Less than seven months after removing the interim tag from Drew Bannister, the Blues sent him packing and hired the coach who had been fired just five days earlier.
The team announced Sunday morning that the 50-year-old Bannister, a 9-12-1 starter, had been waived and replaced by Jim Montgomery, who was acquired by the Bruins on Tuesday.
Montgomery, 55, signed a five-year contract with St. Louis and served as an assistant from 2020-22.
Bannister replaced Craig Berube, who was fired last December after leading the team to a Stanley Cup championship in the 2018-19 season.
As interim coach, Bannister led the Blues to a 30-19-5 record in 54 games at the helm last season, but the team still missed the playoffs.
The team then gave Bannister a full-time job with a two-year contract in May.
However, president and general manager Doug Armstrong wanted to jump at the chance to bring in Montgomery, who led the Bruins to the most regular-season points in NHL history with 135, in the 2022-23 season.
Boston lost in seven games to the Panthers in the first round of the playoffs that season, lost to the Panthers in the second round last year, and was off to an 8-9-3 start when Montgomery was released.
