The St. Louis Blues missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018 last season. Four years removed from a Stanley Cup victory, the Blues wrapped up their season early and trudged along in the offseason.

Blues head coach Craig Berube thought about missing the playoffs a lot but that fueled him for the upcoming season.

“That weighs on you, too, all summer. It becomes long. We’re ready to go now,” Berube said, via Matthew DeFranks. “I want to get going here, but we’ve still got a little bit of time to wait. Definitely, not making playoffs weighs on you, and we’re not in the business of making playoffs.”

The Blues never missed the playoffs under Berube until last season. He took over during the 2018-2019 season in which St. Louis won the Stanley Cup. The Blues have one playoff series victory since then.

St. Louis is thinking last year was an outlier to continued success on the ice. The Blues have been rather successful over the last decade, consistently making the playoffs. They've twice made the Western Conference Final.

Berube's comments make it seem like he expects to return to the postseason next spring. Having a coach who is eager to get back to work is something a lot of players would die for. There's no denying Berube is a player's coach and he's proven that with the Blues.

Craig Berube has found success with the Blues and is ready to guide them back to winning ways this season. St. Louis starts its season on the road against the Dallas Stars.