The St. Louis Blues made a huge decision during the 2023-24 NHL regular season, moving on from head coach Craig Berube on December 13th, and naming Drew Bannister the interim head coach. Bannister was taking over a team that got off to a slow 13-14-1 start under Berube and was looking to shake things up.
Berube oversaw the team’s only Stanley Cup victory in 2019 when he took over for Mike Yeo 19 games into the season. The team responded to him in a major way, similar to this year’s squad when he was replaced.
The St. Louis Blues looked like a totally different team under Drew Bannister after a tepid start with Berube. Because of the success the team had, Bannister has had the interim tag removed and been named the next coach of the Blues.
He is the 27th coach in franchise history, agreeing to a two-year contract per Blues president of hockey operations and general manager Doug Armstrong. It is a job that Bannister earned, as he helped turn the season around in St. Louis.
In 54 games with Drew Bannister, the St. Louis Blues had a record of 30-19-5. Their 92 points put them in fifth place in the Central Division of the Western Conference, finishing six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the final wild card spot.
Where the team saw their biggest improvement under Drew Bannister was defensively and in goal prevention. Before he took over the team, they were 23rd in team goals against average but improved to 12th by the end of the season.
Despite missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season, there was a major improvement from the team. The Blues had 11 more points compared to the 2022-23 campaign, providing optimism that they are heading in the right direction.
“I strongly believe in this group, and at this time next year, we’re going to be having a press conference about who we’re playing in the first round of the playoffs,” Bannister said.
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