ST. LOUIS — In The Athletic’s 10 questions facing the St. Louis Blues in training camp, atop the list was “Are the Blues on board with Drew Bannister?”
After the club removed the interim tag from Bannister’s title and signed him to a new two-year contract extension this summer, the coach’s command of the club and the response he receives from the players will be a key element of what comes next in the retool.
Well, if you haven’t attended any of the Blues’ practices, you’re missing some barking from Bannister. In the first week, he could be heard on several occasions criticizing the team’s execution, with a few curse words mixed in.
So what had Bannister’s blood pressure boiling after preseason losses to the Dallas Stars and the Utah Hockey Club?
“Our sticks habits were something we stressed over the first two games,” Bannister said. “They’re not up to NHL level, and we have to have better sticks. I love our team, their physicality and getting in on the forecheck. But when your stick is up in the air, the puck is just bypassing us. Our stick details have to get a lot better if we want to play more time in the offensive zone.
“So I’m barking about things like that. We’re trying to build in better work habits for our group in the time that we’re on the ice, and sometimes it means me having to raise my voice to get that out of them.”
It’s not like there was a lot of concern about Bannister asserting himself as the boss. The players became familiar with his style last season. It was just a matter of coming out strong in the first few days and reestablishing that dynamic.
“Just what we knew from Banny from the get-go, he’s a competitor and he wants to win,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “He wants the best from this group, and you can tell his interests are the best for the players. We’re looking forward to continuing to improve under Banny.”
General manager Doug Armstrong said early in camp that the Blues aren’t expecting anything different from Bannister.
“He’s the head coach and he’s in control,” Armstrong said. “He has to set the standard of what he finds acceptable and what he’s going to say is acceptable as far as on on- and off-ice participation in the gym, work ethic, things like that, and hold guys accountable to it. So I expect Drew to treat the players with respect but also drive them to be the best they can be. That’s his job, and that’s what all good coaches do.”
Here’s what else I’m seeing so far in training camp.
Broberg looks like real deal
He’s wearing No. 6 for the Blues, which is the number Marco Scandella wore the past five seasons. But despite their similar stature, it doesn’t take long to figure out this isn’t Scandella in camp.
Philip Broberg, 23, may not have the experience yet (just 81 NHL regular-season games), but the way he skates and the way he moves the puck, you can see why the Blues banked on the future of the 6-foot-4, 212-pound defenseman, acquiring him via offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers on a two-year contract ($4.58 million AAV).
“I love the way he played against Utah,” Bannister said. “Big body. Skates. Moves pucks. And he’s physical. It’s a dimension that maybe we were missing a little bit last year that now we have that can really close quickly and has a great stick. For his first game, I thought he played extremely well.”
Broberg looks like he’s getting comfortable in his new surroundings, seen chatting up Parayko between drills during camp as well as having a conversation with Blues goalie coach David Alexander in Wednesday’s practice that led to a couple of smiles.
“I’ve been here for, what, two weeks? But yeah, it feels good,” Broberg said. “I’m just getting used to a new system, new teammates and everything. It’s been feeling good so far.”
Broberg opened camp in the No. 2 defensive pair with Justin Faulk, but lately he’s been playing with Parayko.
“(Broberg-Parayko) was something that we talked about early on that we wanted to try,” Bannister said. “I don’t want to say that he’ll start with Parayko or he’ll start with Faulk. I’m sure they’ll play again as a pairing at some point in camp, and I’m sure he’ll play with Faulk, too, and we’ll feel it out that way.”
Whether it’s now or later, the sight of the 6-4 Broberg and the 6-6 Parayko takes you back a few years, to when former Blues Jay Bouwmeester and Joel Edmundson were skating alongside Parayko.
“He’s massive out there,” Broberg said of Parayko. “Great guy to learn from, for sure. I think both guys are very good players. No matter who I play with, I’d like to help the team any way I can. We’ll see how it goes.”
Kessel a sponge around Suter
It was no surprise to see defenseman Matthew Kessel paired with veteran Ryan Suter in camp. They are likely to be the Blues’ opening-night third pair against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 8.
Kessel said that he was “at home in Michigan somewhere” when he heard the Blues had signed Suter, 39, in July.
“He’s still a great player, and it’s impressive to see,” he said. “I like his game a lot, and I feel like I play just like him: simple, strong, physical, box out. A lot of players don’t like playing against him, and that’s something I want to continue to emulate. No one is getting a free ride to the net, and I think (Jordan Binnington) and (Joel Hofer) will appreciate that.”
That’s been the takeaway from watching Kessel and Suter play together in camp. They may be taking it easy on teammates for now, but if they can provide an edge when the season starts, it would be much welcomed.
“I think Kessel is ready to take the next step, and right now with (Suter), that’s somebody that’s a proven NHL player and has been through the ups and downs,” Bannister said. “For us, it’s a great pairing because we’d like to see Kess take the next step of consistency in his game, and I think Suter is a good guy to have there to help him through that.”
Joseph, Holloway bring physicality, too
There’s been a lot written about newcomers Mathieu Joseph and Dylan Holloway bringing much-needed speed to the Blues’ lineup. That’s true, but in camp and the game against Dallas, we’ve also seen they’re not afraid to engage physically.
“Absolutely, we’re both fast players that like to be in the mix,” Joseph said. “I like to be in front of the net and finish my hits and be annoying and in the opposition’s face. (Holloway) is a big boy and can skate as well. We’re going to try to bring our best offensively but also be hard to play against.”
“One hundred percent,” Holloway added. “Matty is a fast player and very tenacious on pucks. That’s the kind of game I like to play, too, so if we’re able to buzz around a bit and get pucks deep, we can grind them and get some good chances. We’ll start to build some chemistry, and if we’re on the same line, it’ll be great.”
For the most part, Joseph and Holloway have been playing on a line centered by Radek Faksa.
“It would be a real good pairing with Faksa and how heavy he plays to have guys like Joseph and Holloway, speedy wingers who can get in on the forecheck and get onto pucks,” Bannister said. “I like the speed. I like the size. They’re not shy. They’re physical guys.”
Can Texier play center?
Alexandre Texier, acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer, was drafted as a center in 2017 and is still listed as a center on the roster. The problem with that: “I played the last two years on the wing, so I haven’t really played center in a while,” he said.
Texier, 25, opened camp on left wing with center Zach Dean and right winger Alexey Toropchenko but recently has centered a line with Brandon Saad on left wing.
If Faksa isn’t the answer as the Blues’ third-line center, is Texier a legitimate option in the middle?
“That’s a conversation that we probably could have,” Bannister said. “I don’t want to jump the gun too early and say that it is something we’re looking at. But it certainly is an option and something that I want to make sure that he’s comfortable with, too, if we decide to do that.”
Texier said he’d be open to the idea.
“Wherever the team needs me to play,” he said.
Texier, by the way, is 6-1 and 201 pounds but looks bigger on the ice.
Don’t overlook the other Joseph
There’s a chance that the Blues could keep eight defensemen on their opening-night roster. If so, newcomer Pierre-Olivier Joseph has a good chance to be in the mix.
Mathieu’s younger brother, Joseph (6-2, 185) has confirmed to coaches that he can skate well, and Bannister was particularly impressed with his work on the penalty-killing unit in the preseason game against Utah.
“I loved his skating ability,” Bannister said. “I loved his length. I thought he had a great stick. He closes. I know him from the American Hockey League, and he was constantly a danger in the second wave with the D, jumping up, and that’s something we’d love to see more from our D. It’s one game, but overall, it was a positive step.”
Joseph, who has been paired with veteran Nick Leddy in camp, believes his roster fate is up to him.
“I just want to bring my skating, my passing, my hockey IQ and my compete level,” he said. “I just want to get out there and show that I deserve to be here. But you’ve got to do it with passion and embrace the challenge of having that many great defensemen here.”
Dvorský needs work without the puck
Dvorský, 19, looks every bit like a future NHL player, but the question remains whether he can show the Blues enough to make the opening-night roster.
In talking to Bannister about Dvorský, the coach said when he has the puck on his stick, he’s really good.
“He makes things happen,” Bannister said. “He sees the ice very well. He likes to slow the game down a little bit. He’s very cerebral that way. It’s when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick where he could get to areas to support his linemates quicker. Then on the defensive side, any 18-, 19-year-old coming out of junior hockey, there’s going to be some adjustments.
“But he’s a smart kid, and I’m sure he’ll figure it out pretty quick.”
Four other quick observations
• Simon Robertsson, a third-round pick in 2021, has been arguably the Blues’ best under-the-radar prospect in camp. Simply put, the 21-year-old right winger makes all the right plays.
“He’s got really good hockey sense, and he’s competitive,” Bannister said. “He seems to be around the puck a lot and he’s strong down low — things you typically don’t see from a 20-, 21-year-old. I’m really happy with his camp so far.
“We hear from scouts, but we haven’t been able to see him because he’s been in Europe. So this is kind of the first viewing for myself and the coaching staff, and we’ve been impressed.”
• Michael Buchinger, 20, a third-round pick in 2022, won’t make the Blues’ roster this season, but the defenseman doesn’t look far off.
“I love him,” Bannister said. “Watching him here at the rookie tournament, I thought he was outstanding. I think he’s got a bright future. I see a lot of positives in his game, and I think he’s going to have a long career.”
• In April, the Blues signed defenseman Samuel Johannesson, 23, and forward Marcus Sylvegård, 25. Not much was known about them.
Johannesson has shown the most of the two, and in fact, Bannister thought he was the Blues’ best defenseman against Dallas because of vision, fierce attitude retrieving pucks and ability to jump in the play.
Sylvegård has a good shot, but he needs to adjust to the pace of play.
• Goalie Colten Ellis, 23, a third-round pick in 2019, has regained some footing in the organization. After spending the past three seasons in the ECHL, he had a .924 save percentage in 16 games with AHL Springfield last season.
He looks like he’s brought more confidence into this camp.
“I’ve seen a lot of development in him over the last couple of years,” Bannister said. “I see a goalie that looks bigger in the net physically and a goalie that handles the puck really well.”
(Top photo of Philip Broberg scuffling with Jack McBain: Reese Strickland / USA Today)
