It’s apparent that the Montreal Canadiens needed a breath of fresh air and Martin St. Louis has been exactly that.
So it’s rather unsurprising that Kent Hughes decided to exercise St. Louis’ two-year option. Marty was still under contract until the end of the 2024-25 season. But the move ensures that he sticks around Montreal for at least the next three years.
When asked about entering the final year of his coaching contract with the Habs he was very transparent with his answer. His goal hasn’t changed and he plans to keep moving ahead and demanding the best out of his players. St. Louis doesn’t intend to go anywhere else, so long as Hughes wants him in Montreal, that is where he will stay.
“It’s a passion, not a job. I want to be here until they don’t want me anymore.” - Martin St. Louis on entering the final season of his contract to coach the Canadiens.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) April 17, 2024
2022-23 and 2023-24 have been building block seasons and the onus has largely been focused on development. For St. Louis that has given him the confidence to let his players perform freely, while still focusing on the fundamentals required to win. It’s a fine line, but he has earned the respect of the players in the locker room and everybody has bought in.
Next year will be another step up the ladder, with increased expectations both internally; and in the room amongst the players. And Hughes, St. Louis and Jeff Gorton will hope for a jump up the standings and a hopeful playoff berth. This offseason, more specifically the NHL draft and free agency will be a big opportunity for Hughes to add some pieces to the roster in support of taking the next step.
St. Louis is no stranger to adversity; as we all know, he made the NHL with all the odds stacked against him. He came into the league as an undrafted free agent and worked his tail off to achieve his many accolades. That same bullheaded approach shines through in his coaching; you can never count out his team.
What the confidence that Hughes has instilled in St. Louis giving him the reins for the next three seasons says is that this is your team and we trust what you’re doing. It makes a lot of sense because the team has been performing considerably well when you take into account the injuries and lack of goalscoring throughout lines two to four. He has managed to get a lot out of his players and with a stronger roster, there’s no telling how far this team can go.
A winning culture is being established in La Belle Province and St. Louis will continue to be at the helm for the foreseeable future.