Hitchcock Formal Announcement?

[Note Worthy]

Muller joins the Canadiens as an associate coach.

 

[Majorityof1]

I have a question for the people who were not 100% satisfied with Hitch, but were ok with extending him because there were no better options. I know a few different people expressed that sentiment. Is hiring of the heir apparent this off-season better or worse than before where we had assistants already? I feel its the worst of both worlds because we get another year of Hitch AND locking in on someone for the job next year from the current pool of candidates. If we were going to target a young up-and-comer, that'd be fine. But targeting guys we know like Berube and Yeo, doesn't give much options. And I highly doubt they are going to kick the tires on someone next year unless the heir apparent really screws up. The possible upside is that we do get to try the new coach out for a year and see how he fits in. So does that outweigh the downside of potentially locking in on a couch chosen from this years pool of choices?

 

[Daley Tarasenkshow]

I'd like to see Shelden Keefe get a job as an assistant with the Blues. He'd be the next replacement for Hitch next season and has a great track record of winning despite his young age. He could really relate to the players when Hitch acts up.

 

[Majorityof1]

I'd like to see Shelden Keefe get a job as an assistant with the Blues. He'd be the next replacement for Hitch next season and has a great track record of winning despite his young age. He could really relate to the players when Hitch acts up.

He definitely seems promising. I am a little concerned about his ability to win in the playoffs though. He has had good success winning several rounds but has only won it all once and he's had some dominant regular season teams. He didn't win the OHL cup, as McDavid owned him. This year he got knocked out in the third round handily with the Marlies despite having by far the most regular season points.

I honestly don't know why he is losing in the playoffs, as I haven't followed it that closely. He is getting far and dominating the regular season. Those are good things. My concern would be he is another Hitch who can't make playoff adjustments. I'd really like to see us kick the tires on him, but that would be something I'd seriously address if I was a GM.

Edit: Can we hire/talk to coaches under AHL contracts? I assume he'd be interested as he isn't beating out Babcock for the Maple Leafs job anytime soon. But can we even discuss it?

 

[TheDizee]

funny to watch some of you cry over hitch but not a SINGLE person has named a viable replacement.

hitch is whats best for the blues. not his fault his team chokes. is hitch the reason shattenkirk is a joke? is hitch the reason jbo choked? is hitch the reason tarasenko gave 0 effort?

 

[jbron]

Muller actually moving on is a good thing. If the organization felt he was the future after Hitch then he would still be on the coaching staff. I am sure he helped Fabbri and others. Nothing against Muller, but I am glad he moves on, too nice a guy to the players to be the head coach.

Shaw most likely has a position lined up as well. Good for him.

The two replacements for Muller and Shaw will be telling. One thing about Hitch is he is a student of the game, so it will be interesting as to who he selects. Army has an interesting dynamic ahead of him as long as he's GM. Does he look for Hitch's replacement in the hiring of the new assistants? Does the organization offer only one year contracts to those hired? Will Hitch and Army go out of the box for
replacements? There are many names Yao, Lowry, Keefe, Sydor, and Kompon (who is out of work) who could be in play.

There is no question in my mind that Army and Hitch as well as Stillman have a game plan that's been in motion here. Its been a rumor that Stillman really likes Kompon. It's too played out that Shaw and Muller both leave after one year contract offers.
Does anyone really think that Hitch and Army were caught off guard with Shaw and Muller? Certainly, they already have candidates ready
and lets see how they reshape the guys behind the bench.

 

[STL BLUES]

I can guarantee you Hitch wants to fill the position with the strongest candidate who will not be a puke with training weels. Let nobody believe he wants to spend his last season with an unknown or lessor know who needs mentoring. He's going to take the path of least resistance. Hitch is more then happy to bring in somebody with lots of energy so he can sit back and ride the gravy train for one more year. He could give a crap if it destroys the team chemistry. Yoe fits that discription.

 

[Ranksu]

funny to watch some of you cry over hitch but not a SINGLE person has named a viable replacement.

hitch is whats best for the blues. not his fault his team chokes. is hitch the reason shattenkirk is a joke? is hitch the reason jbo choked? is hitch the reason tarasenko gave 0 effort?

You forget Allen he choked too, but I don't think its Hitch fault 'cus in reality Allen is too soft for big games.

 

[SteenMachine]

Yes actually Hitch does have an impact on those things because he's literally obsessed with player match ups.

 

[Ranksu]

Please sign him, I wanna see him go mad and Hitch too.




I'm slashing my wrist open with a dull knife.

What about Tortorella also assistant coach? - "don't push me".

 

[BuLLeT1291]

Saw the headline at work this morning on the NHL app notice bar and I've been down every since.

I expected Hitch to be re-signed but a little part of me also hoped this would be the change year.

Despite major clues to this team being the same failure as before, this team largely made the WCF due to Elliott's incredible unsustainable play in the first two rounds- you shouldn't have to rely on your goalie stopping 35-40 shots a game every night. And play from Tarasenko (in the first two rounds, and the incredible play of rookies like Fabbri and Parayko. Armstrong hasn't built this team to succeed, we lack forward skill depth at the NHL and AHL levels and don't have the impact vets that can raise their game enough to win. We have ONE star -Tarasenko, and one or two rising stars in Parako and Fabbri while other cup contending teams have a list of Star players.

I've lost all respect for Doug Armstrong- The guy either has such big crush on Hitch or he has no confidence in making drastic changes or has no idea what this team actually needs (probably some combo of those).

Hitch and the rest of the coaching staff needs to go, the needed a change a couple seasons ago. His systems don't work like they did, even just 5-10 years ago. His ego is bigger than hi belly and his stuborness gets in the way of him making real changes and adjustments. He truely beleives that his systems are the best, even like against SJ, where the Blues were clearly being outplayed and outcoached.

Still don't believe Stillman has enough gumption to make changes either. Hopefully unless the Blues reach the Stanley Cup Final, Armstrong is packing his bags with Hitch in May 2017.

Last time I checked you played skilled and talented teams in the playoffs. The majority of those teams shoot the puck a ton. Every team that wins a cup has to rely on their goalie at some point in time weather it be the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or final round. You don't just stop teams dead in their tracks in the playoffs. You are going to have a push back. How severe and effective it is is totally up to them and they handled the pushbacks from CHI and DAL extremely well where as in previous years they did not. So your assessment of "despite major clues to this team being the same failure as before" is not accurate. This team is NOTHING like previous years. Your impact vets are Brouwer and Backes and they both showed up more then a single person on this forum would have ever expected them to. That you cannot argue with. I think it's safe to assume that this team could have won the entire thing and you would still be sitting here saying what a failure hitch, army and the team are. No credit for anyone, anywhere, anytime. I've gotta take a break from this forum for awhile. It's just getting to be to much for me.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

I have a question for the people who were not 100% satisfied with Hitch, but were ok with extending him because there were no better options. I know a few different people expressed that sentiment. Is hiring of the heir apparent this off-season better or worse than before where we had assistants already? I feel its the worst of both worlds because we get another year of Hitch AND locking in on someone for the job next year from the current pool of candidates. If we were going to target a young up-and-comer, that'd be fine. But targeting guys we know like Berube and Yeo, doesn't give much options. And I highly doubt they are going to kick the tires on someone next year unless the heir apparent really screws up. The possible upside is that we do get to try the new coach out for a year and see how he fits in. So does that outweigh the downside of potentially locking in on a couch chosen from this years pool of choices?

Armstrong's statement has been extrapolated way too far. He said Muller would be a candidate (if he hypothetically had stayed). Not heir apparent. And maybe still would have been unlikely to become the head coach. In fact, it was such a weak possibility that Muller wasn't willing to invest the year to get there. I don't see anyone else that is hired as an assistant as any likelier than that. I'm fully confident Armstrong will pursue a full coaching search when the time comes.

So I think the scrutiny of these assistant hirings is getting out of control.

 

[Price is Wright]

To be honest this isn't a good year to be looking for a new head coach. Next year is a good thing for the Blues.

 

[TheDizee]

You forget Allen he choked too, but I don't think its Hitch fault 'cus in reality Allen is too soft for big games.

if allen choked then what do we say about elliott? allen only got in because of the chokejob elliott pulled. 11 goals in his last 3 games? 9-9 record. doesnt seem too good to me IMO

 

[Majorityof1]

Armstrong's statement has been extrapolated way too far. He said Muller would be a candidate (if he hypothetically had stayed). Not heir apparent. And maybe still would have been unlikely to become the head coach. In fact, it was such a weak possibility that Muller wasn't willing to invest the year to get there. I don't see anyone else that is hired as an assistant as any likelier than that. I'm fully confident Armstrong will pursue a full coaching search when the time comes.

So I think the scrutiny of these assistant hirings is getting out of control.

You may be right to an extent. But I doubt guys like Yeo and Berube are coming to interview in St. Louis because it is their life long dream to be a St. Louis Blues assistant and coach under Hitch. Armstrong also said that the situation (Hitch coaching for one year and an open Assistant spot when Shaw left) gave them an opportunity to bring a guy in and see if he fit. That had nothing to do with Mueller. So there is definitely something to the "heir apparent". Whether they stick with the guy or not, who knows. But whoever gets hired as an assistant will be a candidate for Hitch's eventual replacement.

 

[Note Worthy]

if allen choked then what do we say about elliott? allen only got in because of the chokejob elliott pulled. 11 goals in his last 3 games? 9-9 record. doesnt seem too good to me IMO

If it wasn't for Elliott we'd all be talking about another 1st round exit.

 

[Majorityof1]

if allen choked then what do we say about elliott? allen only got in because of the chokejob elliott pulled. 11 goals in his last 3 games? 9-9 record. doesnt seem too good to me IMO

I see the problem. You don't understand numbers. That's why you can't see how much better Elliott is than Allen. Last time I checked the last 3 games Elliott played were 2,3 and 6. Allen played in 4 and 5. Elliott gave up 4 in game 6. Which is how many Allen gave up in game 5. Elliott gave up 3 in game 2 and 3, which is how many Allen gave up in game 4. You do know empty netters don't count against the goalie, right? So 3+3+4 = 10, not 11. Let's take it slow because you struggle with math. 3 + 3 = 6 (l l l + l l l, Count the marks, there are 6 of them). 6 + 4 = 10 (l l l l l l + l l l l).

Allen playoffs were 2.48 GAA, .897 Save%, and a 50% winning percentage.

Elliott's were 2.44, .921, 50%.

One of these stat lines is better and it aint Allen's with that atrocious save percentage.

Should we compare regular season? Because Ells takes it again.

Allen, 2.35, .920, 58.5% point percentage
Elliott 2.07, .930, 61.9%

Again, one is better and it aint Allen.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

You may be right to an extent. But I doubt guys like Yeo and Berube are coming to interview in St. Louis because it is their life long dream to be a St. Louis Blues assistant and coach under Hitch. Armstrong also said that the situation (Hitch coaching for one year and an open Assistant spot when Shaw left) gave them an opportunity to bring a guy in and see if he fit. That had nothing to do with Mueller. So there is definitely something to the "heir apparent". Whether they stick with the guy or not, who knows. But whoever gets hired as an assistant will be a candidate for Hitch's eventual replacement.

I think we're saying about the same thing here. The new assistant(s) will be candidates, and will have a leg up on the process since they'll be better known commodities. But I don't think the coaching search will be a coronation of someone.

For example: the assistant coaching hire is not as rigorous as a coaching hire. Why would he half-ass it, and then be married to a choice when he doesn't even know what other candidates are going to be available.

Its just fans overreacting in the offseason with not much better to talk about.

 

[Daley Tarasenkshow]

He definitely seems promising. I am a little concerned about his ability to win in the playoffs though. He has had good success winning several rounds but has only won it all once and he's had some dominant regular season teams. He didn't win the OHL cup, as McDavid owned him. This year he got knocked out in the third round handily with the Marlies despite having by far the most regular season points.

I honestly don't know why he is losing in the playoffs, as I haven't followed it that closely. He is getting far and dominating the regular season. Those are good things. My concern would be he is another Hitch who can't make playoff adjustments. I'd really like to see us kick the tires on him, but that would be something I'd seriously address if I was a GM.

Edit: Can we hire/talk to coaches under AHL contracts? I assume he'd be interested as he isn't beating out Babcock for the Maple Leafs job anytime soon. But can we even discuss it?

That's a good question. I'd assume you'd be allowed to but thats just what I think. You're right though, he'd be much better off taking a job with the Blues than staying in Toronto's system with Babcock. He's young, and his ability to connect and relate to players will pay off huge IMO, similar to what guys said about Muller.

 

[TheDizee]

If it wasn't for Elliott we'd all be talking about another 1st round exit.

i agree. i didnt bring it up, the allen basher above is the one who did. i dont think either goalie had a chance vs sj. but if ppl want to say allen choked and turn a blind eye to elliotts numbers in the same span, it shows how biased they are. both were good in their 1 win and mediocre in the losses.

 

[TruBlu]

To be honest this isn't a good year to be looking for a new head coach. Next year is a good thing for the Blues.

This is how I feel. Change for the sake of change alone isn't what we need. By chance alone, there will be better options for head coach next year. There just isn't a lot to pick from, especially when you consider what we have currently. One in hand is better than two in the bush.

 

[KingBran]

If it wasn't for Elliott we'd all be talking about another 1st round exit.

To be fair, if not for Allen the Blues don't even make the playoffs. The entire first half of the season when the Blues had a horrible (and negative) goal differential Allen stood tall and kept the boys in it.

Elliott needs goal support, we would not have seen as many W's as we did with Allen the first half.

That said BOTH goalies contributed to our good season. Not sure why everyone has to be on one side or the other. Or if someone says something good about Allen here come the Elliott apologists to point out Elliott did something too!

 

[KingBran]

funny to watch some of you cry over hitch but not a SINGLE person has named a viable replacement.

hitch is whats best for the blues. not his fault his team chokes. is hitch the reason shattenkirk is a joke? is hitch the reason jbo choked? is hitch the reason tarasenko gave 0 effort?

There are lots of them. Sometimes teams take chances on guys. Look at COL and Roy winning the division. Look at the Pens... TWICE they fired their coach halfway through the season and both times they made it to the finals. They won one and we don't know how this year will turn out. Look at the Sharks and DeBoer. He wasn't proven at all and they are in the SCF.

I will never understand the logic of a coach is only good if they have lots of experience and have been there before. They have to get that experience somewhere and young coaches teams are taking a chance on are doing a great job of that recently in the NHL.

Babcock cant turn around the leafs.
Quenville got bounced in the first round.
Hitch has 1 WCF appearance in 5 years of being predicted as cup favorites.
Torts keeps getting fired.
Alain Vigneault cant get the Rangers there.
Barry Trots cant get the Caps to the ECF with the best team in the league.

Lots of coaches that people say are proven fail. Lots of coaches that aren't proven or have nearly as much experience have success.

It has way more to do with the players and the system they fit in. In my opinion - Hitch's system does not fit this team or todays NHL and it has been proven 5 years in a row.

Muller, Shaw... we missed out on DeBoer and Babcock... Theres guys out there. However unless you are part of Army's good ol' boys club it doesn't seem you can be on this teams coaching staff.

 

[GoldenSeal]

Define "Viable Replacement". The Blues have had Cup-Winning coaches and that hasn't changed their fortunes. What they need is a coach that will toss aside a playbook and design one with the team's strengths in mind instead of trying to get them to follow some formula that they may be unable to keep up.

This team has a serious problem with finding resolve and a higher gear. They back off too easy and they coast quite abit, and I believe this can be resolved with a coach that breeds in them some fire and backbone. Hitch seems far too laid back and ignorant of the right moves to make because he is so invested in his own system and his stubborness not to look at the prospects pool and play them or keeping Steve Ott out there for long periods of time. I was amazed how fast he scratched Ott when the team got deep in the playoffs, though.

As for suggestions, let's be honest: a high school hockey coach with the basics down would be an improvement. Hitch is a coach from an age that no longer exists and this team wins in spite of it, not because of it. It can be argued that this year was a fluke for the Blues; everything really did go the right way for them in so many different ways, even when they played poorly, which was considerable, and they finally let Elliott start in the playoffs and carry for them and he did an admirable job. Stillman really wants this team to win but I don't see it happening if they can't get this team on the right page.

 

[BlueDream]

People just like to throw out the term "viable replacement" and then look the other way when many are listed. It fits their agenda.

In other news, this situation is biting the Blues in the ass hard regarding their assistant coach dilemma.

Personally, I love it. Armstrong likes to act smug a lot, so it should be funny to see how he deals with this. Great job chief.