The St. Louis Blues have shaken up their teaching employees in back-to-back seasons. Previous to the 2023-24 season, the membership dismissed Mike Van Ryn and Craig MacTavish, changing them with Mike Weber and Michael Babcock. In addition they fired head coach Craig Berube and changed him with Drew Bannister in December 2023. They’ve shaken issues up an incredible deal after lacking the playoffs in two straight seasons.
For the 2024-25 season, Bannister is the pinnacle coach with a two-year contract signed in the summertime and so they’ve added expertise to place alongside him. Assistants Weber, Babcock, and Steve Ott are nonetheless round, which is nice for continuity functions. The massive and necessary addition this summer time was former Stanley Cup-winning head coach Claude Julien becoming a member of the employees. Let’s get into the employees and why the expertise beneath Bannister is essential.
Julien Brings a Wealth of Expertise
Julien hasn’t coached within the NHL since 2020-21, when he was the pinnacle coach of the Montreal Canadiens. He brings loads of expertise to the desk for Bannister and employees. He gained 667 video games as a head coach and gained the Stanley Cup in 2011 with the Boston Bruins. Basic supervisor Doug Armstrong made a sensible selection to find the right expertise to put alongside the inexperienced head coach. That is how you set coaches in positions to succeed.
Julien is an excellent match for this employees. He instructions respect and brings a stage of expertise the place he may help mentor the youthful coaches on the employees. Each member of the Blues’ teaching employees is beneath the age of fifty outdoors of Julien. It’s a task that I consider he’ll embrace.
Ott and Weber Deliver Continuity
Ott and Weber will each return to the employees in massive roles beneath Bannister this season. Ott has been an assistant in St. Louis because the 2017-18 season. He was promoted to affiliate head coach for this season, which is a well-earned promotion. Though, it’s considerably stunning that Armstrong didn’t promote him to interim head coach final season when Berube was let go.
Ott is a coach that gamers respect and he’s grown right into a high-level function on employees over time. It wouldn’t shock me if he left St. Louis to change into a head coach within the subsequent couple of seasons. As for Weber, defensive continuity is necessary this season. He did a stable job with the unit final season, however there’s loads of room to develop in 2024-25. The Blues want him to assist elevate the extent of play and get essentially the most out of this veteran defensive unit. I consider he’s nonetheless the correct man for the job and bringing him again is sensible.
Bannister Has a Probability To Succeed as Head Coach
I wasn’t overly thrilled with the Bannister hiring this summer time, however he should be given an opportunity. He has a top quality employees round him and a deeper roster versus final season when issues have been in limbo. He solely signed a two-year deal, so he has to benefit from it this season. He’s able to succeed and that’s saying one thing given the place this franchise was a few seasons in the past. They’re nonetheless considerably of an underdog to make the playoffs, however I feel they’ll. They’ve cornerstone items and the depth to go round them, plus it doesn’t damage to have high quality goaltending with Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer.
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I gained’t go so far as to say that Bannister is a lock to change into a top quality NHL head coach, however he’s on a greater path proper now than a 12 months in the past. The Blues needs to be considerably entertaining to look at as they struggle for a wild card spot all season lengthy.
