Pink Slip Index: Murray Out, Who's Next?

Saturday, the St. Louis Blues fired their head coach Andy Murray which, much like a weird version of the bat signal, has summoned me from the depths of the Internet for another emergency edition of the Pink Slip Index.

Last time this happened, the Flyers' firing of John Stevens caught me a bit off guard. But not this time, dear reader. Andy Murray was the top candidate for departure on our last countdown, giving PSI a shooting percentage of 50 percent on the season. At this pace, that's a Hall of Fame number.

All jokes aside, the Blues did what has been speculated upon for months and even as far back as last season before they made a mini-miracle run to the postseason. Many expected them to make another run at the playoffs this season -- this writer picked them to finish sixth out West -- and they have struggled so far.

The main catalyst for all of this, as was pointed out elsewhere, is that the Blues are a horrific 6-13-3 on home ice. That's the worst home record in the league so far this season and makes the Blues the only team in the Western Conference with fewer than nine home wins. Surprisingly, they've been just the opposite on the road with an 11-4-3 mark. Put those two records together and they're still subpar. Going into Saturday night's tilt against Chicago, the Blues sat at 12th in the conference and nine points out of the final playoff spot.

Some of the blame for the Blues' poor record falls at the feet of their young stars. On a team filled with tons of talented young forwards -- David Backes, David Perron, TJ Oshie and Patrik Berglund to name four -- 32-year-old Andy McDonald is leading the team with 12 goals. Backes, who was named to Team USA earlier in the week, is on pace for 13 fewer goals this year. Oshie had 39 points in 57 games and was +16 last season. So far this season he is -5 and on pace for 41 points in 74 games. Berglund is on pace for almost half as many points in just as many games. Perron's really been the only one to continue from where he left off in 2008-09.

John Davidson, showing some character by waiting until after the holidays and Winter Classic to make a move, has named the Blues' top minor league coach as Murray's replacement. Davis Payne, who has been coaching the team's AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, will take over. The most noticeable difference between the two is age. Payne, 39, takes over for a 58-year-old. Maybe that will have the right effect on the team.

Maybe it's got more to do with expectations and pressure on the young kids than anything else. Last season, the Blues were coming off a 2007-08 season in which they finished 26th in the league. They were certainly still in rebuilding mode and expectations weren't nearly as high as they were this season after the playoff run. There's still time left this year and we'll have to see if Payne can turn things around.

For now, I present to you the updated chopping block with special guest appearances from Hollywood!

5. Ron Wilson/Randy Carlyle/Paul Maurice. There really isn't one particular coach that I want to put here. All of these teams have had a bad season but each of these three coaches are likely to, at the least, finish out the season behind their respective benches thanks to their previous accomplishments. But they are all still taking some lumps.
Seat status: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry

4. Todd Richards, Minnesota (LR: 3). The Wild had a good December, which is why Richards' seat is getting cooler.
Seat status: Reese Witherspoon

3. Pat Quinn, Edmonton Oilers (Last Rank: --). Quinn is so respected in the business and, I would assume, by GM Steve Tambellini. He's in only his first season behind Edmonton's bench and, like the three coaches at No. 5, has earned the right to finish out the season. But this team has fallen so hard so fast it's impossible to overlook.
Seat status: Jennifer Aniston (of age and classy, like Pat)

2. Peter DeBoer, Florida Panthers (LR: 2). The Panthers are looking the same as they have for a few years now; maybe next year is the year.
Seat status: Anne Hathaway

1. Ken Hitchcock, Columbus Blue Jackets (LR: --). Hitch is another well-respected coach on our countdown and has been around the league for a while. He's in his third season with the team and they have improved every year ... until now. The team has bottomed out and is 1-6-3 in their last 10 with three wins in their last 22. They now find themselves 12 points out of a playoff spot and last in a tough division. Hitch may not deserve to take the fall here but this record combined with the NIkita Filatov mess isn't helping his case.
Seat status: Megan Fox