Blues' David Backes suggests Ken Hitchcock is on his last chance

One last kick at the can.

That's what the St. Louis Blues' decision to retain head coach Ken Hitchcock - on a one-year contract announced Tuesday - translates to, at least, after the team's failed courtship of Mike Babcock.

In itself, the term speaks to management's caution, which was echoed by captain David Backes' assessment of the decision.

"I think they'd be amiss not doing their due diligence," he said of Babcock, speaking to Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"That being said, it's a business. In the end, they came back and they said that Hitch is their guy and he's got a one-year deal to prove that he can get a job done."

Backes admitted his relationship with Hitchcock isn't exactly peachy, but understands Hitchcock's method.

"I've got no issues with him. Does he ride guys hard and has he been on my case at times, where it's made me angry? Yes. But he does it in the light of trying to make our team better, trying to make each individual player better," Backes said.

"But when you take a step back and you realize, 'Oh that's why he was all over me because I was not being as productive as I could be,' he's very effective."