It’s been over two weeks since Ken Hitchcock said he needed “time to reflect” before making a decision on his future with the St. Louis Blues. And still today we don’t know if he’ll be back as their head coach.
According to the Post-Dispatch, Hitchcock is “back in St. Louis, completing end-of-the-season evaluations and conducting interviews with players.”
Which would suggest he’s still very much considering a return.
The question then may be, will he be allowed to? He doesn’t have a contract for next season.
Yesterday, Blues owner Tom Stillman did not deny the speculation that some players had been chafing under Hitchcock’s rule.
But at the same time, Stillman didn’t necessarily think that was cause to make a change behind the bench.
“I know there is a lot of speculation about that,” he told the Post-Dispatch. “I would also point out if you named the top 10 coaches in the NHL over the last decade, in virtually every case you would find the players can’t stand him. They hate him. That’s just the way it is. I kind of discount that kind of stuff. That goes for those (coaches) who are seen as the best now, the best ever and those who have recently won Stanley Cups. Almost to a man, the players can’t stand him. I don’t know how much stock I would put in that kind of a thing.”
And so we’re left to keep wondering.
Related: Blues owner ‘disappointed and frustrated,’ but not ready to ‘throw people under the bus’