Mike Yeo for 4 years....

[Thallis]

So a continuation of Ken Hitchcock essentially.

Hitchcock was 10 times better at making adjustments that Yeo. We didn't lose more than 4 in a row at any point under Hitchcock.

 

[simon IC]

As I posted in another thread, I think Yeo is going to be given just enough rope next season. My concern is, the West, (and especially the Central), is so competitive now that the time given to Yeo to hang himself could put us out of contention for a playoff spot. It is for that reason that I think he should already have been relieved of his duties, regardless of how bad this makes Armstrong look.

 

[Brian39]

My point is that you can't have someone in charge who is going to change his mind on a whim. If you want success then you need a level of commitment to your vision.

What has Mike Yeo done that should make Armstrong reconsider his position?

We're playing like a Mike Yeo team. I might not like it, you might not like it... but this is what Doug Armstrong signed up for.

You can say that missing the playoffs was a failure, but we played the majority of this season with 4 players who could be described as top-6. It's difficult to win with that lack of talent, unless one of the players is a legit #1 centre. Which Schenn isn't. We didn't even have an established third line; we had Berglund, a player returning from 3 years in the KHL and then hoping a prospect/fourth liner can step up. That's before we start on Allen.

Armstrong making a coaching change would be him blaming Yeo for his own failures in roster construction.

I agree with everything except the bolded. I'm not sure whether Schenn is a legit #1 center long term, but he absolutely was this season. 19th in scoring among players listed as a center and had very good possession metrics while playing a physical style of hockey on both the forecheck and in our own end. He had 51 even strength points, which tied him at 16th among centers with Crosby, Tavares, and Seguin.

It's fair to say that he isn't an elite center, but he was absolutely a legit #1 center this year.

 

[TruBlu]

The only issue I have with Yeo is the powerplay. His finish last season was unquestionably strong. The roster was pretty severely downgraded this season compared to last season. Some of the questionable lineups that people take issue with were due to a flawed lineup to begin with. What options did he have, especially when you consider the injuries? I don't think we can get a true idea about Yeo's interaction with the team in general until another full season. I expect next year will be the final year of our transition and retool. come 2019 I think some of our top prospects will be in the big club and coming into their own. I'm also hoping the 2nd line can get fully or mostly established in the offseason this year.

 

[BlueOil]

i don't really give much credit last season to yeo. taking over for hitchcock was less burdensome than starting this season fresh, in my opinion. i don't have a high opinion of yeo. he's on the same plane as allen: high highs, low lows, and a lot of mediocrity. we're likely stuck with him and will probably be serviceable for a few years, but i don't see yeo as the guy we need, just a reasonable option of what's around. maybe another year will help or solidify that he needs to go.

 

[Dbrownss]

Armstrong should only move on from Yeo if there is a better option(we all have our opinions on what that is). I wouldn't want to see him dumped at all costs.

 

[Thallis]

Armstrong should only move on from Yeo if there is a better option(we all have our opinions on what that is). I wouldn't want to see him dumped at all costs.

AV is available.

 

[Note Worthy]

Hitchcock was 10 times better at making adjustments that Yeo. We didn't lose more than 4 in a row at any point under Hitchcock.

Fair point.

 

[Dbrownss]

AV is available.

I don't know how much better he is, but I do like the fast paced high pressure system I saw the rangers use. I'd think our defense would work better with that.

 

[PiggySmalls]

I don't know how much better he is, but I do like the fast paced high pressure system I saw the rangers use. I'd think our defense would work better with that.

Oh, it would. He was at 4 Million/yr. If he is looking to get that or more, that pretty much prices the Blues out of it. I believe it was reported that Blues limit on Babcock was $4Mil. But that was without having to pay another coach that was canned.

 

[Dbrownss]

Oh, it would. He was at 4 Million/yr. If he is looking to get that or more, that pretty much prices the Blues out of it. I believe it was reported that Blues limit on Babcock was $4Mil. But that was without having to pay another coach that was canned.

I have no insight into how much they can or will spend but skimping out on the coach seems like putting an ameature driver behind a F1 car. Sure they might be able to drive it, but your not going to win the race.

 

[BlueDream]

AV is a pretty underrated coach on the main boards IMO. He's taken two teams to the Cup in the last 7 years. Not many coaches can say that.

It won't happen, but I'd take him.

 

[MN_Gopher]

If Yeo can ever figure it out, he could be a great coach. Every year his teams are ranked #1 over a extended period. When it goes bad, well you know. Never had anything against the guy, just was time for him to move on from MN. Id give him one more year. After that, he either figured it out or never will.

 

[Note Worthy]

If Yeo can ever figure it out, he could be a great coach. Every year his teams are ranked #1 over a extended period. When it goes bad, well you know. Never had anything against the guy, just was time for him to move on from MN. Id give him one more year. After that, he either figured it out or never will.

Agreed and I believe this is the path the Blues will take.

 

[Ranksu]

Bring Hitch Back!

 

[TruBlu]

I don't think it matters who we have as a coach at the moment. Give us a second line and then I'll be able to sort it out.

 

[Garavar]

I am an Avs fan and I am telling you to fire Yeo. You are better off without.

 

[Majorityof1]

I don't think it matters who we have as a coach at the moment. Give us a second line and then I'll be able to sort it out.

I agree with this. I am not a big fan of Yeo's performance but it is hard to judge completely. Given our roster construction issues, key injuries (Fabbri, JBO playing hobbled), below average goaltending from Allen, its hard to get a good read on what Yeo did. It is troubling that our season mirrors many of Yeo's struggles in the past. Barring a too-good-to-be-true coach coming available, I say we should give him another chance. Absolutely bring in someone to coach the powerplay. But we don't have to fire Yeo to do that. Fire Ott and give his spot to a PP coach. Or just fire Ott due to karma from being a dirtbag his whole NHL career, and put it on youtube...I hope there are tears.....Anyway, getting sidetracked. Bring in someone to fix the PP, fix the roster, fix Jakes head or find a replacement. Then if Yeo fails, he will have hung himself and we can move on.

While we are talking about potentially firing people, maybe we should look at firing these guys:

1. Ott - Seriously, I really hated that guy as a player
2. Tkaczuk - he is the skills coach and hitting the net is a skill
3. Alexander - Allen has a ton of bad habits that Brodeur fixed. We hire the guy who was coaching Allen when he had all those bad habits. Are we really surprised all the bad habits came back?
4. Barile/Renaghan - I know Barile is "legendary" but somebody has to be failing at their job for all of these injuries to happen. I don't know who is at fault, the trainers or strength and conditioning guy, but maybe have the players stretch or something so the entire team doesn't go down with shoulder strains and/or knee injuries.

 

[BleedBlue14]

I agree with this. I am not a big fan of Yeo's performance but it is hard to judge completely. Given our roster construction issues, key injuries (Fabbri, JBO playing hobbled), below average goaltending from Allen, its hard to get a good read on what Yeo did. It is troubling that our season mirrors many of Yeo's struggles in the past. Barring a too-good-to-be-true coach coming available, I say we should give him another chance. Absolutely bring in someone to coach the powerplay. But we don't have to fire Yeo to do that. Fire Ott and give his spot to a PP coach. Or just fire Ott due to karma from being a dirtbag his whole NHL career, and put it on youtube...I hope there are tears.....Anyway, getting sidetracked. Bring in someone to fix the PP, fix the roster, fix Jakes head or find a replacement. Then if Yeo fails, he will have hung himself and we can move on.

While we are talking about potentially firing people, maybe we should look at firing these guys:

1. Ott - Seriously, I really hated that guy as a player
2. Tkaczuk - he is the skills coach and hitting the net is a skill
3. Alexander - Allen has a ton of bad habits that Brodeur fixed. We hire the guy who was coaching Allen when he had all those bad habits. Are we really surprised all the bad habits came back?
4. Barile/Renaghan - I know Barile is "legendary" but somebody has to be failing at their job for all of these injuries to happen. I don't know who is at fault, the trainers or strength and conditioning guy, but maybe have the players stretch or something so the entire team doesn't go down with shoulder strains and/or knee injuries.

I was so shocked when I heard they were hiring Allen's old goaltending coach when they hired him. Seemed like the dumbest move that they could've made at the time. Honestly, it would have been better to hire someone who has never played goalie before or someone just randomly off of the streets so Jake didn't go back to his old form..

 

[bleedblue1223]

Does he make it all 4 years?

 

[542365]

Does he make it all 4 years?

Almost certainly not.

 

[BlueDream]

Does he make it all 4 years?

I don't see it.

I was actually somewhat positive about the hire because I thought as a young guy he would make some improvements from his time in Minnesota. But so far that has not been the case.

 

[STL fan in MN]

So this is year 3 of the 4 year deal, correct?

 

[The Note]

So this is year 3 of the 4 year deal, correct?

Yes. Year 1 was the weird half-year where he replaced Hitch.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Yes. Year 1 was the weird half-year where he replaced Hitch.

Good. That’s what I figured but wanted to make sure the contract didn’t start last season, when he was supposed to take over as HC according to the original “coach in waiting” plan.