The last few days saw the St. Louis Blues unexpectedly thrust into the middle of the battle for Mike Babcock. The Blues never appeared to be a contender or a favorite for Babcock, but the Blues at least made it known they were interested in his services. Babcock ultimately signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Blues fans took to social media to lament the team missing out on the prized coach.
Why?
If you missed this article from a couple days ago, you may not be aware that Ken Hitchcock and Babcock are actually pretty similar coaches. There is one glaring difference – price. Despite the fact Hitchcock and Babcock carry some striking similarities, their respective price tags are on total opposite ends of the spectrum. Babcock’s massive $50 million contract should be enough to quiet the Blues fans who hoped to see the coach in St. Louis (talk about overpaying), but the reality is that the Blues have more pressing issues on the ice.
Hitchcock made quite a few questionable decisions during the playoffs. There’s no debating that fact. However, the Blues’ quick exit from the playoffs is on the players who make up the core of the roster and not completely on the coach. The coach isn’t off the hook, but the Blues would be wise to make changes to this team’s core as opposed to believing one massively expensive coach will magically make everything start clicking.
Don’t be sad that the Blues missed out on Babcock. Realistically, this team can’t afford a coach like Babcock and has no need to overpay for Hitchcock 2.0. Instead, let’s focus on the roster and make some significant changes there. A coaching change may in fact be coming (probably not), but the Blues won’t make any sort of big stride forward unless the main problem (a core which can’t get over the playoff hump) is addressed.
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