The Canadiens haven’t closed the book on Martin St-Louis yet, and that’s starting to turn heads.
What looked like a routine extension has stretched into an unexpectedly long wait. By mid-July, many around the team believed the deal would already be done, and the sense around the league was that it was little more than a formality. Nothing in the situation suggests trouble, but the delay is still notable.
St-Louis has just one season left on his current contract, and under normal NHL practice, that usually isn’t where a head coach enters a new season. The expectation was that Montreal would lock him up well before now, especially after bringing in Derek Lalonde, which seemed to point toward a quick confirmation of the coaching staff’s stability.
That hasn’t happened.
It’s also a different pace from what the Canadiens have done before with St-Louis. In June 2022, the team gave him a new contract one month after the season ended.
In April 2024, they moved even faster, activating the options on his deal just hours after the season wrapped. Against that backdrop, this summer’s silence stands out.
So why the hold-up in 2026? There are plenty of theories, but none that clearly rise above the rest.
Kent Hughes may simply have had other matters on his plate, with the situations involving Pascal Vincent and Trevor Letowski, along with additions to the locker room, taking up much of the summer. It’s also possible the talks are more complicated than expected.
Or maybe everything is already settled, and the team has just chosen to revisit it after the holidays.
For now, the broader picture around St-Louis remains positive. He had an excellent regular season, even with some criticism for how he handled the playoffs. And Hughes and Gorton have both shown they’re comfortable waiting until the final year of a contract before signing long-term extensions.
Still, this one is lingering longer than anyone expected. In Montreal, that kind of delay never stays quiet for long.
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What makes the conversation interesting is that the options being discussed all bring something a little different to the table, from centre-wing versatility to a more direct scoring threat. Hughes has shown a willingness to keep looking for moves that match the teams long-term plan, and this is the kind of speculation that naturally gets fans talking because it feels less like a random rumor and more like the sort of swing Montreal has been waiting to make. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Let A Real Free Agency Chance Quietly Slip Away
Anthony Manthas offseason market offered a small window into how the Canadiens are approaching free agency under Kent Hughes. Mantha said Montreal did talk with him, which fits with a team that has been willing to explore options, but also one that has been selective about where it spends its money and what kind of player it wants to add.
Mantha was looking for a longer-term commitment, and Montreal never got comfortable enough with the fit to keep pushing. Hughes has made it clear the Canadiens are not interested in forcing a move just to say they were active, and this was another example of that caution shaping the roster, even if it meant letting a recognizable name move on. [Read more 🡒]