It is a measure of his astonishing NHL playing career that Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St-Louis will never be able to top his on-ice feats, including winning a Stanley Cup championship with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014.
But in three-and-a-half years coaching the Montreal Canadiens, St-Louis has delivered some phenomenal results, including an unlikely playoff berth last year.
So the question arises – what in heavenâ€s sake does St-Louis do for an encore?
Heâ€s done as well as just about anyone could as the Canadiens continue their rebuild from the foundations, but St-Louis has raised the competitive bar for his team as they head into the 2025-26 regular season.
Without a doubt, it would be devastating for the Canadiens if they slipped a bit and missed out on a post-season berth this year. BetMGM gave the Canadiens better odds of making the playoffs (1.80, -125) than missing out (2.00, +100), after all.
But everybody knows that progress isnâ€t always linear. Sometimes a backward step or lateral move is what’s necessary to create a team that can handle adversity and thrive in the face of it. That may wind up being true for St-Louis and this generation of Canadiens players, but not if they can help it.
Last year at this time, the expectations on Montreal was that it should be aiming for some sort of step forward. In fact, on Nov. 4, 2024, the Habs were tied for the fewest points in the NHL, and it looked like they were making no progress at all under St-Louis.
Few pundits had the Habs as a playoff team, so St-Louis more than earned his salary when he steered them to a first-round playoff appearance.
But hereâ€s where the increased expectations come in for this season: a playoff appearance and another quick exit – like the one the Canadiens had last spring at the hands of the Washington Capitals – will not be seen as a positive for Montreal. To be sure, nothing short of a first-round win will be seen as progress for the Habs this year. And at a point in time where NHL coaches are fired on an alarmingly-regular basis, St-Louis can only assure himself of job security if he has some tangible type of progress to show for it.
What can St-Louis do for an encore? Well, a first-round series win would be another terrific achievement for him. Or a seven-game series loss in the first round would be understandable if, say, the Canadiens lost the deciding game in a close matchup.
The bottom line would be the same – the Habs donâ€t yet have a team that can win home-ice advantage in the highly competitive Atlantic Division – but making them tougher in every regard would be something St-Louis could point to as an indication heâ€s got the Canadiens on the right path.
Montreal Canadiens’ Choice For Their Second-Line Center Raises Doubts
The Montreal Canadiens had a game-changing off-season.
The rest of the Atlantic – and the NHL – wonâ€t hand the Habs a playoff spot this year or any year. Montreal is going to have to earn that. But under St-Louis’ guidance, the Canadiens overachieved last season, and making the playoffs is now the expectation, not a pleasant surprise. Thereâ€s no evidence to declare they canâ€t do it again.
If they actually do it again and then win a round, St-Louis†impact on the Habs will be all the more impressive.
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