With four games remaining, the St. Louis Blues‘ playoff hopes have quickly died. The team must get through the rest of the season and work towards improving during the offseason.
This season has taught the Blues many things, and many changes were made, including bringing in interim head coach Drew Bannister to relieve Craig Berube of his duties. Here’s a look at what other changes the Blues will have to target this offseason.
Blues Must Draft Defensemen
Aside from Theo Lindstien, the organization’s top defensive prospect who signed an entry-level contract in March, no other players seem to be top two or four defensive prospects on the roster. One could argue that Matthew Kessel, Scott Perunovich, and Tyler Tucker are good young defensemen that the Blues can develop; however, if the Blues want to win another Stanley Cup in the next five to 10 years, they will need at least two top defensemen who will be with the team for years to come.
The Blues also have too many older players on the roster who have sent them in the wrong direction. Players like Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, and Colton Parayko are worth keeping, but Nick Leddy and Marco Scandella need to go. The Blues’ defense has an average age of 29, which should be addressed in the offseason.
There are many good options in the 2024 NHL Draft, such as Adam Jiricek, Aron Kiviharju, Cole Hutson, and many more, who rank within range of the Blues’ projected spot in the top 20 of the first round.
Find a Permanent and Experienced NHL Head Coach
Former New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff could be a potential candidate for hire. Still, with the time he lasted in the new era, I don’t think he will get a coaching job soon. The goal should be to get someone with recent Stanley Cup Final expertise, not a coach stuck in the 90s or early 2000s. However, given how things are going, I imagine Bannister could see a full-time head coach position coming his way.
John Tortorella is also a good option, considering he could be in the hot seat with the Philadelphia Flyers. In March, he was ejected from a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and with the questions surrounding his coaching philosophy and how he’s handled it in the open, I think his time will be up soon as the Flyers’ head coach.
However, Tortorella has shown a different side in his last few coaching stints with the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, and…
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