The biggest factor for the Montreal Canadiens rebuild to be successful is a culture where every player is constantly learning.
Cole Caufield is an example of a player who is always trying to find new innovative ways to outsmart the opposition and put the puck in the net. Habs head coach Martin St. Louis made a career out of being the hardest worker. So, naturally St. Louis's tricks that he picked up during his career found their way into his teaching.
Seeing it in real time is where it gets pretty exciting - its obvious that St. Louis was hired because of his experience. But also because of his tenacity and the fact that he never gave up, even though the odds were stacked against him. So, when he showed Caufield a trick during practice, it was cool to see Caufield use the move less than a month later successfully.
St. Louis - the players coach
Every coach has a different approach to how they teach their players, some more effective than others, but all with the same goal. The hope when St. Louis was hired by the Canadiens was that his approach would be one that breeds future success. Patrick Roy, Guy Carbonneau, Rod Brind'Amour and many other players made the transition from former player to NHL coach successfully.
The reason they were able to do that is because what they are preaching is stuff that they went through in the past. If they say, "do this, it's going to work," or "avoid this, you won't benefit from it," it's because they experienced it. The players respect is earned, but when a player who has had success at the level that St. Louis has, they command respect when they enter the room.
With St. Louis it's the best of both worlds, he commands respect because his resume speaks for itself. But he is also a smart, studious guy who earned everything that he achieved and he listens to his players. Sure, he expects that they listen to his, but he is a communicator and that is why he is the right guy for the job.
It takes a special kind of person to coach, and that is even more true for a coach at the National Hockey League level. But for a coach to be behind the bench of an Original Six hockey team, with the history that the Canadiens have, that is on another level. It isn't a light decision choosing who will hold the reigns and guide the team, especially for a team needing to find direction.
St. Louis is the guy for many reasons, but mostly because he listens, teaches and guides his players in the right direction.