Last year, Ken Hitchcock’s future with the St. Louis Blues seemed very much up in the air following another first-round playoff exit.
Despite the disappointing end to last season, he signed a one-year contract extension to stay in St. Louis for the 2015-16 season.
Hitchcock is apparently just fine, however, with such short-term contracts for himself.
“I scare myself because I think if I take long-term deal, I’m gonna get sloppy,” Hitchcock told Hockey Central at Noon and Sportsnet. “I want to stay on one-year deals.
“I don’t want to be sitting ripping off a team and taking money when I’m not doing anything. I just feel comfortable taking one-year deals to be honest with you.”
Interesting comments to make considering he’s helped the Blues finally get over the threshold into the Western Conference Final after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks, the defending champions, and high-scoring Dallas Stars, the top team in the West during the regular season, in back-to-back seven-game series wins.
It’s also interesting given a number of his peers around the league -- like Bruce Boudreau and his four-year agreement with the Minnesota Wild -- are locking in to longer-term deals. (It’s also just been reported Thursday that Darryl Sutter and the L.A. Kings have agreed to terms on an extension.)
After previous playoff disappointments, the Blues are now only four wins away from the Stanley Cup Final. You’d think he’d want to leverage that into something beyond just one year.