Blues remove interim tag from coach Drew Bannister

The St. Louis Blues removed the interim tag from coach Drew Bannister and signed him to a two-year contract on Tuesday.

Bannister, 50, took over behind the bench on Dec. 14 after Craig Berube was fired following a 13-14-1 start. The Blues went 30-19-5 under Bannister's leadership but missed the playoffs for a second straight season.

From Bannister's arrival through the end of the season, the Blues had the 12th-most points (65) and the 10th-best home record (18-9-2) in the league.

Before being named interim coach, Bannister compiled a 93-58-19 record in three seasons with Springfield of the American Hockey League. Before that he was a head coach of the San Antonio Rampage (2018-20) and associate coach with the Utica Comets (2020-21).

A defenseman from Ontario, Bannister played 164 games over six NHL seasons after being drafted by Tampa Bay in the second round in 1992. He scored 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) with four teams.