Despite exit, no changes in store for Blues ... yet

ST. LOUIS -- Cooler heads will prevail before the Blues deal with the fallout of their first-round playoff exit.

General manager Larry Pleau acknowledged that the future of coach Joel Quenneville could be in question. Pleau's future, too. He planned to speak soon with owner Bill Laurie.

"We're not going to make any knee-jerking decisions," Pleau said. "We're not going to make any emotional decisions.

"I can't just say 'Well, we lost again. We're going to make wholesale changes.'"

Pleau and Quenneville have produced unprecedented regular-season success for the franchise since arriving five months apart in 1997, with 100-point range seasons on an annual basis.

But the Blues have been eliminated in the first round three times during the past seven seasons. They've also been on a backward slide since reaching the Western Conference finals in 2001, falling in the second round last year and being eliminated Tuesday by Vancouver after blowing a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history.

Pleau refused to give Quenneville a vote of confidence, saying he's seen that given too many times and then the coach gets fired anyway. He said Quenneville's performance will be a component of the offseason evaluation process.

"He'll be part of the process, just like I will be," Pleau said. "If I'm going to wake up after what we did and everything is all right, that's wrong. I'm not sitting here worried. But the expectations weren't met, and I'm responsible."

Players who gathered at the Savvis Center for end-of-season meetings are behind Quenneville.

"I think he's done a great job," defenseman Chris Pronger said. "This time of year, you've got to question everybody. A lot of questions get asked right now and I don't think you're going to find too many answers at this point in time."

Quenneville is looking forward to working next season with a healthy Pronger, who missed almost the entire season with wrist and knee injuries.

"I'm planning on coming back," Quenneville said. "The nature of this business is coaches get hired and fired all the time.

"We're definitely miserable at the outcome, but we've got a lot of good things in place."

Laurie already has told Pleau that the team payroll probably will remain in the $60 million range. Pleau said the nucleus of high-priced stars -- Keith Tkachuk, Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis and Doug Weight -- likely will remain in place, but said others definitely will not be back.

MacInnis, who turns 40 in July, is entering the final year of his contract. He missed four games in the playoffs with a separated right shoulder.

"Al has a contract and knowing Al and this type of injury, he'll come back like he's brand new," Pleau said.

Pleau refused to name players who won't be back, saying "I would never discuss that in public."

"If I've got a player in that room that I want to tell today, I'd tell them," he said.

Pleau said, though, players won't be judged solely on playoff performance. He raved about the postseason of center Doug Weight, who leads the NHL with 13 points, while criticizing his lack of production in the regular season.

"For whatever reasons, Games 5, 6 and 7 weren't good games for us," Pleau said. "I can't just look at three games. A manager in any business can't do that."

Players hope they get another chance.

"We felt we had a legitimate chance of winning the Cup, and I still feel with this group that hopefully we'll get another chance to do it next year," forward Dallas Drake said. "It's just frustrating. It really is."