For most of the offseason, the Montreal Canadiens have focused on extending key players with new deals for Ivan Demidov, Jakub Dobes, a four-year contract for Zachary Bolduc, a four-year extension for Alex Newhook, and a new one-year deal for Arber Xhekaj. However, the Canadiens didn't forget about their head coach, as Martin St. Louis got a new contract that keeps him with Montreal through the 2029-30 season.
It was welcome news to the Canadiens' captain Nick Suzuki, who considers St. Louis his favorite coach and has a unique way of describing him.
"He's probably my favorite coach ever. It's nice to have him locked in with us, and with the way he has gotten better every year, he has pushed us every year," Suzuki said. "He is such a hockey nerd, for lack of a better term."
Chris Kreider always saw Martin St. Louis as a coach, even when they were playing together
Whether it is nerd or another term to describe Martin St. Louis, he clearly has a passion for the game and always willing to share the way he sees the game. During Chris Kreider's first meeting with the media after signing with the Montreal Canadiens, he talked about how he reached out to St. Louis prior to him becoming head coach of Montreal to get some help.
"The year before he got hired here, I actually reached out and asked to work with him individually and super generous. He sat down and was going over tape with me," Kreider said.
The newest Montreal Canadiens player went on to talk about how he always envisioned St. Louis being a coach, even when the two were playing together for the New York Rangers.
This might be one of the reasons that the transition from player to coach was seemingly effortless for St. Louis. While the Canadiens didn't have immediate success, they were constantly improving and they have been over the first part of his time as head coach.
In his first two full seasons as head coach, the Canadiens finished last in the Atlantic Division with 68 points in 2022-23 and then 76 points in 2024-25. The past two seasons, though, have been their biggest season-over-season improvements, as they had 91 points in 2024-25 and made the playoffs. This past season, once again, the Canadiens improved to get to 106 points and would get past the first round.
It was one of the reasons why it was an easy decision to extend Martin St. Louis as head coach. He has built a strong relationship with his players, and even new players to the team, like Kreider, know what kind of coach St. Louis is even before playing a game for him.
The Montreal Canadiens have done a good job securing their future on the ice with extensions for their players and have made sure they have the right coach for this group moving forward.
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