St. Louis Blues Coaching Staff To Blame As Much As The Players

The St. Louis Blues are playing quite poorly at this point in the 2017-18 season. The coaching staff has to shoulder plenty of blame for it.

When the St. Louis Blues brought in Mike Yeo as the coach in waiting prior to the 2016-17 season, there were plenty who were skeptical about it. He had done a decent job with the Minnesota Wild, but there were underlying issues with that team and his ability to lead it.

Many brushed it off, thinking it was just that franchise or perhaps it was just a coach given a chance too young. He would figure things out with the Blues and correct his mistakes.

We were given every indication that would be the case when he took over for Ken Hitchcock in January of 2017. The Blues responded to his coaching style and tactics and went on a surge that almost saw them rise to second in the division. Despite the meteoric rise, the Blues fell to Nashville in the playoffs due to an inability to overcome their own issues, namely the power play.

That gigantic issue seemed like it would be solved during the offseason. If the Blues were not going to fix the problem via free agency or a trade, surely the new additions to the coaching staff would help.

Craig Berube had worked wonders on seemingly discarded players when they were sent to the Chicago Wolves. Like the Cardinal hitters that got a surge from being sent down to Memphis, Berube seemed to have that affect on players when they would return from the AHL. It seemed as though having him on the staff could have a permanent affect. So far, it has not.

Darryl Sydor was supposed to get the defenders to shoot from the point more and help out the power play. We still don’t have a clear idea of who is running the power play, but you would figure an offensive defenseman before it became the norm would have a say in what goes on. Whether he does or does not, he has not helped that unit.

He has helped the Blues defense be more offensive. They led the league in goals and points by blue liners much of the season, until a recent dry spell. Beyond that, we can’t tell what his contributions are.

Then there is the man in charge of it all. For everything Yeo did right last season and the start of this one, it has all gone wrong lately.

He went to the well one too many times with this ridiculous formation of 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Against Minnesota, you could tell guys looked lost. There was no cohesion because, except for the top line, nobody knew who they were playing with.

Yeo lacks that confident look to himself too. Last season, he was in the player’s ear, giving words of encouragement and it seemed like he was the horse whisperer at the time. Lately, he seems to be looking left and right in a vain effort to figure out a problem he has no answer to.

Some of that is simple visuals. Cameras pick up different things at different times. Perhaps Yeo is still talking to the players right near their shoulder.