Ice Insights: Events That Shape the Industry

The St. Louis Blues have confirmed Drew Bannister’s firing, which shocked the team’s fans. Currently, the availability of Jim Montgomery is finally confirmed. St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong sees it as a serious opportunity to boost the team’s performance and make it a leader of the division.

However, Armstrong made it clear that they are not necessarily letting go of coach Drew Bannister based on his performance. The accusations are based solely on comparing the resumes of both coaches and potential perspectives. Such statements undoubtedly place a huge responsibility on Montgomery.

The team is still recovering from “traumas,” but the management is still aiming to return to the playoffs. The team’s performance has been questionable recently. For example, star center Robert Thomas has only played in 10 games this year. As for Philip Broberg, he played only 12 games in his first year of signing the contract. After that, he suffered a lower-body injury. Brandon Saad, Oscar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker, and Alexandre Texier also missed time.

The team currently takes sixth place in the Central Division (its overall performance is 9-12-1). The Blues’ offense in the NHL is fairly poor (about 2.36 goals per game). The defense is not better either (averaging 3.36 goals per game). Perhaps with a “fresh” start, the team can get to where Armstrong hopes to be. The positive aspect is that St. Louis has enough time to recover and adapt to the change in training.

Acquisition of Philip Tomasino from the Predators

Recently, the Pittsburgh Penguins have traded a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to the Nashville Predators. They did so in exchange for top player Philip Tomasino. This is the second trade in 3 weeks. The trade with the Nashville Predators happened when both teams were in the bottom 10 of the NHL standings. As hockey fans know, Tomasino lost his place in the 29th-rated Predators. The Penguins, who are also 27th-rated, are looking for a deep forward who can bring the team so long-awaited points. According to Tomasino’s performance, this 23-year-old player can show himself both at center and on the wing.

If you look at that metric over his entire career, he averaged 11:18. His latest performance, which happened on November 20th, was far from impressive. Fans were disappointed as he didn’t make a single shot. As for the Predators, the team currently has 9 picks in 2025, 7 in 2026, and 8 in 2027. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh still has 9 picks in 2027.

With Tomasino’s average annual value (roughly $825,000 at the NHL level), the team has about $1.1 million in current capital. The Penguins have only 4 players with at least 10 points. In addition, only 9 forwards have more than 5 points. This season, the team has used 18 forwards at its 12 spots. As a result, it ranks 25th in the NHL in goals against with a 2.52.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tactics Change

Many doubted the feasibility and effectiveness of Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz’s tandem. However, thanks to these players, the Maple Leafs were able to create very reliable goaltending. This is exactly what the coach had been wanting for a long time. If Auston Matthews is healthy enough to take the ice in the game against the Florida Panthers, coach Craig Berube may have a hard time finding a place for him in the lineup.

In fact, the game against the current Stanley Cup holders could be a turning point for the team. According to expert Ken Campbell, there is no doubt that the Maple Leafs showed a lightning-fast game without their captain. As stated, the main reason why they are leaders in the Atlantic Division is that Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz are reliable goalies. In this case, their secret is not in “spectacle” but in meticulous and well-coordinated work for the result.