Assistant Coach Kirk Muller Leaves Blues

Yesterday, the Blues announced that long time assistant coach Brad Shaw declined his one year contract offer and left the Blues to pursue other interests.

Today, Kirk Muller announced the same thing. The Blues assistant coach, assumed by many to be the heir apparent to Ken Hitchcock, didn't find a one year deal to his liking. This is not the best thing for the Blues, as Shaw ran the penalty kill (third best in the league) and defense; Muller ran the power play (sixth best in the league) and the forwards.

Sticking out one year with the promise of becoming the Blues' next coach should've enticed Muller to stay; perhaps the promise wasn't made. Unfortunately, if there is someone that the Blues have their eyes on, they'll be a coach who hasn't worked with the players and the system for an extended period of time. It would be, essentially, a reboot now that the Blues more than likely will have to make a hire from outside of the organization.

Muller and Shaw both may've seen the one year deal as a lack of career stability, and that would've made sense. However, if the franchise intended to slot Muller in after Hitchcock's retirement, chances are good Shaw would've stayed put as well.

Now the Blues get to work with, potentially, an entirely new coaching staff to start the 2017-2018 season.