Visiting the Office of...Shaun Stephens

Welcome to the first edition of "Visiting the Office Of...", a new feature brought to you by the Elite Hockey Experience.

What is VTOO, exactly? Basically, it's an interview with one randomly-selected EHE general manager.

Deeper than that, however, it will be a recurring series aiming to present a unique angle on the league's GMs. Each edition will train a critical eye on not just the history and current events around the featured organization, but also the personal strategies and managerial style of the person at the top.

VTOO will also focus on entertaining you, the reader, while providing insights into your fellow GMs which won't be found anywhere else. With any luck, some interviews might even stir the pot a little.

There won’t be a fixed release schedule, but the series is designed to run on a semi-regular basis, hopefully filling in the gaps during quieter times in the league's news cycle. The ultimate goal, of course, is eventually to take a deep dive with each and every one of the 31 GMs in the EHE.

And so, with the introductions out of the way, we're pleased to kick off the series with Visiting the Office Of...Shaun Stephens, St. Louis Blues.

Enjoy!

**Note: This interview was conducted prior to the start of the season, but publication was delayed due to technical issues**

1. So Shaun, when did you join the EHE?

I would be lying if I said I remember exactly when, but I believe it was about a quarter way through the EHE’s 2nd season.

2. Had you been in any sim hockey leagues before? If so, which ones? 

Not a large amount of leagues before…I am also currently in a WHL-only sim league which is quite fun.  I was also in an OHL-only sim league recently but it has closed down.  Was also an assistant GM in the HFNHL but did not like the format or how it was run.

3. What was the state of the Blues when you took over?

Probably is better shape then it was last year, it was a playoff team and I may have ruined that…I have made a bunch of bonehead moves, but I am starting to understand how all the rules and sim works so hopefully getting back on track. 

4. How did your first season go in the GM's chair?

First season was very overwhelming, made some trades for the sake of making trades I think and it let me down a bad path.  I have managed to curb that and am committed to bring this back to where it once was.

5. What's your philosophy when it comes to team-building? With so many players available year after year, do you think it's possible to build a champion in the EHE through trades and free agency alone? 

I am usually a build through the draft guy, but last year was hard watching your team lose night in and night out especially not having your own 1st round pick.

I knew this FA crop would be top notch so I kind of made it so I left myself a tonne of cap space and lots of cash in my bank in order to get this thing turned around quickly.  It seems to have worked out quite well on paper anyways, time will tell.  More of a quick re-tool then rebuild.

6. You guided the Blues to a postseason berth in 2016-17, but it was unfortunately a short run once you got there. [The Blues lost 4-1 to the Avalanche in the first round.] Was that a disappointment, in the sense that you thought the window was open for the team be a Cup contender? It wasn't a particularly old group at the time, but it wasn't especially young either. 

Was it disappointing yes, anytime you lose a playoff series no one is ever happy.  But have to give the Avs respect for building what they built.  We knew we had a good team but we knew we needed something special to happen to beat a team like that.

Obviously we were not able to get our revenge on them last year but hope we have a team this year that can get back to where we want to be and have a shot at some redemption.

7. I want to ask you about draft picks, which means we have to address the elephant in the room first: Would you like to say anything more about the Calvin Pickard trade? You've already been up front publicly about the whole thing, so maybe we should just move on...

Are you saying that it was a bad move?  Maybe it was bad talent evaluation by me but Pickard had a solid NHL season on a bad team.  That same season he then represented Canada in the World Championships where he posted a 1.49 GAA and a .938 SV%  and won a silver medal.  

Did it turn out sour yes, but I believe that the potential was there if the right situation was there.  He got drafted by Vegas and then shipped out to a team that did not need an NHL goalie, out of my hands.   I thought I had a team that would fight for a playoff spot that year as well, expected the pick to be a mid first rounder, it did not turn out that way and we are paying the piper for it.

8. You didn't have your own first round pick in 2017 or 2018, and as it stands you won't have it in 2019 either. Setting aside the Pickard deal, do you think that's had a negative impact on the development of your team, or do you believe you've gotten enough value to justify trading away those picks?

I ended up getting Vlasic with my first this year, and have one of the better younger talented AHL rosters with a lot of youngsters coming up through the ranks so I was quite fine dealing my 1st round pick this year.  We expect to make a long playoff run with what we have built.  

I also feel our scouts have had a solid draft record in all rounds.  Just because you do not have a 1st round pick does not mean you are guaranteed to be losing an NHL player.

9. This offseason saw the departure of the only head coach in team history, as Paul Maurice decided to test his worth on the open market. Did you push hard to bring him back, or were you always planning to promote Travis Green from the AHL?

Our goal obviously was to have one coach and one coach only in this franchise.  But with the season we had last year it was tough to really see Paul coming back.  We signed him to a 1 year show-me contract knowing that we had Green to fall back on this summer and unfortunately Paul did not show us so the move had to be made.  We are very happy to have Travis in our room for at least 3 years and beyond and wish Paul well with his future endeavour.

10. Speaking of the Wolves, you're on record as wanting to improve your farm team in Chicago. Do you like how the squad is shaping up heading into the season?

We are very pleased with how the Wolves look on paper heading in to this season.   We will have close to the same team that made it to the conference finals and have added a few depth pieces to that so we fully expect to be a contender once again in the AHL.

11. Any more relocation rumours you can share on that front?

Nothing that can be shared other then our contract with the Wolves runs out after this season and we have not had any significant talks about renewing it as of yet.

12. You've mentioned that free agency was a bit quieter for the Blues than you would have liked. But Alec Martinez, Henrik Lundqvist, and Jeff Carter are pretty nice additions, and you also grabbed Marc-Edouard Vlasic in a trade recently. How do you feel about the team's chances of getting back to the playoffs this year?

It was quieter because I was hoping to add a little more depth to the bottom 6 then we currently have but we are very pleased with the pieces that did decide to make there move to St. Louis.  

We have addressed out goaltending issue and our inability to score goals so I think not only does it make us a playoff team in the West but also a team that can push to be a contender. 

13. Over your time in the league, which trade have you pulled off that you're most proud of?

Nothing really stands out, have made more bad ones then good and it shows.  

Maybe this one if it turns out like I hope: Jack Johnson (UFA) and Cash for Andrew Peeke and WPG 2nd (turned into Patrick Harper and David Farrance [who was part of the] Vlasic deal)

14. What advice would you give to a GM just starting out in the EHE?

Don’t do anything rash right away, learn the league nuisances and follow how other GM’s operate.  Familiarize yourself with the league before you go trading all day and everyday…unless you are Thomas then trade everybody. He has done well.

15. Grab your crystal ball and look at the state of the Blues five years from now. What do you see?

I mean the way the EHE rules are structured it is tough to really look 5 years ahead….I am hoping I have learned from my mistakes and will continue to be a perennial playoff team or contender moving forward!

*Answers lightly edited for puncuation