In this video, I follow up on the St. Louis Blues' hiring of Jim Montgomery as their new head coach following the dismissal dismissal of Drew Bannister after only 22 games. I explain why I've come to believe that this Montgomery-Blues reunion was in the works all along -- and I offer reasons why.

The strong alliance between GM Doug Armstrong and Montgomery was the foundation of why Monty became an automatic choice. It was just a question of time: how soon would it happen? How long would it take? Well, the opportunity arrived much sooner than anticipated when the Bruins fired Montgomery last week -- despite a .715 points percentage that made Boston the NHL's best team (regular season) since the start of 2022-2023. The move was set in motion by aborted negotiations on a proposed contract extension that would have kept Montgomery in place. Those never went anywhere, and that was hardly a coincidence (in my opinion).

By not agreeing to an extension, Montgomery would be free to sign with the Blues at the end of the current season. But Monty became a free-agent coach immediately after getting tired, and Doug Armstrong had the coach he wanted all along. Just as planned ... ahead of schedule, yes ... but just as planned. Thanks for watching and please subscribe.