Jim Montgomery Poised to Select His Own Assistant Coaches with Blues

Jim Montgomery is on the brink of a significant change in his coaching career with the St. Louis Blues. After leading teams like the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins, Montgomery has often found himself working with assistant coaches he did not choose. This time, however, the opportunity is ripe for him to handpick his staff as he embarks on a new chapter with the Blues.

When Montgomery took the reins in St. Louis on November 24, 2024, he inherited a coaching staff that included Steve Ott, Claude Julien, Mike Weber, and David Alexander. With Ott now transitioning to head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL and the contracts of Julien and Weber not renewed, Montgomery is ready to assert his influence over the coaching lineup. Alexander, who has excelled as the Blues’ goalie coach, will remain in his position.

In a recent discussion following exit meetings at Enterprise Center, Montgomery shared his vision for the upcoming season, stating, “I think the plan right now is to hire three. It might just be two. It really depends on the makeup of the people that we’re able to bring into the fold.” He acknowledged that the number of hires could vary based on the candidates’ skill sets, emphasizing the importance of finding coaches who can wear multiple hats.

While there has been speculation about potential candidates, including Rick Stevens, who is currently with the Vegas Golden Knights, Montgomery is focused on what qualities he seeks in his assistants. The Blues have struggled with special teams in recent seasons, finishing in the bottom third for both the power play and penalty kill. “For sure we need someone that’s really good at PK, we need someone that has a history of doing well on the PP,” Montgomery noted. “Our special teams the last two years were not good enough.” He stressed the need for a collaborative effort to improve, stating, “It’s a ‘we’ thing. That has to be significantly better, so that’s going to be really important.”

Montgomery is looking for high-energy coaches who are not only intelligent but also possess the ability to teach effectively. “You know how to teach defensemen how to pivot the right way, stick on puck,” he remarked, pointing to the successful strategies employed by teams like Florida over the past two seasons. Montgomery aims to find coaches who can enhance individual player skills while reinforcing team concepts.

As he prepares to collaborate with general manager Doug Armstrong and incoming GM Alexander Steen, Montgomery is committed to selecting the right candidates. Armstrong elaborated on the process, explaining, “I put all the attributes on one side and I put all the names on the top and I just go down and whoever’s got the most check marks, we hire.” He emphasized the importance of a thorough vetting process, stating that he wants to ensure the staff is assembled based on clear criteria rather than simply relying on names. “What I don’t want to do is just start throwing out names. I want to find out what we want and then what names fit that more than just putting a guy in here just because he’s got a name and hope it works out.”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.