Martin St. Louis gives assessment of Canadiens

It was never going to be perfect and linear, but a winding road with bumps and curves; that will need to be patiently and precisely navigated by the Montreal Canadiens.

Rebuilding requires the right players to be in place with proper linemates who will best utilize each other's skills. The problem is that sometimes those guys are still developing or they are injured. The latter is the case for the Canadiens who have high hopes for Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage.

Martin St. Louis pointed out what he likes about the Canadiens, which might be harder than one would think when the team is struggling. But for Marty, who is around the team each day, he knows how hard they work to defend. Even though it comes at the expense of offence, he knows that playing the game the right way will eventually ensure the Canadiens are improved the right way.

The Canadiens have played relatively well on defence, and the team has bought in on defending as best they can. But the offensive side of the puck, while undergoing work, still needs plenty of practice and reps to fight through the slump. Sometimes it's a confidence thing, but sometimes it's just getting a feel for what works, and then continuing to do that.

I would rather see the team struggling and figuring things out this way, than having expectations to do something big and not being able to because they haven't gone through the reps and developed callouses. Hockey is a business and each team wants to win the Stanley Cup every season, but the teams that are best coached and developed often reign superior. St. Louis has done his best to coach and the development stage is currently underway.

Balance is key, balance and patience

I think that with each season that passes, St. Louis is forced to step out of comfort zone and demand more from his team. Whether this comes off as him being more vocal and aggressive with his team or more communicative, St. Louis knows what to do. I remember reading posts about St. Louis being inexperienced as a coach, but the knowledge gained from a Hall of Fame career isn't something that is learned overnight.

Patience is also the biggest virtue that a former hockey player brings to an NHL bench; simply because it requires so much work to get to the highest level. This is even more true when you consider that St. Louis didn't get drafted, then finish his NCAA career, then turn pro and so on. But he had to work his tail off, despite having a dominant career at the University of Vermont.

After college, St. Louis played a season in the IHL, before heading to the American Hockey League to play with the Saint John Flames. Between 1997-98 and 1999-2000, St Louis bounced back and forth between Saint John and the Calgary Flames. St. Louis didn't get recognized as an NHL talent until joining the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 40 points through 78 games.

It's going to take some time, but that is how the best things come to be when they are nurtured and grown organically.