“I’m going to be here until they don’t want me anymore. » Thus expressed Martin St-Louis, Tuesday, after the 82e and last game of the Canadian season. It seems his bosses still want him for a little while.
Kent Hughes, general manager of the team, began his end-of-season review by announcing that the team was exercising a two-year option on St. Louis’ contract.
This option is added to the year remaining on his contract. The Habs head coach therefore has an agreement valid until the end of the 2026-2027 season.
“Every day he improves a new aspect. It seems like we don’t yet know who he is, because he has more to show, judged the Canadiens’ vice-president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton, during the same assessment in Brossard.
“I like how he talks to the media, he treats everyone so well, with respect, he behaves very well in front of the team, and on top of that, there is the hockey aspect. He is proud to always improve and we see it. Kent and I talk about it, he’s very impressive and he’s the right person for what we’re doing. He is at the front for our franchise and we are proud of it. »
Hired in February 2022 to serve as reconstruction foreman, St. Louis just completed his second full season at the helm of the team. The Habs have an overall record of 75-100-26 since his arrival, for a record of .438, the 28e in the NHL. This season, Montreal has collected 76 points, 8 more than last year, but it did so with only 30 victories, one less than last year. The team lost 16 tiebreaker games, including the last 4 of the season.
St. Louis led the team with a group of coaches with little experience behind the NHL benches. His assistants Alexandre Burrows, Stéphane Robidas and Trevor Letowski are all, like him, having their first experience as coaches behind the bench in the big league.
That said, despite plateauing special teams, Hughes didn’t flinch when asked if adding an experienced assistant was on his to-do list this summer.
“Now that we have settled Martin, we will discuss with the deputies for extensions,” explained the CEO. We’re going to meet them (Thursday), we’re going to talk about the season, we’re going to talk with Martin. Our coaches have a lot of experience as players and they are brilliant individually. We will look at whether we believe we need to add experience, whether in the management team or coachingbut I cannot say that today, we believe we need to add a coach of experience. »
Since the arrival of St-Louis, the Habs have come to 31e rank in the NHL in power play (16.2%) and penalty kill (75.3%). This season the team ranked 27e on a power play (17.5%), and allowed 12 goals to the opponent in these circumstances, the worst performance in the circuit, tied with Pittsburgh. Outnumbered, Montreal showed timid progress, ranking 24e (76.5%).
St-Louis, however, oversaw the development of several members of the young core. Thus, under his leadership, Nick Suzuki this season became the first Habs player to reach the 75-point mark since Alex Kovalev’s 84 in 2007-2008. Juraj Slafkovsky, who has just celebrated his 20th birthday, scored 50 points; he is only the second player in the club’s long history to have reached fifty before the age of 21; the other was Guy Lafleur.
And Mike Matheson’s 62 points – a younger man, that one – are a high for a CH defender since Andrei Markov’s 64-point season in 2008-2009.
Still on the subject of coaches, Hughes did not want to comment on the subject of Jean-François Houle, pilot of the Laval Rocket. He called that the farm club still has two games to play this weekend and is trying to qualify for the playoffs. “For the moment, we’re allowing them to focus on participating in the playoffs, and then, we’re going to talk to JF and his coaches ” replied Hughes.
And Gorton?
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jeff Gorton
If the future of St-Louis in Montreal has never really left any doubt, the same cannot be said of Jeff Gorton.
The VP seemed very relaxed for this press briefing, making jokes as he always does. At the first question addressed to him, after almost 10 minutes, he removed his headset in which he receives instant translation, and seemed amused. “You always ask me what I do. Do you see it. Kent talks all the time and I listen! »
His name has been mentioned again in recent weeks, notably by TSN informant Darren Dreger, regarding upcoming changes to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are looking for a GM. Without saying that the Jackets were interested in Gorton, he named the CH VP as an example of a candidate who could encourage Columbus to review its structure.
In short, there is noise around Gorton, but the VP quickly tried to evacuate the rumors.
“It’s just gossip,” Gorton assured. I’m here, I’m happy, I love Montreal and the organization. Geoff Molson is incredible with us. Winning a Cup in Montreal is the only thing I think about. »
reference: www.lapresse.ca