Blues Steadily Improving Under New HC

The St. Louis Blues are already seeing improvement under their new head coach.

Nov 30, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues head coach Jim Montgomery looks on from the beach during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Blues made a bold switch when they relieved former head coach Jeremy Bannister of his duties and replaced him with Jim Montgomery. The struggling Blues were out of sorts, so change was expected. What was so shocking was that they hired Montgomery just five days after the Boston Bruins relieved him of his duties as their head coach.

Montgomery is now one month into his tenure with the Blues and the returns are already favorable. It's making the decision to fire and bring in a new bench boss look calculated, well-executed, and exactly the right button to push.

Since Montgomery's taken over, the Blues have played 10 games. Their record is 6-2-2, with only one of their losses being by more than one goal.

One reason for the improvement is the way Montgomery motivates his players. At every stop of his head coaching career, the word that is often associated with him is positivity. He's an encouraging coach, which makes him an optimal one for younger players and allows him to mesh with star players. He got the most out of superstar David Pastrnak in Boston, with Pasta scoring 61 and 47 goals in the two full seasons Montgomery was his coach.

That seems to already be replicating in St. Louis with forward Robert Thomas. He has 14 points in 10 games since Montgomery's arrival, including two contests with three points a piece. After missing time due to injury at the start of the campaign, his return to health and heavy deployment and trust from his head coach has laid the foundation for a sensational rest of his 2024-2025.

That positivity and encouragement has loosened the pressure on the Blues and allowed them to start playing the game of hockey again and not getting lost in the nuances of NHL action. As a result, the team has earned points in eight of their last 10 games and improved their overall record to 15-14-3.

The team also has put themselves back on the bubble for the playoff race. While they're not quite back there yet, they are only a few points out of the final Wild Card position in the Western Conference. It's not totally done, but the Blues have quickly improved under the guidance of their new head coach.

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