Martin St. Louis will be great for Demidov, Hage
Martin St. Louis ensured that Juraj Slafkovsky stuck around Montreal during the frustrating times last season. I expect that he earned a ton of respect from the players for his decision and I expect that the Canadiens recent first round selections will benefit greatly from St Louis' approach.
Martin St. Louis was brought on as head coach for the Montreal Canadiens for an array of reasons, but his patience and understanding of his players has stood out at the top.
When Arber Xhekaj and Juraj Slafkovsky struggled, Marty ensured to do all he could to get the best out of his players. Ultimately Xhekaj was sent down to Laval, but Slafkovsky stuck with the Canadiens and when he hit his stride, St. Louis trust was a huge reason for it. Slafkovsky is physical proof that St. Louis has a way with his players, and his communication skills and experience make him the perfect fit for the Habs bench boss.
We have seen it with Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook, St. Louis lets the players play their game, but he guides them and shows them little things they might not notice. The thing about St. Louis is that against all odds, he made it to the NHL and won a Stanley Cup and the Hart Trophy in the same season. His never die attitude has translated through to his coaching and his hockey IQ and vision are almost an unfair advantage for his players.
Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage will do well with new school coaching
The hope is that Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage will become two more top-six pillars for the Canadiens. This means that their development is extremely important and having proper coaching will be crucial for their path to the NHL. Montreal development staff was leaned on heavily by Slafkovsky and many others, but the fact that they were able to help Slafkovsky round out a strong two-way game, is a positive for the two newest future Habs hopefuls.
With offensive players, it can be frustrating when they aren't performing and if they don't play a responsible 200-foot game, then they could potentially hurt the team. But when they are coached to compete in all three zones, from a player who was an elite offensive talent during his playing days, you know they are in good hands. When Caufield was trying to find new ways to score and attack the opposition, St. Louis was game to show him new tricks.
Obviously the NHL is the epitome of hockey and the coaches at the NHL level are the best at what they do. So, when Demidov, Hage and many others arrive ready to prove themselves in Montreal, though they will be ready, they will have a lot to learn from Marty. This is precisely why he was one of, if not the most important hires for the Canadiens, and that's not discrediting Jeff Gorton or Kent Hughes.
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