Cam Janssen said he was surprised the St. Louis Blues fired Craig Berube as coach on Tuesday, but the former NHL forward based in the city said on the "NHL @TheRink" podcast that he understands why Berube was let go and that he still believes a turnaround for his former team is possible this season.
"I think the Blues have another level to them," Janssen told co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke. "How much farther they can go? What is their peak? Are they squeaking in and maybe doing a little damage in the playoffs?
"But as of right now I think they needed some sort of shakeup. They can always be a little bit better as a whole and they're not doing it so they're like, 'Our only option is to fire Craig Berube and see if Drew Bannister can come up there and ignite some of these kids.' "
Janssen, who played for the Blues from 2007-11, is a radio personality in St. Louis and part of the popular "Cam & Strick Podcast."
"Maybe they're [playing] five percent below [expectations], but that five percent could squeak you in," Janssen said. "When you watch the team, though, you really do think there could be a little bit more."
In addition to chatting with Janssen, Rosen and Roarke offered their own takes on the Blues' firing Berube, who guided them to a Stanley Cup championship in 2019.
They also discussed Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record and why it's not so much of a foregone conclusion the Washington Capitals forward passes "The Great One" anymore.
And they talked about the depth in the Metropolitan Division, agreeing on the Philadelphia Flyers but disagreeing on the New York Islanders. The red-hot Edmonton Oilers came up in the discussion too.
The "NHL @TheRink"podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
