When the St. Louis Blues’ season ends Wednesday in Dallas, will it also be the end for interim coach Drew Bannister? And if so, who will be the team’s next coach?
The answer, or at least more clues, could come Thursday when Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and Bannister are scheduled to address the media at 11:30 a.m. CT at Centene Community Ice Center.
At this point, the situation appears to be somewhat fluid.
Going into the regular-season finale against the Stars, Bannister has led the Blues to record of 30-19-4, which is the 13th-best points percentage (.604) in the league since he took over on Dec. 12. The team remained in the playoff hunt until Game No. 80 before being eliminated, and while that doesn’t make it a successful season, a finish of 90-plus points is not far from what many expected in the midst of a retool.
Is that level of success enough to convince Armstrong to keep him? The fact that he will be part of the contingent that addresses reporters Thursday is a sign he at least remains in the mix.
Bannister’s contract ends after this season, but he does want to return in 2024-25.
“The one thing I can say about this organization is how committed they are to winning (and) how loyal they are, too,” Bannister told The Athletic on Sunday, specifically citing Blues chairman Tom Stillman, his ownership group and Armstrong. “I’ve been here for going on six years now (including the minor leagues), and they’ve been outstanding to me in my development as a coach.
“As a young coach, I’ve learned a lot of lessons here — good and bad — and I’ve become a better coach because of it. Certainly, there’s been some tough lessons with the players, too, with that accountability and with the work ethic. I think we got ourselves on the right track, (but) there’s still a lot of work to be done in those in situations where we can continue as coaching staff and players to hold each other more accountable and build on what we’ve been trying to do here.”
“Leadership and continuing to do things the right way, regardless of where we are right now.”
Drew Bannister shares his thoughts on the team’s development and what he wants to see in the final two games of the season in today’s @ford Gameday Report. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/m3famvCv3p
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 14, 2024
However, in mid-December when Armstrong fired Craig Berube and promoted Bannister from AHL Springfield, the GM indicated that he would cast a wide net for the next coach and there’d be no guarantees made to Bannister.
Well, the Blues have done their due diligence, and the net could be getting smaller. But the immediate availability of potential candidates may hold up the hiring process until after Thursday’s end-of-the year news conference.
The Blues could have interest in Joel Quenneville, who has coached the fifth-most games in NHL history (1,768) and has the second-most wins (969), trailing only Scotty Bowman (1,244). He spent eight seasons in St. Louis (1996 to 2004), where he still has the most wins in franchise history (307).
Quenneville, however, has been out of the game for more than two years. He resigned as coach of the Florida Panthers just seven games into the 2021-22 season, when his negligence in the Chicago Blackhawks’ sexual assault case involving former player Kyle Beach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs came to light.
Quenneville does want to return to the coaching, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has to reinstate him before that can happen. The league recently confirmed to The Athletic that nothing had changed regarding his status.
And even if Bettman was going to allow Quenneville to come back, what would the timetable be? The league likely wouldn’t want to make it a headline during the playoffs. Can the Blues afford to wait?
Does Joel Quenneville deserve a second chance?
In the NHL, will that even matter?
My column:https://t.co/YmfboiphLv
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 13, 2024
Another name to keep an eye on is Denver University’s David Carle, who won his second NCAA national championship in three years with a 2-0 victory over Boston College last weekend.
Carle, 34, was the youngest coach in college hockey when the Pioneers hired him at age 28 in 2018. He was the fourth-youngest coach in college history to win a national championship when he led the school to a title in 2022 at age 32. This year’s championship was DU’s 10th, which is a college hockey record.
“Now we chase our own record, so that will always be fun,” Carle told reporters, insinuating that he’ll return to the school where he also played and graduated.
Could the Blues pry Carle away from Denver? It remains to be seen, but at the very least, it could take some time to get a decision from him.
In the meantime, Bannister could keep the job if these options don’t come to fruition, or he could stay on as an assistant.
There are experienced NHL coaches out there as possible replacements, too, including Todd McLellan, who was fired by Los Angeles this season; Dean Evason, who was fired by the Minnesota Wild this season; Jay Woodcroft, who was fired by the Edmonton Oilers this season; and Gerard Gallant, who was fired by the New York Rangers after the 2022-23 season.
For his own legacy, there is a lot riding what Armstrong decides.
The club is at critical point in its retool, attempting to put a competitive team on the ice and groom its young prospects at the same time. When Berube was fired in December, he explained to The Athletic what a difficult challenge that was.
“It’s tough because you’re probably working with guys that maybe aren’t quite ready to take on an everyday role in your lineup,” Berube said. “Then there’s other guys growing as players. They’re everyday players, but they still have some challenges.
“At the same time, you’ve got some veterans on this team that have been around, and you’re really relying on them to do the job. So you’re kind of caught in between a little bit. I’m not saying that it’s not doable, but it’s tough.”
Also, Armstrong’s five-year contract runs through 2025-26, and he’s said numerous times recently that he wants to leave the Blues in better shape than when he took over in 2010. Armstrong is not considered to be on shaky ground, but the wrong hire could slow the organization’s return to real contention.
So there may be no announcement Thursday regarding the Blues’ next coach, but with the regular season wrapping up and Armstrong moving into offseason mode, we’re getting closer.
(Top photos of David Carle, Drew Bannister and Joel Quenneville: Maddie Meyer, Dilip Vishwanat and Joel Auerbach / Getty Images)
