Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun weren't surprised that the St. Louis Blues fired coach Ken Hitchcock. But what's next?

Burnside: Maybe "inevitable" is a bit too strong, but was anyone around the hockey world surprised at the news Wednesday morning that veteran head coach Ken Hitchcock was fired and that coach-in-waiting Mike Yeo would be waiting no more? Asked and answered. The Blues’ disheartening 5-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday night was more of the same from a team that a year ago advanced to a Western Conference finals and looked at the outset to be a conference force once again. But Tuesday’s loss was a microcosm of what is looking suddenly like a lost season: poor team defense, shoddy goaltending and a lack of timely scoring, as the Blues lost for the third straight time at home and the fifth time in their last six games at Scottrade Center. When Hitchcock announced before the season that he would retire at the end of this season and GM Doug Armstrong took the unusual step of naming Hitchcock’s successor in Yeo, who would stand behind the bench with Hitchcock, we all wondered how the dynamic would work out. Given that this is a results-oriented business and the Blues are on the verge of falling out of the playoff picture, I have to say the plan looks more than a little ill-conceived. Any surprise for you on how this has gone down, my friend?

LeBrun: Sadly, no surprise. We hinted at this possibility in our Morning Roundtable recently because the whispers coming out of St. Louis seemed to suggest not all the players were on the same page as the veteran coach. The Blues, in fact, have the third-worst record in the NHL since Dec. 8 at 9-14-1, just a .396 points percentage, behind only the Colorado Avalanche (.196) and the Arizona Coyotes (.375), and I think we know how those teams' seasons are going. But it’s such an unfair business in many ways because Hitchcock is one of the best ever in the business. It would be nice had he got a few saves along the way. No. 1 goalie Jake Allen, who recently took a break from the team to reset, has a .896 save percentage, while backup Carter Hutton hasn’t been much better, at .895. I don’t care if you’re Scotty Bowman; you’re not winning a lot of games with that type of goaltending. Having said that, it’s clear the issues were deeper than that. Maybe even having announced Hitchcock as a lame-duck coach last summer with Yeo as his replacement-in-waiting put an odd feeling on the players. Either way, no, this was not surprising at all.

Burnside: The big question, of course, is now what? And I think that applies to both Hitchcock and the Blues. Their poor play and, specifically, their brutal goaltending (the Blues are tied for 27th in goals allowed per game -- when was the last time that happened to a Hitchcock-coached team? Peewee?) have put Armstrong in a tough spot. They’re still very much in the hunt for a playoff spot but can’t get there without an upgrade in goaltending. Does Armstrong explore trading for Ben Bishop or Marc-Andre Fleury before the March 1 trade deadline to try to reinvigorate his team? We’ve seen how the New York Islanders responded so positively under interim head coach Doug Weight after they fired Jack Capuano, so maybe the coaching change and a goaltending upgrade change the entire dynamics in St. Louis. Or does Armstrong simply cut his losses and concentrate on getting the best return for pending free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who would be the biggest-name defenseman on the trade market if Armstrong decides to become a seller? Tough choices all the way around.

LeBrun: It’s a real crossroads moment for this franchise, which has been very well run and competitive for a long time. But the all-in window can’t be open forever. Let’s start with Armstrong, the GM of Team Canada’s winning World Cup of Hockey squad. He’s got one more year left on his deal, I believe, after this season. If you’re him, do you scramble to add pieces (like a goalie, as you mentioned), or simply accept that this team, after years of contending, needs to retool on the fly? It’s still a terrific core, but perhaps needs a bit of re-seasoning. The Blues lost free agents Troy Brouwer and David Backes for nothing last summer. It’s why they can’t afford to lose Shattenkirk for nothing this time around. It’s why they will trade him before March 1. But I don’t think Armstrong will look at this team and decide he has to spend future assets for a rental to save the season. I believe that in Armstrong’s mind, you only do that if you’re among the four to five elite teams in the league, which the Blues were a year ago. You don’t spend high picks or prospects for rental players if you’re a bubble team, which they are now.

Burnside: Agreed on the Blues. Very difficult times for a franchise that hungers so deeply for a championship run that has never happened. Not exactly the way they thought their 50th anniversary would go, no? As for Hitchcock, he is fourth in NHL history in coaching wins. Is this it for him? Understandable if the Civil War buff wants to pursue something completely different, but honestly it’s hard to imagine Hitchcock taking any appreciable time away from the game. Maybe he consults or advises or takes a media job, but the game is always richer when people like Hitchcock are involved. Many people will draw a straight line to the Vegas Golden Knights, who will begin play next season as an expansion team, and Hitchcock has experience selling a new team given his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the team’s early days. But you have to wonder if Vegas GM George McPhee might be worried about a little burnout on Hitchcock’s behalf given that he doesn’t do anything half-measure.

LeBrun: As for Hitchcock, we’ll need to see after he’s had time to decompress what he feels about his coaching future. He’s not a spring chicken, and coaching in the NHL takes a physical and mental toll. Does he call it quits, or does the fire still burn? If it’s the latter, I have to believe McPhee will at the very least want to chat with him. The Golden Knights have already spoken with Gerard Gallant but I think want to be able to talk to as many top candidates as possible before hiring their first-ever coach.