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Montreal Canadiens: Grading Martin St. Louis a Year Later

By Ryan Praught

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 07: Head coach Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens on stage during Round One of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 07, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 07: Head coach Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens on stage during Round One of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 07, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Martin St. Louis has made the Habs Fun

MONTREAL, CANADA - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Martin St-Louis, handles bench duties during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights at Centre Bell on November 5, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6-4. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, CANADA – NOVEMBER 05: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Martin St-Louis, handles bench duties during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights at Centre Bell on November 5, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6-4. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

A year ago, hockey at the Bell Centre was not a fun experience, and it almost always ended with the home team losing. And it wasn’t just the result that was bad; it was the whole process, and that’s why a coaching change needed to happen. We learned a lot about St. Louis as a coach at the end of December. The Canadiens had just lost games by a score of 7-2, 9-2, and 6-3, and they had every reason to give up right then and there. But instead, they responded with a strong month of January.

It’s still unclear if Martin St. Louis is the calibre of coach needed to lead his team to a Stanley Cup, but fortunately for Montreal, that’s not what they need right now. What they need is a coach that can get the most out of his players every night and show improvement. It’s abundantly clear that he can do that. He’s given Habs fans a reason to tune in every night, even if they lose because they get to watch an inspired team play competitive hockey. During a rebuild, that’s all you can ask for.

Final Grade: A

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