The St Louis Blues have a new head coach but they didn't have to go very far to find them. Drew Bannister, who was placed in the interim position after Craig Berube was let go, was named the twenty-seventh coach in team history on Tuesday. Bannister and the team agreed on a two-year deal.
Bannister was behind the bench for the final fifty-four games of the Blues season, amassing a record of 30-19-5, which was 12th best percentage wise during that span. A native of Sudbury, Ontario, Bannister has spent six seasons with the Blues organization, three of those spent with their AHL affiliate in Springfield with the Thunderbirds. During that time, he led the team to the Calder Cup final during the 2021–2022 season.
Making a coaching change, especially during the season, is something no team aspires to do, but it can be necessary when the team requires a wake-up call before it's too little to late and it appears that in this instance it happened just in time based on how well the Blues responded after Bannister took over.
While it's hard to say whether the Blues are in a rebuilding phase or just require a retool, it's evident that a new voice with a different philosophy is something the team may need to be successful and return to a point where they're consistent and successful.
