It's all on Murray as Blues rebuild

Yes, Blues coach Andy Murray is under the gun this season. Last season’s second-half collapse was a clear warning sign. The team drifted. Frustrations got the better of the group. Over at the New York Times hockey blog Slap Shot, Murray topped the list of NHL coaches in peril. “Murray drives his teams hard and often loses the room because of this,” Jeff Hale wrote. “Impatience for a playoff spot may be building in St. Louis in spite of the roster and Murray could pay the price for that.” But with rookies Patrik Berglund, T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo starting the season with the team -- and with cornerstone defenseman Erik Johnson done for the year -– Murray does have some cover. This is one of the youngest teams in the NHL. Industry-wide expectations for the team are minimal. If Murray can guide this team to the high side... [read full story]