After a Tuesday night loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the St. Louis Blues decided it was time to make a coaching change. General manager Doug Armstrong announced the organization fired head coach Craig Berube replacing him with Drew Bannister from the Blues Affiliate in Springfield.
To make things even weirder, Berube spoke to the media following the loss speaking about how the team needed to win battles along the boards and that was a reason why they lost the game. Berube mentioned how his team did not compete hard enough to win the game.
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Now the rumors have been swirling for some time about Berube’s future in St. Louis. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet mentioned on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio on Wednesday morning, that there were talks of removing Berube going back to last season. They were on again, off again, and it finally happened.
The Blues are off to a decent start this season going 13-14-1. At one point they were competing for a wild card spot in the West. However, the expectations with this roster were a little higher. Armstrong thought this team could finish third in the Central.
We know what Berube did in his first season with the Blues, taking them from dead last in the standings to a Stanley Cup Championship in 2019. However, this team was not competing as it should on a nightly basis.
At times there were stretches the Blues looked like a playoff team and there were other times, the Blues did not look like a playoff. In particular, when they lost to the San Jose Sharks and during this four-game skid.
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And we have seen teams in their own conference and in their own division make a coaching change and get the bump necessary to turn things around. However, this is a player thing not a coaching thing. However, as we saw in Minnesota and Edmonton, you cannot fire the players, so the coach is the one that has to be let go.
The players in Edmonton and Minnesota owned it. The players in St. Louis know they have to be better especially those on long-term deals.
And while it is easy to point the finger and say the message is getting lost, the roster construction by general manager Doug Armstrong has put this team behind the eight ball.
Similar to Edmonton and Minnesota, the Blues need to play better defense in their own zone. There are too many guys on long-term contracts hampering this team’s ability to perform.
As Jeremy Rutherford of the Athletic notes, the problems for this roster go back to when the Blues could not re-sign Alex Pietrangelo. Pietrangelo was a key member of that Stanley Cup Championship in 2019. Defensively he brought stability and the Blues were not willing to give him what he wanted.
They have been trying to replace that production ever since. The writing was on the wall when the Blues traded for Justin Faulk and signed him to that big seven-year deal. In addition, Torey Krug was signed to a seven-year deal before Pietrangelo signed in Vegas.
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Not to mention the long-term extensions for Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas that carry an $8.125 million AAV, to along with Brayden Schenn, Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, and Brandon Saad. Not to mention these players either have full no-trade or modified no-trade clauses in their contracts. Add in the players they acquired like a Pavel Buchnevich and Kevin Hayes, and is this a team fit for a coach like Craig Berube.
And who is going to take on those contracts especially Kyrou and Thomas, who are foundational pieces for the Blues moving forward. But again, it comes down to the players performing on the ice and there are only so many ways a coach can motivate his players or explain how he wants things done the right way.
And while Craig Berube might not be the most detail-oriented coach, he knows how to light a fire in his players. Hopefully, Bannister is the right choice as Doug Armstrong is now on his fifth coach with this roster.