from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong has aggressively spent long-term assets while in win-now mode.

He has the defending Stanley Cup champions atop the Western Conference as a result.

Yet Armstrong can step back at the All-Star break and still see solid organizational depth supporting his roster.

If he wants to make an upgrade before the NHL trade deadline, he still has chips to play. If he chooses to hang on to them instead, he will have a hedge against spring fatigue and future salary cap challenges.

Either way, Armstrong is sitting more comfortably than most of his peers.

Even with wingers Vladimir Tarasenko and Sammy Blais sidelined while recovering from surgical repairs, forwards Jordan Kyrou and Zach Sanford have had to alternate in the lineup and power forward Klim Kostin has remained in development in San Antonio.

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