In terms of the NHL roster, it has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Montreal Canadiens. The focus was seemingly around securing the future and they did that with extensions for Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes.
The rebuild for the Canadiens has been almost flawless up to this point, with finding top-tier players in the NHL Draft and agreeing to reasonable extensions. However, there is one thing left for them to do and if they can't extend Martin St. Louis, it easily could derail the rebuild.
During the 2021-22 season, the Canadiens decided it was time to make a coaching change and fired Dominique Ducharme. At the time, they took a risk and brought in Martin St. Louis, who had no head coaching experience in the NHL or the AHL.
However, it was the right choice as St. Louis was able to lean on his prior experience as a player to help develop and lead the young roster. The Canadiens in 2024 were quick to exercise the team option on St. Louis' contract that kept him in this role through the 2026-27 season.
Montreal Canadiens can't let Martin St. Louis coach with just one year left on his contract
One of the best things a team can do is help avoid distractions and eliminate potential questions from the media. There is no question that if Martin St. Louis doesn't have a new contract going into this season, it will be a constant talking point and not only the coach but the players as well.
In each season that St. Louis has been the head coach, the Montreal Canadiens have improved every season as their point total went from 55 to 68, to 76, to 91, to 106 this past season. They have been able to make the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and after a first-round exit in 2025, they made it to the Conference Finals against the Hurricanes.
While the Canadiens have no reason to believe that Martin St. Louis can't be the coach to lead them to a Stanley Cup, if they are unwilling to commit long-term, even a two-year extension at least moves the conversation further out. It gives the team, from the coaching staff to the players, the chance to focus solely on the season.
As nice as it would be to see a trade for like Kirill Marchenko, at this point the best thing the Canadiens can do is extend Martin St. Louis.
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