Arch Authority
Fansided

5 Questions as St. Louis Blues Approach Training Camp

By Patrick Karraker

Dec 27, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock yells to his team during the third period against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars shut out the Blues 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock yells to his team during the third period against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars shut out the Blues 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
twitterfacebookreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
St. Louis Blues Ken Hitchcock
Dec 27, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock yells to his team during the third period against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars shut out the Blues 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Will the structure of the coaching staff be a distraction?

The Blues entered into an uncommon–though not unheard of–situation this offseason, as Ken Hitchcock announced shortly after the end of the 2015-16 campaign that this season would be his final one as a head coach in the NHL. That announcement initially brought speculation that one of Hitchcock’s existing assistants, Brad Shaw or Kirk Muller, would be in line to take over for the 64-year-old legend following his retirement.

Instead, though, Shaw and Muller were apparently turned off by the organization’s hesitance to commit to them beyond this season, though, as both coaches rejected one-year offers to return. As GM Doug Armstrong sought to fill a coaching staff that returned only longtime Blues assistant Ray Bennett and goalie coach Jim Corsi, he instead approached former Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo, who had coached against Hitchcock in the Central Division for the past few years and had long been considered to be one of Hitchcock’s fiercest rivals.

Yeo was named as the Blues’ associate head coach and Hitchcock’s designated successor on June 13. While there were initially concerns about the two coaches’ ability to coexist, things seem to be good between them at the moment, as Hitchcock spoke extensively about the enlightening strategy discussions they shared over the summer.

It’s anyone’s guess, though, as to how the stress of the season will affect the coaches’ relationship, and how the players will react to having two head coach figures. Yeo will surely be proactive in making sure that he doesn’t overstep his boundaries and allow Hitchcock to take the lead, but if Hitchcock begins to grate on the players (as he’s known to do), will the players naturally begin to tune him out and lean towards Yeo?

The fact that Hitchcock is on his way out shouldn’t matter that much, because this is the third straight walk year he’s coached through, so players should already have experience dealing with that uncertainty. But as pretty much anyone who’s ever played for a head coach-turned-assistant will probably tell you, those guys don’t lose their “head coach complex” quickly, if ever. We’ll see if Yeo is capable of taking a back seat for a full season, rather than micromanaging and potentially causing a divide among the players.

Home/St. Louis Blues