Blues retain head coach Ken Hitchcock on 1-year deal: 'This is unfinished business to me'

The St. Louis Blues will stick with what, well, has sort of worked.

General manager Doug Armstrong announced Tuesday the Blues agreed to terms on a one-year contract to retain head coach Ken Hitchcock.

"This is unfinished business to me," Hitchcock said as he met the media. "I don't want to coach to coach. I want to coach to win."

The agreement comes less than a week after Mike Babcock was introduced as the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blues were one of a handful of clubs to seek out permission to speak with the former Detroit Red Wings bench boss.

Armstrong also announced the team's assistant coaches will be returning next season.

The Blues haven't missed the postseason and have counted three 100-point seasons under the guidance of the veteran coach, but have failed to advance into the second round in each of the last three years.

St. Louis' most recent disappointment came at the hands of the Minnesota Wild, who needed six games to unseat the Central Division champions this spring.