#YeoMustGo

[theohall]

Yes, I'm starting this discussion with a list of potential replacements in alphabetical order. Don't really care which one, but all of them are succeeding with a more offensive style game than what Blues fans have put with as coaches for the past 12 years.

Benoit Groulx - Syracuse Crunch. Outstanding at developing young talent.

Sheldon Keefe - Toronto Marlies. Had done so well developing talent for the Lears, they wound up having too many guys under contract and were forced to trade some of it. That's how Blues wound up with Soshnikov, although he's not one of the better examples.

Dave Lowry - LA Kings. We've covered this here.

Jim Montgomery - Denver University. Steady improvement every season in Denver culminating in a National Championship last season.

Kirk Muller - MTL Canadiens (he gets how to make a power play work and makes in-game adjustments, sometimes on the same power play). We are already familiar with where the Blues went with him as an associate coach in the 15-16 season and the power play was a huge part of the reason for them getting that far.

Todd Nelson - Grand Rapids Griffins. Won Calder Cup. This is the guy I can find the least information about. While he had an interim job as Oilers head coach before Todd McLellan took over, he has been involved with winning championships in the UHL and AHL both as a head coach and an associate coach.

Mike Van Ryn - Tucson Roadrunners. Need to give more detail on this one. This is the only outlier due to only 2 full seasons as head coach, but, worked his way up from associate to head coach over 10 years. First head coaching gig was with the Kitchener Rangers where his team went 13-0-3 before losing his first regulation game as a head coach. They ended up getting swept by a loaded London Knights team in the 2nd round of the playoffs after finishing 4th in the conference. His current team is 2nd overall in the AHL. He gets the most out of his players, it seems, when he is leading the team.

[glen a richter]

I'd need to look more into some of these guys and it's well known that I'm a big proponent of hiring Dave Lowry, but at this juncture I just want a youngish head coach with a reputation for being very good with kids who promotes skill and speed as paramount to a team that doesn't suck on nearly the level the Blues currently do. We have too many young guns ready to come up that desperately need to not have Yeo get his paws on.

[WaukeeBlues]

Kirk Muller should've been the guy from the word go as Hitch's replacement. Garbage that he wasn't plugged in, IMO. Even more dumb that he was ran out of town.

All those Yeo hires that were former players are looking really great right now aren't they?

[glen a richter]

What's so annoying is that a rebuild right now wouldn't take any more than probably two years because most pieces are already in the pipeline and a couple of shrewd trades and a total overhaul of the coaching staff would complete the process.

Pound Sign Yeo Must Go indeed, but will that resonate on Armstrong's deaf ears? Losing Fabbri at the beginning and then the follow up injuries to Schwartz, especially, but also Bouwmeester playing hurt provided so many built in excuses, no matter how lousy they may be, to stay the course next season. Just like there's a window to win with a core group, there's also a window to rebuild with a core group. That one's going to close darn fast if they're not paying attention.

[theohall]

What's so annoying is that a rebuild right now wouldn't take any more than probably two years because most pieces are already in the pipeline and a couple of shrewd trades and a total overhaul of the coaching staff would complete the process.

Pound Sign Yeo Must Go indeed, but will that resonate on Armstrong's deaf ears? Losing Fabbri at the beginning and then the follow up injuries to Schwartz, especially, but also Bouwmeester playing hurt provided so many built in excuses, no matter how lousy they may be, to stay the course next season. Just like there's a window to win with a core group, there's also a window to rebuild with a core group. That one's going to close darn fast if they're not paying attention.

Losing Bouwmeester is a BS excuse. This team got worse the moment he returned, not matter how many positive words you hear about Bouwmeester's character, integrity, guts, blah blah blah. Should never have been allowed to return which is on Armstrong and Yeo for either a) forcing it or b) allowing it.

Fabbri and Schwartz - yes, they had an impact.

But that doesn't excuse the way this team is currently trying to generate offense and it has to be coached. Everything is forwards go, D stand still, D get the puck to the forwards with really long passes. This wasn't the case in October/November. Everyone was skating. Stretch pass attempts were the exception not the norm. East/West passes when breaking out were the exception not the norm. 3 players, usually one of them a skating defenseman, were entering the offensive zone with speed. All of this is gone. Just watch the last game and count how many times in 5-on-5 play you saw 4 Blues actually skating up ice together. If that isn't being coached - this whole ridiculous notion of only moving the puck by passing it without skating at the same time by the defense - then these players aren't doing what the coach says. I just have a hard time believing every single defenseman isn't doing what the coach says. #YeoMustGo But then, it is Yeo who lost the Wild players in back-to-back seasons.

Benoit Groulx is an outstanding coach with an excellent pedigree in terms of where he learned how to be a head coach. He is the guy the past two seasons who keeps sending NHL ready forwards to the Lightning, regardless of where those players were drafted. That's what allowed them to move Drouin for Sergacheev. If he has a weakness, it's in developing defenseman. If I had my pick, he would be the guy.

[theohall]

More info on Groulx

Coached Giroux, Krejci and Talbot among others while with the Olympiques too and was GM of the team while being head coach. Also was coach for Canada (and Fabbri) at 2015 IIHF Juniors when they got Gold.

Benoit Groulx coached and general managed the Gatineau Olympiques, the same team that brought you Claude Julien, Alain Vigneault and the legendary Pat Burns.

The one thing that is evident... Groulx has adjusted to the times with the way he is currently developing forwards.

[Toasted Oates]

Any of those guys would be interesting/exciting, especially the Syracuse coach.

But I have zero faith Doug would have this vision. If he were to fire Yeo (2 years left on his contract after this one), they'll end up with another veteran coach, like a Darryl Sutter.

[theohall]

I know we tried robbing Steve Thomas from Tampa and that didn't work out. But he was the one guy Tampa actually let go. The former Syracuse coach, Zettler, had moved up to work in a different role with the NHL club, then San Jose hired him away as an assistant coach this past summer.

[glen a richter]

Theo, I actually used this hashtag on the twittersphere today then clicked it to see how many others felt the same way. Saw your tweet right up at the top so I followed.

[theohall]

Cool! But I barely post stuff at all. Usually it's flight sim stuff auto posting.

[theohall]

We're up to a whopping 3 people. Like I really care.

Well, I do about the Blues being successful. Just did this twitter thing on a lark.

[gaijin]

Sorry, I'm not on twitter.

[WaukeeBlues]

I gotta disagree with some of you guys on the statements or arguments that "But Armstrong won't do this/ won't do that/ won't recognize this or that"

The fact he traded Stastny said a LOT. Like, a lot a lot. Basically announced he didn't think this team would make the playoffs or go very far if it did. Just pause for a second on that. If that doesn't show an awareness of a serious problem then I don't know what qualifies.

As far as the injection of youth: Armstrong also purposefully stood pat at the deadline in terms of our younger prospects. Several "insiders" and analysts said that Armstrong had offers or deals he could swing but he refused to part with key young pieces.

Take these two actions together now: (1) Low confidence in the team to make the playoffs (2) the youth are necessary to right the ship.

That's exactly what many of you guys are harping on. It's unlikely Armstrong is going to blow it all up, it's also unlikely he's just going to "status quo." Reality, as it often is, will be somewhere down the middle.

I'm not a fan of some of Armstrong's moves (Namely the Yeo hire, Berglund extensions, the Ott contract at the time, a few others) and some were absolutely brilliant and wise (Allowing Backes, Jackman and Brouwer to all walk, getting a first round pick for Reaves, somehow getting a great combination of term and $$ for Tarasenko and Parayko). I think he's an above average GM in the league and by the sounds of it on here you'd think he was mentally incompetent.

We'll see what he does this summer. I would be surprised if Yeo was fired. I won't be surprised if one of Sobotka or especially Berglund get traded.

[gaijin]

We'll see what he does this summer. I would be surprised if Yeo was fired. I won't be surprised if one of Sobotka or especially Berglund get traded.

I won't be surprised if Sobotka or Berglund are traded, but I will be surprised if Army is able to get anything of value in return for them. I think interest in those two around the league must be pretty low, since offers at trade deadline were reportedly for the youth, not Sobotka/Berglund.

But you never know. I give Army props for ditching Lehtera and bringing in Schenn.

As for Yeo, I would guess he starts the season as Head Coach, but with a significantly hotter seat than anyone (except for perhaps us here) would have expected so soon. If the team is not markedly improved by mid-season next year, I bet he doesn't make it the whole season.

[theohall]

The problem with Yeo is he is not good at getting a consistent effort from his teams throughout a season. They always start good. The issue is finishing.

I won't be surprised if the Blues start out like gang-busters next season, no matter how many changes are made, only to see them struggle again in December/January. Which means Yeo won't go anywhere, because of the early season success.

The last 3 seasons in which Yeo started the season as a head coach for a team, this pattern happened every one of those seasons.

What I don't like is the diminishing returns. Someone posted Yeo's record on twitter for his 1st 100 games as a head coach. Blues goal-scoring has decreased dramatically under his tenure, while goals allowed as gone up. And win-losses - the team has become a .500 team under him. Yes, this has to do with injuries and some questionable player personnel decisions. It's telling how much goal scoring dropped when looking at goals/game when one considers how well the Blues offense was clicking in October and November. That's how bad the offense was last season and in 2018.

We shall see if Yeo gets a full season of consistent effort from the Blues without pissing away a season by not getting that effort for 2+ months.

It's interesting that this Blues team is capable of playing well, but just has not done so, in spite of the lack of talent on the roster.

I am glad that Armstrong did what he did at the deadline. I am very pleased with the Schenn and Reaves trades. It does show positive signs for the future. I'm not happy with the contracts Sobotka, Berglund and Steen signed. I'm not happy with the Bouwmeester joke of a season, when he should have just had the surgery and skipped this season completely. Signing Thorburn and Bennett for depth?? Yuck! There is good and bad when it comes to Armstrong. Now it's a matter of what happens in the future.

Who does Armstrong over-pay to keep around or does he commit to significantly changing the roster with youth? Or does he go out and sign old, washed up veterans whom Yeo will play over more talented, younger players? I don't know.

Stuff is up in the air.

Oh, I forgot... Armstrong signed Yeo guaranteeing him a job when hired as an assistant. Yet another defensive-minded coach in what is such a massively offensive era. But that's the Doug Armstrong late 90s/early 2000s mentality still coming through. There are plenty of coaches better suited to getting the most from younger, skilled forwards, but we got Yeo.

[Robb_K]

What's so annoying is that a rebuild right now wouldn't take any more than probably two years because most pieces are already in the pipeline and a couple of shrewd trades and a total overhaul of the coaching staff would complete the process.

Pound Sign Yeo Must Go indeed, but will that resonate on Armstrong's deaf ears? Losing Fabbri at the beginning and then the follow up injuries to Schwartz, especially, but also Bouwmeester playing hurt provided so many built in excuses, no matter how lousy they may be, to stay the course next season. Just like there's a window to win with a core group, there's also a window to rebuild with a core group. That one's going to close darn fast if they're not paying attention.

There's no excuse for allowing the power play to be so pitiful, and to allow tha horrible 7-game losing streak without doing something different. The Blues have a lot better talent than the level of their play as a team under Yeo.

[cardsfan04]

I'm normally not in favor of firing coaches after a year and half, especially when the first ~1/2 of his time was so successful. In general, I just don't think that's a good habit.

But, I'm not real happy with the response to adversity from this team. There was some bad luck this year, but the team should have responded better. The bad luck perhaps lowers the bar, but it doesn't remove it.

I'm on the fence about firing him still. But, I'm not adamantly opposed to it.

[theohall]

I'm on the fence about firing him still. But, I'm not adamantly opposed to it.

Ask some simple questions:

1) What has Yeo done to improve this team's offense?
2) What has Yeo done which appears to hamper this team's offense?
3) Do the Blues seem better or worse defensively and what makes you lean one way or the other?
4) How has Yeo managed the Blues roster (injuries, players under-performing, line management, etc.)?
5) How has Yeo managed younger players and integrating their skill into the roster?
6) What does Yeo's track record indicate and does that seem to have changed any in his time with the Blues?
7) Are the injuries this season a valid excuse for the Blues lack of success?

Then ask yourself if you want more of all of the above or is something else a better option.

I have my own answers to the above questions and there are some positives, but the overwhelming majority of my answers are negative. Which led to the #YeoMustGo thing.

[Toasted Oates]

My "simple" question(s) would be, "How many points do the Blues have since he took over and where do they rank?"

Until he doesn't have to start the likes of 71, 21, 23, etc in his top 6, it's hard to judge. There are too many bad players, signed by Doug, in the regular rotation.

Let's say they fire him. Do you trust this GM to hire the right guy or (most importantly IMO) build a roster that can win 4 seven game series in a row? He's given us no reason.

EDIT: Whatever Yeo does, power plays have sucked under his watch. That's something he's carried with him from job to job. It can't continue.

[theohall]

Blues points per game past 7 seasons

17-18 1.14
16-17 1.21
15-16 1.30
14-15 1.33
13-14 1.35
12-13 1.25
11-12 1.33

Mike Yeo points per game as head coach.
17-18 1.14
16-17 1.44
15-16 1.02
14-15 1.22
13-14 1.20
12-13 1.15
11-12 0.99
Career Avg 1.14

Kind of telling that Mike Yeo isn't that good a coach, regardless of personnel, if one only looks at points.

No matter how it's sliced - 1.14 pts/game is a bad number. 93 points does not make the playoffs in the West.