Montgomery acknowledges he didn’t have any expectations when he accepted the job a mere five days after his tenure with the Bruins ended.
It had been more than two years since he last worked with the organization before he was hired by the Bruins in 2022, and he wasn’t sure what exactly he was returning to. It would not take him long to figure out.
“After the first game, I knew we had a lot,” said Montgomery. “I knew we had a real good hockey team that was deep. The plays we were making in the first game I coached them were significant throughout the lineup.”
The Blues opened the season by dropping 13 of their first 22 games prior to Montgomery’s arrival, their 2.36 goals per game the third fewest in the league. Heading into Tuesday’s finale, they have gone 35-18-7 with him behind bench. They are now in the top half of the league at 14th with 3.01 goals per game.
And those 35 wins under Montgomery are two more than the Bruins finished with this season.
Forward Robert Thomas was entering his third season when Montgomery joined the Blues staff as an assistant to Craig Berube in 2020. He credits that experience, and Montgomery’s ability to work with younger players, as one of the reasons for the team’s about face.
“A lot of us worked with him a couple years ago and had a lot of success,” said Thomas, whose 81 points (21 goals, 60 assists) is tops on the team. “It was a big reason for a lot of our accelerated development, and he worked really closely with a lot of us, so I think that familiarity, people really attached to the way he wanted to play, and he showed everyone why this is successful, and we really bought in. That’s what made the biggest difference so far.”
The right personnel decisions by president and general manager Doug Armstrong, even predating Montgomery’s arrival, have certainly helped. Like the Bruins, the Blues were interested in Nikita Zadorov last summer, but the big defenseman ultimately chose Boston, signing a six-year, $30 million deal.
So the Blues pivoted, signing a pair of Oilers restricted free agents, forward Dylan Holloway (two years, $4.58 million) and defenseman Philip Broberg (two years, $9.16 million) to offer sheets in August. The organization figured Edmonton likely would not match as it was clearing space for an extension for Leon Draisaitl, who would sign an eight-year, $112 deal the following month, as well as for Connor McDavid, whose eight-year, $100 million deal is up after the 2025-26 season.
When they declined, the Oilers received a third-round pick for Holloway and a second-round pick for Broberg. The two have had career years for the Blues. Holloway, who had 9 goals and 9 assists in 89 games with Edmonton, was second on the team in goals (26) and assists (37) in 77 games before going down with a lower body injury last week. He is listed as week to week.
After posting a 10-32–42 line in 148 games in Edmonton, Broberg is 8-21–29 in 68 games with the Blues, and owns a plus-21 rating.
There was also the acquisition of Cam Fowler from the Ducks in December. When St. Louis surged into playoff contention with a 12-game winning streak, Fowler went 2-11–13 before the Blues lost to Winnipeg, 3-1, on April 7. That began a three-game losing skid that prevented them from clinching a playoff spot until Tuesday’s win over Utah.
“We’ve had players emerge, so we’ve just gotten better,” Montgomery said. “It was frustrating for me that we didn’t get to the consistency that we’ve gotten to now, because even in these last games that we’ve lost, we’ve had the opportunity to win.
“It’s not like it was before, where our game management and our structure wasn’t there. The consistency with how we go about things and who we are, that belief is there.”
But it’s not all about structure nor strategy. Montgomery can also read the room, knowing when the club needs a push, or when to ease up, according to captain Brayden Schenn.
“He’s a very good communicator,” said Schenn. “He’s a guy that brings presence into your locker room with also some light heartedness or some humility, to let guys enjoy going to the rink. You get some of that, and at the same time, it’s intense, and he gets the most out of his players.”
Jumping in to coach another organization midseason was new for Montgomery, but his past experience in St. Louis helped make it a smooth transition. He also has a member of his coaching staff who went through a similar experience in Claude Julien, who was fired by the Bruins on Feb. 7, 2017, then hired by the Canadiens one week later.
“We talked about how quick it happened,” said Montgomery. “His would have happened even quicker, but he didn’t answer the phone for two days.
“We talked about how special it was to be part of the Bruins organization, but also the opportunity to come [to a new team] in mid-season. It was new for me, and it really was refreshing.
“It was a new challenge that I had not been tasked with yet, and I just had tons of energy, and it’s been really rewarding to watch the group come together.”
Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.
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