St. Louis Blues: In Craig Berube We Trust No Matter What

St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube has managed to push all the right buttons throughout the 2019 NHL Playoffs. He deserves the benefit of the doubt now, no matter what tweaks he makes.

One of the favorite pastimes of St. Louis Blues fans is criticizing the coach and the moves they make. As fans, somehow, we all think we could do better or know better.

Interestingly, one of the most successful coaches in Blues history, Ken Hitchcock, got the worst of this treatment. He likely never knew about all the chatter, or did not care, but there was no shortage of second guessing.

Fans thought Ty Rattie was going to be the next big thing and were always wondering why he never got a good look. Rattie has since shown why, but that’s neither here nor there.

In defense of the fans, Hitchcock was famous for having people in the dog house and never really letting them know why. Even so, we all thought we knew which guy should go on which line and whatever decision Hitch made was the wrong one.

The same cannot really be said of Craig Berube, at least not right now. Of course, fans will never give up their habit of second guessing or thinking they know better.

However, the chatter is nothing more than a few stray comments here or there. Fans have learned their lesson as 2018-19 has gone on. Berube is no longer to be doubted.

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When he took over, Berube was like every other coach. He made some tweaks here or there and some worked, while some did not. He got the usual treatment with the questioning over goaltending decisions and line changes.

By now, we all know how 2018-19 has played out. A big part of that is the belief Berube gave these players in themselves.

Another interesting thing Berube did that also quieted some fan chatter was leaving the lines alone. When Hitch was altering the lines almost weekly, there was always a reason to have conversation. When you’re trotting out the same 12 forwards and keeping the same trios together almost every game, there is less room to talk.

But, Berube did not just leave things alone for the sake of it. He knew that guys like the big stars were going to find their stride and they just needed the time to gel that they never really got early in the year because of the team’s struggles.

On the flip side, Berube did not just leave players together forever if he thought another line would benefit from a tweak.

For example, many fans lamented the breaking up of Brayden Schenn, Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko. They were all scoring and picking up points like candy at Halloween when playing together and the Blues were undefeated with that trio for the longest time.

Berube knew that Jaden Schwartz needed a boost, so the top line was broken up and players still thrived. David Perron played some of his best hockey when put with O’Reilly, Schwartz got some familiar linemates and Schenn got to move back to center.

Earlier in the year, Zach Sanford was clicking very well with O’Reilly too. Berube still knew when a change was needed and was not afraid to do it just for the sake of one player.

Things have been even more under the microscope in the playoffs. Still, every button Berube has pushed has been the right one.

The only detraction you could throw at him was he almost waited too long for a move or two early in the playoffs. He made changes against Winnipeg and the Blues won two straight to close the series.

Berube put Sammy Blais in against Dallas, which was somewhat puzzling at the time. That has been a stroke of genius, as Blais has hit everything in sight since being put back in.

All the changes in the final have seem to come at the right time too. Berube challenged Tarasenko back in the conference final and he has answered the bell.

Whether Berube has tapped Carl Gunnarsson, Joel Edmundson or Robert Bortuzzo, they have all managed to step up their game following a benching.

Berube has had the backbone to give guys healthy scratches in the regular season, like Jay Bouwmeester and Perron and they took it the right way. He has taken guys out of the lineup in the playoffs and nobody cries and they are ready to perform when they get another chance like Bortuzzo and Sanford. Almost every move has paid off.

So, while some of us might not understand replacing Edmundson with Bortuzzo for Game 5 in Boston, what reason to we have to doubt it?

We can ask why it is happening. Maybe Edmundson is injured or has been fighting an injury. He has played poorly of late, but you could have understood a benching after Game 3 more than what happened in 4.

Maybe it is just one of those coaching things of rotating guys in and out based on how they’ve played in a building or against certain opponents. Who knows.

What we do know is we have no reason to think it won’t pay off. Maybe the Blues win and maybe they do not, but it almost certainly won’t have anything to do with the lineup change if they do not.

Next. Berube's Interim Tag Only A Technicality. dark

Berube has either been a master tactician or extremely lucky. By now, it has happened too often to be luck, so in Berube we trust.

Someone print up those t-shirts and you’ll make some money. Just put his picture on the one dollar bill and it’s like printing gold.

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