Instead of thinking creatively and looking for real change, the St. Louis Blues front office removed the interim tag from Drew Bannister and rewarded him with a two-year deal as full-time head coach. This is the fifth coach under general manager Doug Armstrong and the third since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
While many fans were pining for the club to re-hire Craig Berube, there was never a chance that was happening. However, I thought they might look outside the organization, but they decided against that. If Bannister was the guy all along, then why did they wait nearly a month after the season ended to decide? Probably because he wasn’t the guy all along, but he’s the coach they settled for.
Bannister Is Just “Fine”
I have minimal issues with the job that Bannister did this season in taking over for Berube. The team improved in small areas and on the power play. They also went 30-19-5 after the move and nearly made the playoffs.
There’s reason to believe that he did a better job with young players than Berube did last season and that’s not a surprise. Bannister has been coaching a lot of these young players and he’s been in the American Hockey League (AHL) for several seasons in the organization. I’m not trying to knock his credentials by any means, but it just feels like the easy way out for Armstrong. The coaching market is hot and this all but guarantees the Blues aren’t looking to be all that competitive in the next two seasons.
Armstrong Should Have Emphasized New Voice
With the way Armstrong speaks, you’d think that he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth and it feels like he has at times. They’ve been retooling for two seasons, but they can’t fully rebuild because of the awful decisions he’s made over the past five years. Sometimes, he sounds like a general manager who believes his team can make the playoffs, and other times he sounds like he knows his roster isn’t good enough. He seems to have settled on the fact that they can’t “retool” this thing over two to three years as he’d originally hoped at the trade deadline in 2023.
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I think Armstrong should have gone into this process with the idea of hiring a new voice. as his top priority. A coach from outside of the organization to come in and shake things up. There are a lot of players on this roster that the Blues are stuck with. A new coach with different systems and approaches could’ve gone a long way in shaking things up. A young coach like David Carle from the University of Denver or former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft could’ve given them that. Of course, I think the Blues will completely re-evaluate the head coaching position after the 2025-26 season when Bannister’s contract is up, but is that really worth it? I get that they caught lightning in a bottle with Berube and Bannister did a fine job in the interim, but the internal processes clearly haven’t been up to standard in recent years. I don’t see the downfall of a true shake-up.
Blues Aren’t Competing in Next Two Seasons
The Blues could still sneak into the playoffs in either the 2024-25 or 2025-26 seasons but don’t hold your breath. This roster is not up to par with other Western Conference contenders and likely won’t be unless Armstrong pulls off a few miracles this summer. The emphasis over the next two seasons will be on developing young players and that’s likely a big reason why Bannister got the job. He knows a lot of these youngsters.
I’d be a bit surprised if the Blues were top three in the Central division in either of the next two seasons. The roster isn’t playoff caliber and the division is unlikely to get much worse. The Chicago Blackhawks, NHL Utah, and others may be on the rise. Overall, the Bannister hire is boring and that is what the Blues have been over the past two seasons.
