With training camp only a little more than two weeks away, the Montreal Canadiens still have a pair of restricted free agents to sort out in Arber Xhekaj and Samuel Bolduc. Whether those situations are tied to a possible trade or simply taking more time than expected, they are not the only contract questions hanging over the team.
Martin St-Louis should be right near the top of that list.
When the Canadiens brought him in on February 9, 2022, plenty of people wondered whether he was ready for the job. He had no professional coaching résumé to lean on, and the hire came with a built-in dose of skepticism. Since then, though, St-Louis has answered just about every doubt thrown his way.
He has guided the Canadiens through the different phases of a rebuild and established himself as a strong teacher for young players. As the roster matured, he raised the bar with it.
Montreal is no longer operating like a team just trying to collect experience. The expectation now is much bigger: win, and start looking like a real Stanley Cup contender.
The playoff path under St-Louis has reflected that growth, even if it has not always been smooth. In his first trip to the postseason with the club, the Canadiens were bounced in five games by the Washington Capitals.
The next year was a much sterner test, and St-Louis passed it in the first round against Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He stuck with the belief that his top line could work through the matchup game, then adjusted when it became clear the group needed help.
That shift helped Montreal win the chess match and advance to the second round.
The series against the Buffalo Sabers was messy at times, but the Canadiens survived a seven-game battle. Their run ended in the Eastern Conference Final, where the Carolina Hurricanes’ system proved too much for St-Louis to crack.
Even so, taking such a young team that far was no small accomplishment. After the playoffs, GM Kent Hughes said a contract extension was in the cards for the coach.
That makes the current silence a little louder. The Canadiens have had a quiet summer on the coaching side aside from Derek Lalonde’s hiring, and it would be a surprise if St-Louis opened the season without a fresh deal in hand.
Players have repeatedly said they enjoy playing for the Hall of Famer, and the stability angle matters too. Starting the year without an extension would not exactly project confidence, especially when the coach and the roster appear aligned in the same direction.
There may even be a practical reason for the timing. Montreal could be holding the announcement for the September 14 golf tournament, much the way Ivan Demidov’s contract extension helped shift attention away from the fact that Hughes did not make any signings in free agency. A new St-Louis deal would also turn the spotlight onto the coach rather than the GM, who still has not landed a needle-moving move this summer.
St-Louis’ current contract situation has been straightforward enough to track. He was officially named the 32nd head coach in franchise history on June 1, 2022 after starting on an interim basis.
His original deal covered the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Then, on April 24, 2024, the Canadiens announced they had exercised their option on his contract, bringing him back for three seasons.
Two of those years are now done, and it feels like the next step should be another signature.
There is also a personal piece to the picture. Last season, St-Louis said he was looking forward to this year because his wife could finally join him in Montreal, with the couple’s three children no longer living at home in Connecticut. If anything, that should make committing to the Canadiens even easier.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkin Rumors Suddenly Carry A Bigger Rebuild Message
The Canadiens have spent this rebuild preaching patience, leaning on drafting and development instead of chasing shortcuts. That approach has kept the long view intact, but it also means every potential big-name target gets filtered through the same question: does this move fit the timeline, or does it pull the organization ahead of schedule? A proven center like Dylan Larkin is exactly the kind of player who can force that conversation.
For Montreal, the appeal is obvious because centers who can drive a team are the hardest pieces to find, and the temptation to accelerate the rebuild only grows when one comes into view. But a move like that would not come cheap, and any serious pursuit would test the clubs balance between protecting its assets and knowing when to spend them. The real issue is not just whether the Canadiens want to get better, but whether they are ready to shift from building toward competing. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Trade Still Sparks Debate About What Vegas Gave Up
The trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Vegas keeps looking better for Montreal every time Nick Suzuki takes another step. What once felt like a straightforward swap of a proven scorer for a package of futures has turned into one of the defining moves of the Canadiens recent era, especially with Suzuki growing into the kind of center the franchise can build around.
Vegas got useful production from Pacioretty before moving on from him in 2022, but the long view is what keeps the debate alive. Suzuki has since become the Canadiens captain and first-line centre, won the Selke Trophy and played a major role in the teams recent success, giving Montreal a centerpiece it did not have when the deal was made. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Goalie Situation Just Got More Complicated Than Fans Expected
Goaltending has become one of the quieter pressure points for the Canadiens as the roster takes shape, and Sam Montembeault remains right in the middle of it. Montreal explored the market for the veteran over the summer, but the club never found an offer it was willing to accept, leaving one of its more established options still in place as teams around the league continue to sort out their own crease situations.
There is still a path where Montembeaults name comes back into play if the right outside interest develops, especially with other clubs monitoring injury news and reassessing their depth. For Montreal, though, the issue is no longer just about whether there is a market. It is about whether a move can be made without forcing the Canadiens into a corner on value, timing and the rest of their goaltending picture. [Read more 🡒]