Only Matter of Time Before Blues Hired Jim Montgomery

The St. Louis Blues always had their eye one the former Boston Bruins head coach.

Apr 24, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery smiles during a press conference after a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in game three of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Blues wasted no time in hoping on free agent coach Jim Montgomery after he was fired by the Boston Bruins. Not only did the Blues hire Mongtomery within a week of his firing, but they also signed him to a five-year contract to be their head coach.

To make room for Mongtomery behind their bench, the Blues also fired the recently promoted Drew Bannister from his position. Bannister only had 22 games behind the Blues bench as an official head coach.

That sort of move may seem shocking, but according to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Montgomery was always a target for the Blues.

“Drew Bannister got the coaching job on an interim basis when Craig Berube was fired,” Friedman said. “He did not get the official job until May seventh, which was just after the Boston Bruins played Game 1 of the second-round last year against the Florida Panthers.”

Friedman believes that the playoff run solidified Montgomery’s job in Boston into the new year, making him unavailable for signing over the offseason.

“Especially now, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on,” Friedman said. “Doug Armstrong was waiting to see… if Jim Montgomery would become available.”

Blues general manager Armstrong pretty much said the main reason he fired Bannister was to hire Montgomery, but Friedman says the Bruins coach was on the Blues’ radar for much longer than his few days after firing.

“I think everybody knew the Blues had one eye on Montgomery, and Montgomery had one eye on the Blues.”

When Armstrong spoke about the coaching change, he spoke highly of Montgomery and made it clear the change was made to make the Blues a better team. Not only does Montgomery breath new air into the organization, but there’s a previous connection there.

Between head coaching jobs with the Bruins and Dallas Stars (2018-2019), Montgomery was an assistant in St. Louis. For a couple of years, he learned the Blues’ system and how their organization wants to run things.

The familiarity combined with his coaching abilities made him a popular target for Armstrong and the Blues.

“It was about this one coach,” Friedman said. “I think this was all about Jim Montgomery and if Jim Montgomery had been available last season, he would have been the coach of the Blues from last summer.”

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