Confirmed with Link: Berube out, Bannister in

[MissouriMook]

If RBA isn’t brought back by the Canes I’d love to see him get a shot.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

If RBA isn’t brought back by the Canes I’d love to see him get a shot.

Agreed

 

[LogosBlue]

Wings fan (in STL mind you) coming in peace. This move is a mistake IMO. Last night was a hard fought game by both teams. I'm more surprised that Army wasn't canned first. He deserves more of the blame than Berube for handcuffing the roster with all those bad contracts, especially on defense.

Your absolutely right. Army deserved Berube's fate. This mess is entirely on him with bad decisions and bad contracts.

I don't see Army being GM for much longer either. Owners know who created this mess.

 

[DeuceNine]

Anyone else get the feeling that this could be a mercy firing. Berube might not have wanted to stick around for this type of effort. Players tuning you out and giving you crap effort every night. Don't know that I'd want to get hung out to dry like that either. Time to move on.

This is the beginning of the hard reset though. I don't think a new head coach will make much of a difference this time around. I expect a lot of players (I still like) to get traded or shipped out throughout the year.

I can see the mercy firing logic. "We're not doing anything this year and probably next, so go seek out better pastures while we figure this out." I hope that's the case anyway.

 

[Frenzy31]

Wings fan (in STL mind you) coming in peace. This move is a mistake IMO. Last night was a hard fought game by both teams. I'm more surprised that Army wasn't canned first. He deserves more of the blame than Berube for handcuffing the roster with all those bad contracts, especially on defense.

Outside of Krug, what bad contracts are on D? Faulk and CP are paid 6.5 mil per season -both are #2or 3 dmen and 6.5 is a fair rate considering what #1s are paid. Leddy is worth his contract, Scandella is paid a fair rate. The kids are not and issue contact wise.

 

[PelagicJoe]

Outside of Krug, what bad contracts are on D? Faulk and CP are paid 6.5 mil per season -both are #2or 3 dmen and 6.5 is a fair rate considering what #1s are paid. Leddy is worth his contract, Scandella is paid a fair rate. The kids are not and issue contact wise.

The length of Parayko's deal is pretty bad. Leddy's contract will be somewhat hard to trade in a year or two.

 

[TheDizee]

If RBA isn’t brought back by the Canes I’d love to see him get a shot.

coach q

 

[Stealth JD]

Maybe Bannister is a better tank commander than Berube, and Chief wouldn’t let the guys roll over and die…but with Bannister the guys will be able to flat-line their ‘give-a-shit’ meter.

Sucks for Berube to be so unceremoniously dumped, as if he’s the cause of the standings. Can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit(s).

 

[AjaxManifesto]

If RBA isn’t brought back by the Canes I’d love to see him get a shot.

100%

Been thinking EXACTLY this for a while

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

If RBA isn’t brought back by the Canes I’d love to see him get a shot.

He'd be near the top of my list, but again it won't matter if we bring in Brind'Amour because this team as it's structured is the opposite of the type of roster Brind'Amour succeeds with.

Instead they'll install a softer coach who can help coddle the young guys before Army gets fired and we've delayed our inevitable rebuild by two seasons when we realize you can't win hockey games with a bunch of losers that play a soft brand of hockey.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

That's a good point. But fans need to realize that remaking a roster takes time. I don't really see anything Army could have realistically done last season to make a big difference. This year was always gonna be a write off. Just disappointing that our team seems to have no guts or pride.

I agree, but this offseason had a chance to go make some earth-shaking move to jolt the core of the roster like he did after 2015 and let it be known, last year was inexcusable, the rest of you better take the hint.

I'm guessing you were in the room when the contract was being negotiated since you seem to know exactly what happened and what was said. You're in denial if you think Petro would basically turn this team into was contender by himself.

It's no stretch at all to say this team would have been better with Pietrangelo on the defense instead of Krug, but then I think some are debating whether 2021-22 happens, how shitty of a captain Pietrangelo is if '22-23 still happens, how quickly we can ship his albatross of a contract out, etc.

Has any GM ever come and actually said “I screwed up” while they’re still employed?

Armstrong has sort of admitted it. When he fired Hitchcock and Yeo, it was this isn't their fault, they're paying for the sins of the organization, my sins and no one followed it up by questioning him about what sins he'd committed and why someone else had to pay the price for it and why shouldn't he be the one paying the price for his sins.

Well Stilman should just fire Army.

Never happening. Like, nevaaaaar happening.

Oh what a surprise, someone else takes the fall because of Armstrong’s terrible roster decisions. At what point does ownership look at him and place the blame where it rightly belongs?

Never. If he ever leaves, it will be on his own terms because ownership has never-ending goodwill toward him for 2019 and they'll ride him all the way to the bottom. I think I said this years back, but I'll say it again: when Armstrong finally realizes the dumpster fire he's created and realizes he's got to be the one to fix it and realizes the depth of effort that's going to be needed, that's the moment he'll bail out for another team - because he's not about to stick around and try to fix the shitshow he created, knowing it's going to take years to do so.

Anyone else get the feeling that this could be a mercy firing.

No. When the coach says "I'm not doing this any more, I'm out," that's different language in the presser and different timing of the release.

See: Paul Maurice and Winnipeg.

 

[Blueston]

I don’t like this. Berube didn’t deserved to be sacked late night in December to be replaced by lesser coach. This roster is fairly crappy. We have been inconsistent because we don’t have enough talent to be good. Chief may not be guy to lead us through rebuild, but this reeks of frustration move. What is goal? To “salvage” season and make playoffs? I dunno, maybe we go on run and qualify but this team isn’t threat to win Cup.

It’s possible that Army felt like our effort was inconsistent and that was hindrance to long term plan. Maybe he thinks new coach will allow some guys to reset, play better, and make themselves more viable trade candidates. Perhaps.

But it looks like desperation move, which admittedly is what some of our recent lineups looked like from Berube. But this feels like overreaction to wretched streak by crappy team.

 

[fishsandwichpatrol]

I don't know if this is the right move or not, but he will always be a legend. Hope he continues having success somewhere else. I do know we need SOME change somewhere but I don't claim to be knowledgeable enough to know it. Seems like a good roster on paper that can be worldbeaters one day then get smoked by a bottom team. Maybe a new coach will spark something but I'm along for the ride I guess.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I don’t like this. Berube didn’t deserved to be sacked late night in December to be replaced by lesser coach. This roster is fairly crappy. We have been inconsistent because we don’t have enough talent to be good. Chief may not be guy to lead us through rebuild, but this reeks of frustration move. What is goal? To “salvage” season and make playoffs? I dunno, maybe we go on run and qualify but this team isn’t threat to win Cup.

It’s possible that Army felt like our effort was inconsistent and that was hindrance to long term plan. Maybe he thinks new coach will allow some guys to reset, play better, and make themselves more viable trade candidates. Perhaps.

But it looks like desperation move, which admittedly is what some of our recent lineups looked like from Berube. But this feels like overreaction to wretched streak by crappy team.

It's a move that makes little sense. If we improve we're doing nothing but hurting our draft stock because there's not a single person on this board that believes this team, as it's constructed, can win even two playoff series.

If we get worse, it just proves that you fired a good coach and now you're just left with a mess of a roster and lack the head coaching talent to get anything out of it.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

One thought that's with me this morning - OK, I've got a lot of thoughts, you all might hear a bunch of them - but one jumped out when I woke up: as much as Armstrong has placed faith in Steve Ott, talked glowingly about what a great coach he is, talked about how Ott could be a future head coach in the league and he really doesn't want to lose Ott but would be really happy for him because of what a great coach he is and he really connects with the players, on and on, ....

Why didn't Ott get the interim tag? If Ott is this really great coach, even if he's responsible for the PP (which then, why isn't anyone demanding he get shitcanned with Berube - again, thoughts we'll get to later), and he's been there as long as Berube, what does it say about Ott's future with the organization when the guy running Springfield, who's never coached at the NHL level, only been in the organization a few years, gets tabbed to be the #1 guy behind the bench instead?

 

[PJJJP]

I'm surprised it happened so fast but I thought that Berube was headed out the door at the end of the season. He never seemed like a guy who excelled tactically. He knew how to coach a certain type of hockey and his teams were going to play that way no matter who was on the team. I do think the blues should be looking at a new GM in the summer but I doubt that happens. Overall the team needs a new vision from top to bottom

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I don't see Ott as the answer either. Much like Van Ryn, when the talent level dropped and it came time to coach, his units have tanked.

Random ramblings: Tell me Berube doesn't fit perfectly with the Senators brand of hockey. It's probably too late in the season for the Sens to make the playoffs, but I could see Berube taking over and getting that team over the hump.

 

[AyeBah]

I'm guessing you were in the room when the contract was being negotiated since you seem to know exactly what happened and what was said. You're in denial if you think Petro would basically turn this team into was contender by himself.

You're right he wouldn't. But he's symbolic of the bigger problem at hand. Army let the wrong guys walk and gave money to the wrong guys. Dunn, Petro, Perron, Walman, Schwartzy, etc. I get the flat cap and age, and if he used that money he freed up right it'd be a different story. Spending it on that vile top 4 D is just brutal

 

[Majorityof1]

One thought that's with me this morning - OK, I've got a lot of thoughts, you all might hear a bunch of them - but one jumped out when I woke up: as much as Armstrong has placed faith in Steve Ott, talked glowingly about what a great coach he is, talked about how Ott could be a future head coach in the league and he really doesn't want to lose Ott but would be really happy for him because of what a great coach he is and he really connects with the players, on and on, ....

Why didn't Ott get the interim tag? If Ott is this really great coach, even if he's responsible for the PP (which then, why isn't anyone demanding he get shitcanned with Berube - again, thoughts we'll get to later), and he's been there as long as Berube, what does it say about Ott's future with the organization when the guy running Springfield, who's never coached at the NHL level, only been in the organization a few years, gets tabbed to be the #1 guy behind the bench instead?

Hey!!!! I take offense to this. I've been demanding Ott get shitcanned since he was hired. I definitely asked he folliw Berube out the door.

I think Ott getting passed over could mean one of two things.

1) He is on his way out but they are waiting to hire the non-interim coach to let that coach pick his assistants. (Please, please, please).

Or 2) Armstrong realizes the roster is a shit show and doesn't want that stink to taint his golden boy anymore than it already has. In this scenario, Bannister is a sacrificial lamb and they'll hire Ott as HC when Armstrong can maybe get a better top 4 LHD and competent PP coach.

I honestly don't know which. I do know if Ott is ever HC of this team, interim or not, I'll be done rooting for the Blues.

 

[STLegend]

Wow I guess Army REALLY didn't like the decision to pull Goalie while on the powerplay.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I might be slow-walking work for any press conference that's going to happen.

EDIT - press conference at 10:30 on the Blues app and the Blues YT channel. Or, probably whatever other outlet you like to listen to the Blues on.

I .... might have comments. I might be getting little work done for a while.

 

[Quaz]

Stop it. We were never firing the guy who'd coached the team to the Cup 3 years prior, coming off a 109-point season and a near-certain, practically definite Cup run if not for that motherf***ing cheap goddamn bastard Kadri 2nd-round appearance, for a guy who'd been fired from his previous head coaching job for being an alcoholic to the point it impaired his ability to do his job, because of one season where he was an assistant here.

I was saying this in jest. Hopefully Bannister can do a good job and add some of the strengths that Monty brought that helped the team excel.

 

[Frenzy31]

The length of Parayko's deal is pretty bad. Leddy's contract will be somewhat hard to trade in a year or two.

CP's contract takes him to age 37 and it will not be as bad, when you realize the cap will go up over the next 6 seasons. As a % of cap, it should be much better as he ages.

JF takes him to age 35. Krug's to age 36. Leddy's contract last two more seasons after this one, clearly you didn't look this up. I would think it will be easy to trade if we want to in 2 years (UFA season).

Both Saad and Hayes's contract are not bad and end at age 34. So, again, they are older players, but these contracts are 4 million and 3.75 respectively - so completely reasonable and are at Market rates.

Cap this summer: We are at close to 70 million, so 17 million to fill 7 spots. Sunny D and Blais will be relatively cheap to resign. Kids will be filling in for Kapanen, Vrana, Scandella, so they could be cheaper contracts.

Krug is the only contract that is bad. And frankly, that POS blocked a trade that really could have turn this season into something different.

 

[joe galiba]

I like Berube, but when you are a "motivational" type coach and the team is no longer motivated it is just time, our x's and o's are just a mess
watching 4 guys stand still on the PP while the qb at the top moves back and forth hoping somehow magically it will work - you could just see the difference on how the Wings PP moved the puck
watching the wings break out vs the Blues try and break out, something is broken
and players having a coach tell them to just try harder, it will all be well, gets old after a while, especially when it doesn't work because the other team already has a counter, it becomes demoralizing

 

[STLegend]

Wings fan (in STL mind you) coming in peace. This move is a mistake IMO. Last night was a hard fought game by both teams. I'm more surprised that Army wasn't canned first. He deserves more of the blame than Berube for handcuffing the roster with all those bad contracts, especially on defense.

A coach deserved to be fired just based on our atrocious powerplay alone.