After the St. Louis Blues’ 6-1 dismantling of the Dallas Stars in Game 3, current Blues and former Stars coach Ken Hitchcock suggested the game was a lot closer than the score indicated. Stars coach Lindy Ruff responded by saying he didn’t buy it, and compared Hitchcock to the peanuts they leave out on the bar—“complimentary.”

So maybe Ruff wouldn’t want to hear it, but Hitchcock heaped praise on the young Stars on his way out of Dallas following Game 7—another 6-1 Blues win.

"They are the future of the NHL,” Hitchcock said, per the Dallas Morning News. “That's what they are. They are where the NHL is going. That's what they are. They are really good.

“They missed arguably one of their two best players today, and they are where the game is going. We all recognize that. They are going to be a tough opponent for a number of years because of what they got.”