrong said. “You have to look at everything. I think there are good players in free agency. Now, whether they get there or not is always something different. We have our pens ready and Mr. (Tom) Stillman’s money at the side of the table and all of a sudden on June 27 somebody signs.

“You don’t know who’s going to get there, but there’s players there that we would have interest in if they get to that point.”

Ideally, the Blues will add a center who upgrades their middle six forwards. Pavel Buchnevich tried, and failed, to move to the middle during stretches of the last two seasons.

Coach Jim Montgomery determined that hard-hitting Dylan Holloway was much better on the wing than in the pivot. Dalibor Dvorsky could emerge as the No. 2 center someday, but he seems destined for additional AHL seasoning to ensure he realizes his full potential as an impact offensive player.

Brayden Schenn held the fort as the No. 2 center this season and Oskar Sundqvist settled into the No. 3 slot. Each has a lot of hockey mileage on his body.

Ideally, each would move down one forward line if the Blues could add another middle-six center.

“If we could bring in another player that can provide 200-foot offense, that’s something we can look at,” Armstrong said.

The marketplace doesn’t look promising at first glance. The Blues lack salary-cap flexibility, and the list of potential unrestricted free agents underwhelms after the top few names.

Toronto winger Mitch Marner is a superstar, an ultimate 200-foot player. He is going to get crazy money from a team with cap space, or the Maple Leafs will wedge him under their salary cap while moving out others.

Leafs coach Craig Berube does not want to lose this guy.

Sam Bennett would offer exactly what the Blues need: a physical second- or third-line center who plays on the edge and excels in playoff wars.

We assume the Florida Panthers will find a way to keep him in their tax-free state, but if he gets into the marketplace, he could fetch $7 million per year.

Armstrong’s six-year, $48 million commitment to Buchnevich and the need to extend Holloway and Philip Broberg with long-term deals would make it difficult to bid on Bennett.

Nikolai Ehlers is an upper-tier NHL winger. The Winnipeg Jets can’t keep everybody, so he could go to the market.

The Blues could certainly find a place for him in their top six, but Ehlers could command $60 million or more.

So again, could the Blues really be a player for one of the top free agents?

After these top potential free agents, there are talented veterans who could theoretically fill the gap at center: John Tavares, Brock Nelson, Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund. But these guys are deep into their 30s, and in some cases, they are better fits on the wing.

Given the rising salary cap, these older forwards should get more dollars and years in this market than they would have in previous years. That may not fit Armstrong’s vision for this team.

The long list of potential restricted free agents presents more promise, but during this offseason, teams view offer sheets in a different light. Other NHL executives saw Armstrong strike gold by swiping Holloway and Broberg from the unsuspecting Edmonton Oilers.

Now, more GMs will be willing to try their own offer-sheet gambit. Also, all GMs should be more committed the reupping or trading their top RFAs before they become eligible for an offer sheet.

Armstrong has plenty to look at internally before free agency opens. He seems intrigued by the prospect of locking in defenseman Cam Fowler beyond next season.

He loved the job veteran Radek Faksa did centering the “WTF Line,” but he knows potential bottom-six forward prospects like Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Dylan Peterson and Otto Stenberg could see NHL duty next season.

So Faska could leave as an unrestricted free agent. So could ageless iron man Ryan Suter. Elsewhere on defense, Torey Krug seems unlikely to resume his career after major ankle surgery, and Nick Leddy is a trade candidate heading into his final contract year.

Forwards Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier will collectively count over $5 million against the salary cap next season. The Blues need greater production from those salary slots.

So there will be changes, large or small. Fans have learned to never underestimate Armstrong, who pulled off the Holloway-Broberg heist, the critical Fowler acquisition and the blockbuster Montgomery hiring in one year.

“There’s a feeling that if we did nothing we’re still further ahead than we’ve been over the last four or five years,” Armstrong noted. “But our goal is always to improve.”

Blues fans should buckle up, just in case.