The St. Louis Blues have seen how much of a difference a coaching change can make.
Of course, Craig Berube led the Blues to the Stanley Cup six years ago after being named the interim head coach, and we saw this past season how well St. Louis performed under new head coach Jim Montgomery.
The Dallas Stars are hoping for a similar effect after firing head coach Peter DeBoer on Friday following a third straight exit in the Western Conference Finals. The Blues' Central Division rivals are now on the search for a new bench boss, and there's a face that's familiar to both St. Louis and Dallas that could be on the shortlist.
Steve Ott has been behind the Blues bench for eight years since joining the staff as an assistant in 2017. He helped the team to the 2019 Stanley Cup and was promoted to associate coach last summer.
Ott spent just two-plus seasons with the Blues during his playing career, joining the squad at the 2014 trade deadline as a pending free agent. He then signed a two-year contract to stay in St. Louis but suffered a season-ending injury early in the 2015-16 campaign.
The journeyman decided to return to St. Louis in a coaching role after finishing out his career in Detroit and Montreal. But could he want to return to the team that drafted him as the head coach?
Ott was selected by the Stars with the 25th pick in the 2000 NHL Draft. He spent the first nine years of his career there and has now proven himself as a coach behind the Blues' bench. If he wants to take that next step forward to become a head coach, the Dallas Stars seem like a logical fit.