Following a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders, the St. Louis Blues relieved head coach Drew Bannister of his duties and hired former Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. The move comes less than a week after the Bruins relieved Montgomery of his duties following an 8-9-3 start. General manager Doug Armstrong made it clear that the move was almost entirely made because of a coach like Montgomery being available rather than because of Bannister’s performance.
Bannister’s run in St. Louis was limited, but there are a few things to reflect on. Let’s get into how he performed, why he wasn’t the right fit, and what the future holds.
Bannister Lasts Less Than Calendar Year
Bannister was hired as the interim head coach on Dec. 14, 2023, to replace Craig Berube. He coached a total of 76 games between this season and the 2023-24 season. This season was a struggle in every way for the group under his leadership. Last season, they went 30-19-5 after bringing him in on an interim basis. After getting the full-time role this season, they went 9-12-1 before a decision to move on was made.
Overall, Bannister is 39-31-6 as an NHL head coach and he’s got a lot of room to grow. The roster he was given is a challenge, especially with how little head coaching experience he has at this level. Armstrong acknowledged that in his press conference following the decision. He was more about the availability of Montgomery rather than how the team had performed this season under this staff.
I push back on the club’s publicly stated logic a little bit. The team wasn’t responding to any decision he made. The players and coaches have failed this season, but that doesn’t take all the blame away from the front office. The Blues don’t need a spark right now. They need stability and hope for the future, which Montgomery is far more likely to provide than Bannister.
Bannister Made Strides But Wasn’t Right Fit
A lot of the strides made by Bannister came last season. A lot of the issues this season were the same ones that plagued them in parts of last season, but injuries became a major factor as well. The right thing to do is not to blame him for a majority of the issues, but he didn’t do the job well enough. There are levels to coaching in the NHL and Montgomery has a far more proven track record than Bannister.
Related: St. Louis Blues Fire Drew Bannister, Hire Jim Montgomery as Head Coach
He’s the right fit if the Blues are going full rebuild mode, which they aren’t at this time. He’s young and inexperienced, which is fine in many cases, but not when a high-level coach who has familiarity with the organization becomes available.
Blues Hope Montgomery Provides Stability
Montgomery signed a whopping five-year deal with the Blues, so he’s going to be around for the long haul. He’s the third head coach hired by Armstrong in the past six seasons. The club had an elite power play in 2021-22 when he was running things as an assistant under Berube. He has a great understanding of how to win at this level and he knows many players on this roster quite well. I trust his judgment more than many other coaches in the league, so it’ll be nice to have a veteran of this caliber behind the bench.
Again, it’s not a shot at Bannister, but Armstrong had to make this move. The commitment to a five-year deal changes the dynamic of the franchise for the time being. They have more stability now than they’ve had since the middle of Berube’s run as head coach. Of course, the league is everchanging and things can move quickly. Either way, I trust in Montgomery to eventually get this thing turned around.
