For St. Louis Blues head coach Jim Montgomery, this situation and transition since becoming the man in charge are unfamiliar to him. The former Jack Adams Award winner is used to only one kind of result, and that is going out and winning hockey games.
That has not been the case, despite his 72-51-19 record since being hired on November 24, 2024. The Blues have won more than they have lost, but their direction toward being a Stanley Cup contender remains shrouded in uncertainity.
The next era of Blues hockey is going to be tailored toward the youth movement. And with that comes great promise and even greater worry of early problems. Expect this 2026-27 season to be a perfect mess.
Competition is good, but a lot of players are fighting
After a very eventful NHL Draft and free-agency period, the Blues got a lot of new pieces to fit into the lineup. Couple that with the influx of talent that has been waiting for years to stake their claim to being an everyday NHLer, and the competition at training camp is going to be intense.
A lot of players are fighting for the very few spots on the roster for opening night that are still vacant. Jordan Kyrou's departure to Washington opens up the second-line winger spot, and the three lines behind Robert Thomas' first line do not have designated centers. Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Pius Suter are going to be battling for their right to center a line, and the loser will likely move to the wing.
Montgomery is going to have to really keep his eyes open before the 2026-27 season, as virtually everyone has a right to be a mainstay. Even some of the prospects, like Adam Jiricek and Justin Carbonneau, have shown more than enough at the Junior Hockey Level that they can hang with the big boys of the NHL.
Has to get it right
Montgomery has had a very good run as a head coach. He took over a well-established Boston Bruins team and motivated them to be even better. With the Blues, he came into a somewhat competitive team, but with high upside. He has not had to really hope and pray that a prospect can work out to help save their franchise from going back to being a bona fide lottery team.
This training camp and shorter preseason are going to be crucial for Montgomery and the Blues. It will dictate their future standing for years to come and prove who is ready versus who is not. Montgomery cannot afford to get this wrong and has to bring up the right prospects at the right time to get the reps.
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