<p>The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/st-louis-blues/line-combinations">St. Louis Blues</a> sent shockwaves around the NHL last week, as they fired head coach Drew Bannister, less than a year onto the job, and replaced him with former <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/boston-bruins/line-combinations">Boston Bruins</a>‘ head coach Jim Montgomery.</p>



<p>Montgomery was fired earlier in the season by the Bruins, and was only out of a job for five days before the Blues signed him to a five-year contract. Montgomery is familiar to the Blues, as he’s served as an assistant coach from 2020 to 2022, under then-head coach Craig Berube. </p>



<p>Montgomery becomes the 28th head coach in the history of the franchise, and looks to get the Blues back on track and pushing towards a Stanley Cup Playoff spot in the Western Conference.</p>



<p>On Monday’s episode of <em>Daily Faceoff LIVE</em>, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discussed the Blues’ new head coach and what it’s going to take for Montgomery to turn things around in St. Louis. </p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="155"></div>



<p><strong>Yaremchuk: </strong>You look at the Blues’ roster, if they get a little bit better goaltending, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich, there is talent there, do you think Jim Montgomery can maybe give them a bit of a jolt here? Or, is their roster just a little bit too mid? </p>



<p><strong>Seravalli: </strong>I think it’s a little bit too mid, but I think they can get a jolt. I think there is enough talent there to play better than they’ve shown. Can they be an 85-88 point team? Yeah, I don’t think that’s unreasonable by any stretch of the imagination. But, go through the playoff teams that are in spots right now. Who are the St. Louis Blues knocking out? </p>



<p>They’re technically behind <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/utah-hockey-club/line-combinations">Utah HC</a> in points percentage, and they’re without two of their top-four defencemen. And, they’ve had a bit of a goaltending crisis in net. The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/line-combinations">Colorado Avalanche</a> are about to take off. The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/dallas-stars/line-combinations">Dallas Stars</a> have surprisingly, I don’t want to say scuffled a bit, but they haven’t been as good of late. The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/minnesota-wild/line-combinations">Minnesota Wild</a> haven’t showed any signs of letting up, and then the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/winnipeg-jets/line-combinations">Winnipeg Jets.</a> </p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="193"></div>



<p>Where’s the path forward for the Blues this year? I don’t necessarily think it’s about this year,  but I also think when you look at where the Blues are going from here, mediocrity is not acceptable to them. Which I love that they’re aggressive, they just go out and take it. If there’s something better available, we’ve got two players that are being jammed up by their own club this summer with offer sheets, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, hey, we see a tough situation and we’re going to use it to our advantage. And, Doug Armstrong said then at the time, basically I’m paraphrasing here, cause there was some talk on whether he would offer sheet the Edmonton Oilers if Ken Holland was still the GM, he basically said I’d do this to my own mother if I needed to. Here you go, I’d fire Drew Bannister if it meant there’s a better coach available. I love the aggression.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="161"></div>



<p><strong>Yaremchuk: </strong>Yeah, I think you need to applaud it. You made the point on the DFO rundown, what was the average pick for the St. Louis Blues, their first draft pick averages in at like pick 30, right?</p>



<p><strong>Seravalli:</strong> Yes, so over the last 14 years since Doug Armstrong took over, for their average of first draft position in the NHL is 30th.</p>



<p>For more on the Blues’ future under Montgomery, and the very latest from around the NHL, watch the full episode here.</p>



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