St. Louis Blues assistant coaches Craig MacTavish and Mike Van Ryn will not be returning to the team for the 2023-24 season, the Blues said in a release Friday. Head coach Craig Berube’s position has not been affected.
Assistant coach Steve Ott and goaltending coach David Alexander will remain on the team’s coaching staff, along with video coach Darryl Seward and video coordinator Elliott Mondou.
MacTavish had joined the Blues coaching staff for the 2022-23 season. Before that, he had finished a 17-year playing career with the Blues in 1997 before going on to become an assistant coach with the New York Rangers and head coach of the Edmonton Oilers between 2000 and 2009.
Van Ryn, on the other hand, had spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Blues after the team hired him in May 2018. He played for the Blues for the first three of his eight seasons as a defenseman in the NHL. He then coached for eight years between the OHL and AHL before joining the Blues ahead of their Stanley Cup-winning season in 2018-19.
The Blues finished their disappointing 2022-23 season with a record of 37-38-7 and 81 points, missing the playoffs for the second time since 2012.
It remains to be seen who will fill the vacant positions left by MacTavish and Van Ryn. With the team looking to retool quickly in the offseason after selling off major assets at the trade deadline, the coaching staff will play a crucial role in ensuring the Blues can be competitive next season.