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He鈥檚 transported behind the bench in Winnipeg, Game 7, and his team is up by a goal with just a few seconds left in Game 7 and ...

Goal.

Winnipeg.

鈥淲e should have moved on (to the next round),鈥� said the coach Montgomery, whose Blues proceeded to lose in double overtime. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that simple.鈥�

But last season was last season 鈥� and this season begins next month with camp. And this season could 鈥� could 鈥� be so good, it might make folks forget how 2024-25 ended.

From inside his office at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Montgomery spoke to the Post-Dispatch about the state of the Blues, the rise of Robert Thomas, the trade of Zack Bolduc and the return that was young defenseman Logan Mailloux.

Q: It鈥檚 August, it鈥檚 so hot outside, but the season is coming sooner than many people think. What are your emotions?

A: I think for us, it鈥檚 a tempered excitement. And I think having talked to our (leadership), there鈥檚 a lot of excitement about what we can achieve. And we鈥檙e trying to temper that because it is August and we know there鈥檚 a lot of work to do. It鈥檚 been really good, like, the captains have called and have said, like, 鈥楬ey, we want this to be harder this year.鈥� There鈥檚 been that kind of communication about how our actions, our habits and our behaviors will follow the excitement.

It鈥檚 good to be excited. Everybody wants to win right now, but there鈥檚 work to be done, and we all know how hard we had to work just to make the playoffs this year. We want to get off to a great start. And that work has to start from Day 1.

Q: Robert Thomas鈥� surge was incredible (42 points in the final 27 games). What are your memories of Robert鈥檚 run there?

A: My memory of Robert鈥檚 run is the change in demeanor and attitude at the rink daily. There was an intention to everything he was doing. He was on the ice earlier, he was off the ice later. He was working on parts of his game. He was communicating to linemates, communicating to coaches, communicating to the other captains more. He was just all-in. It was nice to see that development. And (captain) Brayden Schenn needed that kind of support.

That kind of propelled our team, not just Thomas, but there was an intention by everybody, whether it was (Pavel) Buchnevich. (Dylan) Holloway was that way at a level, and Schenn and (Jordan) Kyrou were carrying us up until then, offensively. But when you get your No. 1 center all-in like that, people notice the goals and the assists, but they don鈥檛 notice how good he was defensively. He spearheaded our D-zone coverage and how little time we spent in a D zone. He played the important minutes in all the important situations.

And he was one of the guys who spoke up about having two good (and balanced) power-plays (units) 鈥� and wanting that. Yeah, that鈥檚 great leadership by example. That competition we had within the team. It just never stopped. And then it was every day in practice. And he was a huge, huge part of that.

Q: Zack Bolduc grew under you (19 goals in 51 games with Montgomery at the helm). And then the Blues traded him this offseason. What were your emotions with that? And tell me about Mailloux, who you got in return from Montreal 鈥� what鈥檚 exciting about him?

A: As a coach, you love to see guys (such as Bolduc) progress ... watching them take the bull by the horns. ... And I have to give (assistant coach) Claude Julien credit, he did a lot of really good work with him. Did a lot of one-on-one video. And he credited Claude to me in a conversation we had after he was traded to Montreal. So you love to see players go like that. We saw the same thing right away with Jimmy Snuggerud. We saw it with Tyler Tucker 鈥� he took on an incredible role and was so important to our team success.

So you love to see that, and you know that it鈥檚 because our leaders are showing them the way, and there鈥檚 a lot of ownership and pride individually in what we鈥檙e trying to do.

To be a Blue and get the privilege of playing every night, it鈥檚 an honor. And I think that has shifted in the right direction about how much of an honor it is to represent the Blues.

Logan Mailloux is a manchild in a really good way. A lot of people are going see a baby (Colton) Parayko. Although they鈥檙e not exactly the same 鈥� this young man may have more physicality to him naturally, and he may have a little more offensive upside in the passing department. But he can bomb it. We鈥檙e trying not to get too excited because we want to see him come in, and we haven鈥檛 really worked with them. But we think he鈥檚 going to be someone that鈥檚 going to help us as he grows 鈥� if he takes the same steps of the Tuckers, the Bolducs, the Snuggeruds, he鈥檚 going to be a really good Blue for a really long time.

Q: What comes to mind about that Game 7 stunning goal?

A: I think about it, I would say, once every week or two weeks, just because 鈥� we should have moved on. It鈥檚 that simple. There鈥檚 no way we should have (lost). Because in the first 17 minutes, they didn鈥檛 really have much, and then they scored that second goal. And this is where we have to get better as a group 鈥� and I need to get better. The guys on the ice, we didn鈥檛 play with the poise we usually do. We iced four pucks (late in the third). I think two of those were good icings, in my opinion, because there was no time and space, so why not shoot for an empty net? But there were two others where I don鈥檛 think we had to, we could have skated the puck out of trouble, and I think the game鈥檚 over. ...

I do think we鈥檙e going to be really good this year. I always preface this because our actions and behaviors got to back it up, but from talking to the players, their attitudes right now and the things we鈥檙e talking about remind me of things I was talking to the Patrice Bergerons and Brad Marchands of the world in Boston. So where (the Blues鈥�) heads are at, they鈥檙e talking about winning hockey 鈥� and how that happens.