The St. Louis Blues have already made a major change in leadership in the last week, terminating head coach Drew Bannister after former assistant coach Jim Montgomery became available.
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong immediately swooped in and hired Montgomery just days after he was fired by the Boston Bruins; he also locked him up to a five-year contract.
While the Blues have already been victorious in their first game with Montgomery behind the bench, they are looking for some additional punch up front, via The Fourth Period.
“If you get to Game 30 and Game 35 and you’re still struggling offensively, I think you have to look some other options. Maybe down the middle, maybe a 2-3 center or scoring winger, as well,” Dennis Bernstein said to David Pagnotta.
“If they’re that aggressive with the coach, where you fired a coach after 22 games, you’ve got to be that aggressive with your roster.”
“I think they are looking. Army is looking to add some offence to this group,” Pagnotta said. “They’re willing to make moves. They have been riddled a little bit with injuries on the backend, as well. But (at the time of taping) they’re 30th in the National Hockey League in goals-for per game.
“And Doug Armstrong and Alex Steen want to address that at some point.”
The Blues will try and secure a second straight win for Montgomery when they next hit the ice on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils.
The Blues immediately hired Jim Montgomery when he became available
Montgomery was terminated by the Boston Bruins after a sluggish beginning to the season, and didn't have to wait long to find new employment. He was hired by the Blues, with whom he served as an assistant coach for two seasons, as their new head coach.
“I've worked with over half this lineup already, and I know how committed they are to playing the right way and the type of people they are,” Montgomery said. “For me, this was a no-brainer to be able to come back home and be a Blue again.”
So far, the move has paid off for St. Louis and Montgomery, both of whom felt it was a natural fit.