If Blues GM Doug Armstrong believes Jim Montgomery would be the best coach for the Blues as the NHL season moves into the holiday season, then he should do the deed, go ahead, and make the hockey club better. Take care of the beloved Blues.
Would it be harsh to replace current coach Drew Bannister only 20 games into his first season as the full-time coach? Sure. To sack Bannister so early, it would be cold-hearted, mean and ruthless. I could use a few other words here.
Does Bannister deserve to be fired? Not really. His record since taking over for Craig Berube is a tidy 38-30-6. That translates into a .554 points percentage – good for 16th in the 32-team NHL since Bannister replaced Berube. That’s not great … but the 2023-2024 Blues improved after Armstrong’s intervention. At the time of his discharge, Berube was 13-14-1 last season for a .482 points percentage that was tied for 22nd.
Is Bannister responsible for the Blues’ wrong-turn direction that has left them with the NHL’s worst record (3-8-1) since Oct. 26? No, there’s plenty of places to scatter the blame, be it the management suite, the locker room, or the injury list. But let’s keep it real here, shall we?
@ The Blues are 1-5-1 in their last seven games, scoring only 10 goals while stalling out.
@ As of Thursday afternoon, the 8-11-1 Blues ranked 28th among the 32 teams in points-earned percentage (.425), are 29th in goals per game (2.45), 27th in goals yielded (3.45) per competition, 27th in power-play success, and 25th in penalty-kill effectiveness. So please be kind enough to show me the positives in a season that’s curdling.
Oh, what was that? You say the Blues are only four points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot despite being slowed by injuries to center Robert Thomas (ankle), defenseman Philip Broberg (knee), and a few others? Yes and no. It wasn’t easy to compete with Thomas missing for 11 games. Broberg was playing very well, and his absence has been a minus. According to Injury Viz, as of Nov. 16 only San Jose has endured more injuries than St. Louis this season. (But the blow isn’t nearly as bad in terms of total value lost. That aspect roughly puts the Blues in the middle of the NHL pack)
Even though five teams are ahead of the Blues (and another is tied), St. Louis is within range of making a run at a wild card. That is a fact. But the MoneyPuck projection gives the Blues a scant 1.5 percent chance to qualify for the postseason.
Either way – optimistic or pessimistic about the Blues’ playoff aspirations – Armstrong should recruit Montgomery to rejoin the Blues. This isn’t just about the 2024-2025 season. It’s also about what comes after the current season, as another group of prospects makes their way to St. Louis. Montgomery was a highly respected and admired assistant coach for Berube for two seasons before Boston hired him as head coach in the summer of 2022.
“Monty” has firm St. Louis roots. He played his first NHL season here (1993-94), coached the UHL Missouri River Otters here, helped former teammate Barret Jackman coach a youth team here, met and married a St. Louis woman here, and still has a home here. The Blues called on Montgomery in the late-summer and fall of 2020 to join Berube’s staff. Montgomery’s successful coaching career in Dallas crashed because of alcohol–related demons, and he had to start all over again.
NHL teams were wary of Montgomery; they didn’t know if had overcome his problems. But Armstrong and Berube believed in Monty, and he revived his coaching career – and the respect that comes with it – while working his way back in St. Louis. The Bruins were attracted to Montgomery because of his outstanding work in Dallas, and his career comeback in STL. There is a strong bond between Montgomery, Armstrong, and the Blues.
If Armstrong can bring in a more accomplished and experienced coach to lead the accelerated phase of the Blues’ progression, then there’s no reason to back off.
I would like to point out some things …15 things, actually. So take a ride with me.
1) Armstrong only hired Bannister after the Bruins decided to retain Montgomery as their coach. Once Boston made its decision, then Armstrong offered the job to Bannister. If Army wanted Montgomery earlier this year – clearly he was the No. 1 choice for the job – he can still get Montgomery now … and only 20 games have been played since the Blues and Armstrong lost out on Monty at the end of last season. This is their chance.
2) Montgomery won’t be sitting around for months, hoping to get another head-coaching job. He’s the most attractive candidate out there. If Armstrong stalls and delays, some team will put Montgomery in charge. Maybe Nashville, or Pittsburgh, or Detroit, or Montreal. And the longer Armstrong waits, other coach-search teams can emerge in the bidding for Montgomery. Does Armstrong want to miss out again, when there’s a clear path to bring Montgomery back to St. Louis? That would be very, very strange.
3) We can say that Bannister doesn’t deserve to be moved aside this early in the season. But here’s a question: did Montgomery deserve such a sudden, early-season shove out the door in Boston?
4) In their 184 regular-season games with Montgomery as their coach, the Bruins led the NHL in wins (120), points, and points-earned percentage. That points percentage (.715) was 23% higher than Carolina, the next-best team on the list. With Montgomery as their leader, the Bruins had a 58 percent goal share in their 184 games, the best by an NHL team. So I’m not sure I understand that some folks would consider it a terrible injustice to remove Bannister to bring in a coach that had the NHL’s best regular-season record since the start of the 2022-2023 season.
5) This isn’t a fair or just enterprise for NHL coaches. They are disposable commodities. If the Bruins can give Montgomery the boot after 20 games, then why would it be a moral failing – or an act of unsportsmanlike conduct – to replace Bannister after 20 games?
6) Armstrong has done something similar in the past. Army cleared Andy Murray out of the head-coach office on January 2 of 2010, and brought up Davis Payne from the minor leagues to move in as an interim coach. Armstrong made Payne the full-time head coach on April 14, 2010. But when the Blues stumbled at the start of the 2011-2012 season – going 6-7 – Armstrong pulled the plug after 13 games and made a call to the bullpen for an established winner, Ken Hitchcock. That worked out just swell for the Blues. Hitch turned the Blues around, and they were a top-three NHL team in wins and points until his firing on Feb. 1, 2017.
7) So if Armstrong could replace an unestablished and unproven coach (Payne) to bring in a highly successful coach (Hitchcock) … then why would Army hesitate to do it again – with Bannister playing the role of Payne, and Montgomery playing the role of Hitchcock. Same deal. So make a deal.
8) I’m going to continue on this thread. Armstrong also gave the heave-ho to Hitchcock on the first day of February (2017), when Hitch was nearing his planned retirement at the end of the season. Armstrong elevated assistant Mike Yeo to head coach. If you’re willing to send Hitchcock out into the cold when he was just about ready to retire on his own … Well, sheesh, that was really frosty! But Arrmstsrong did it. And Montgomery is a better coach than Mike Yeo.
9) Listen, if Armstrong had the brass to fire Berube – the only coach to lead the Blues to a Stanley Cup conquest and a leader with an excellent .596 points percentage here – then why would Army hesitate and get all soft about replacing Bannister with Montgomery? There is no comparison here. Berube is a Stanley Cup champion and a Blues legend. Bannister is just starting out. Firing Berube was a bold move that took some guts. Firing Bannister for Montgomery would just be another NHL coaching swap that happens so frequently.
10) Armstrong believed the Blues were ahead of schedule in their “retool” coming into the season … which is why he made some moves last summer – most notably the offer-sheet heists of Broberg and centerman Dylan Holloway from Edmonton. Army also poured a lot of money into a lucrative contract extension for Pavel Buchnevich. Armstrong didn’t directly say the Blues were a playoff-caliber team for 2024-2025, but he certainly hinted at it. So does Armstrong want to take his best shot at getting the Blues to play up to their potential? Or does he want to wait, let Montgomery go elsewhere, fire Bannister later on down the road, then start off searching for the next coach all over again? Makes no sense.
11) Armstrong surely understands this: as long as Montgomery is away from the NHL coaching bench, waiting on his next assignment, it puts Bannister in a pressure cooker. Bannister will have no peace. Unless the Blues start winning like mad men, the calls for Montgomery will intensify, and chip away at Bannister’s confidence and authority. And you better believe that Blues players will be monitoring the Monty situation. They know what’s up. They aren’t idiots. This will be a stressful time for Bannister. So what do the Blues have to gain by letting Bannister hang around – with his authority weakened – as an unofficial lame-duck coach? I am sorry for my bluntness … but you know that this is true.
12) Armstrong will be retiring after the 2028-2029 season. But he’ll turn the GM job over to Alex Steen after the 2025-2026 campaign. This is Army’s opportunity to strengthen the Blues before he bows out. And I couldn’t imagine why Steen would object to Montgomery as the coach. They know each other. And Steen is well aware of Montgomery’s praiseworthy performance as Berube’s assistant. Between Dallas and Boston, Montgomery has a .659 points percentage that stands out.
13) Montgomery was heralded in St. Louis for his work in getting Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou to a higher level of performance. In his second season as an assistant here, Thomas blossomed with 20 goals and 57 assists, Kyrou’s talent kicked in for 27 goals and 48 assists, and Pavel Buchnevich revved up for a career-best season that included 30 goals and 46 assists.
14) All of those players (and others) credited Montgomery for his valuable assistance in making them better Blues. Montgomery also helped the Blues transition into a faster style of play, and the increased tempo was a factor in the Blues ranking third in the NHL in goals per game in 2021-2022. And the special teams were strong.
15) I’ll repeat something I said earlier, because it really makes the point: if Doug Armstrong had the cojones to fire Ken Hitchock and Craig Berube, then why would he back off now? If Army was comfortable in dismissing Davis Payne and Mike Yeo, why would he draw the line at moving on from Bannister if the goal is to secure the leadership of Jim Montgomery?
When Armstrong removed Yeo, he elevated Berube, an assistant. The move paid off in the greatest way, with Berube hoisting the Stanley Cup, but Armstrong eventually replaced him, too. Army is a tough man, known for making tough decisions. But this is an easy decision. Armstrong needs to follow through on his original plan and bring Monty home.
Thanks for reading …
And please pardon my typos…
–Bernie
A 2023 inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Bernie has provided informed opinions and perspective on St. Louis sports through his columns, radio shows and podcasts since 1985.
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Stats used in this column were sourced from hockey reference and NaturalStatTrick.
