The St. Louis Blues have a new head coach. The team announced Sunday that Jim Montgomery has agreed to a contract to become the 28th head coach in team history.
New Bench Boss in St. Louis
BREAKING NEWS: Drew Bannister has been relieved of his coaching duties. Jim Montgomery has been named the 28th head coach in franchise history. https://t.co/72NdjNpjaw #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 24, 2024
Drew Bannister, who took over as interim coach in December of last season and was named official head coach over the summer, has been relieved of his duties.
Montgomery has spent the previous seasons with the Boston Bruins. Under Montgomery, the Bruins won the Presidents’ Trophy after a record-breaking 65-win season. Prior to his time in Boston, he spent two seasons as head coach of the Dallas Stars before joining the Blues for two seasons. Furthermore, Montgomery helped the Blues achieve a 109-point effort in 2021-22.
Montgomery was fired from Boston last week after a lackluster start to the season. However, many believed he would find another job quickly.
Blues Retool Takes New Look
This is a significant move for the Blues as they continue to navigate their retool. The team should not be looked at as Stanley Cup contenders yet. However, Montgomery does move the needle for the Blues towards becoming a playoff contender.
The terms of the contract are also important to look at. The Blues have given Montgomery a five-year contract. This shows the Blues believe Montgomery can be the coach who gets the Blues through the retool and help them as contenders. General manager Doug Armstrong and soon-to-be general manager Alexander Steen are clearly playing the long-game here with this hire. The original plan seemed to have been to see how Bannister performed during his two-year contract and then decide from there. However, the duo have clearly decided an opportunity to bring in someone like Montgomery was too good to pass up.
This is a franchise-altering day for the St. Louis Blues. The seasons since 2019 have not always been pretty, but it is clear the organization is looking to return to those glory days. That is all you can ask for from an organization.
Main photo by: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Imagess
