Blues sign GM Armstrong to 4-year contract extension

The St. Louis Blues have signed general manager Doug Armstrong to a four-year contract extension.

This new deal also includes a club option for a fifth year. Armstrong's contract was set to expire at season's end.

"We are really pleased that we have one of the very best GMs in the business with us for a period of time so he can continue his good work of building the team for current and future success," said owner Tom Stillman. "We've been one of the top teams in the League for several years running now. Doug has been able to engineer that without mortgaging the future."

Hired by the Blues in 2008 as vice president of player personnel, Armstrong took over GM duties in 2010 once predecessor Larry Pleau retired.

Armstrong won General Manager of the Year in 2013, while St. Louis has finished first in its division twice and no lower than third under his watch. Overall, Armstrong's Blues have posted a regular-season record of 337-185-56 since 2010-11, the NHL's fourth-best mark.

In the playoffs, however, St. Louis has won only four rounds in seven years, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2016.

The Blues sit first in the Central Division as the holiday break comes to an end, and the team has benefited greatly from an offseason trade that saw Brayden Schenn land in St. Louis.