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St. Louis Blues: What Does Patrick Roy’s Resignation Mean For The Division?

By Todd Panula

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Patrick Roy resigned abruptly from the Colorado Avalanche. So what does that mean for the St. Louis Blues and the rest of the NHL Central?

So, I have been out of the country lately and while I was gone, there was a major shakeup in the division. Patrick Roy, one of the best goaltenders of all time, abruptly resigned from his post with the Colorado Avalanche. This doesn’t directly affect the St. Louis Blues, but everything that goes on in the division has an impact.

Roy leaving isn’t that much of a surprise once you get over the initial shock. It’s his m.o. As great a player as he was – he was my favorite goaltender – he was a bit of a head case and somewhat of a baby.

He was known for having a take his ball and go home mentality. Though the Montreal Canadiens share plenty of blame in the situation, Roy’s petulant attitude is what landed him in Colorado in the first place.

Roy famously said he would never play for the Canadiens again after being left in the nets far too long during a regular season blowout. His feud with the coach was not going to be repaired and he was dealt to the Avalanche, where he won two more Stanley Cups.

Though his motives could be argued, he pulled a similar stunt for the 2002 Olympics. Roy was not guaranteed to be the starting goaltender for Team Canada, so he removed his name from consideration saying he had already done that (the Olympics).

He was just as temperamental as a coach. His temper was legendary and it also followed in his son as they both got into trouble during their time with the Quebec Ramparts of the QMJHL.

Roy carried that over into the NHL as well. He almost flattened Bruce Boudreau with the partition during a spat in 2013. Roy also had a bit of feud with Ken Hitchcock over the treatment of Nathan MacKinnon.

So, taking all that into consideration, what becomes of the Avalanche and the division now that he’s gone?

Well, not trying to take the coward’s way out, but nobody really knows. Much of it depends on who the Avs hire as their coach.

Roy wasn’t a bad leader, but he’s quite representative of some of the greats that tried to coach or be involved in management. Wayne Gretzky wasn’t a great coach. Michael Jordan hasn’t been a great GM.

The problem is they are so good as players, they often can’t translate that to players who aren’t on their level. This isn’t the case with everyone, but sometimes the greats had so much natural talent that they don’t know how to articulate things for the guys that are only fourth liners.

Even so, Roy was fairly decent as a coach. The Avalanche won the Central Division under him in 2013-14. They failed to qualify for the playoffs any other year though, just missing out in 2015-16.

It all boiled down to control. Roy wanted more guarantees of personnel control, was not given it, and now we are where we are.

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So, on the surface Roy’s departure could spell trouble for the Blues. Despite the fact that he got players to play hard initially and sparked a fire in the team, his results were mixed at best. The Blues fared pretty well against the Avs while he was there.

Now, things might change. The Avalanche have a decent amount of good, young talent such as Tyson Barrie, Matt Duchene and MacKinnon.

It will depend on who the team brings in. Some of the names being thrown around include Jared Bednar of the Lake Erie Monsters, Travis Green of the Utica Comets, Scott Amiel who is an assistant with the New York Rangers and Lane Lambert who is an assistant with the Washington Capitals. There is even talk of Bob Hartley returning.

Bednar seems to make the most sense. The Monsters are coming off a championship season after having missed the playoffs every other season in team history. Bednar also helped mold some of the Blues players during his time as head coach of the Peoria Rivermen.

Hartley has the most NHL experience, having recently won the coach of the year award with Calgary and also a Cup in Colorado. However, things are never quite the same and a return doesn’t seem likely.

If the Avs can find the right guy to put in charge, this could be a team to be reckoned with in short order. The Blues continue to find a way to keep themselves at the top of the division, but the more divisional opponents that can threaten them, the more difficult it is to stay competitive.

Many fans already feel the Blues have taken a step back in regards to divisional competition. A tougher, more organized Avalanche team would only spell more trouble for the Blues.

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St. Louis isn’t in danger of being knocked from its spot yet. The Avalanche still have holes of their own and it will be difficult to have a complete system change in the amount of time Roy’s departure has left them.

Even so, although I liked him personally as a player, it may have been in the Blues’ best interest if Roy had not left. He was volatile and his team mirrored that. A coach with more control might be more dangerous for St. Louis and the entire division.

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