Martin St-Louis isn’t spending much time staring at the calendar or worrying about how long he’ll be behind the Canadiens’ bench.
In a recent conversation with Elliotte Friedman, the Montreal coach made it clear that his future is not something he can - or wants to - obsess over. His job, as he sees it, is to show up every day, do the work, and help the team chase its goals.
“I can’t control everything, I don’t know how long I’m gonna be the coach and I’m not worried about it. I’m gonna try to be my best version everyday, help steer this group to accomplish their goals collectively and individually.
If at the end of the day, I’m not the guy, then I’m not the guy. I’m not worried about that. I’m confident that I’m doing everything I can to earn everybody’s respect each and every day.
“Does that get us to keep moving forward? Does that keep me around longer?
I don’t know, but I’m not worrying about it. I’m okay with the effort I’m putting in and the attitude that I bring everyday.”
That’s the core of St-Louis’ message: control what you can, let the rest sort itself out. He’s focused on being the best version of himself and helping the Canadiens grow both as a group and as individuals.
That approach seems to be resonating in the room. After the overtime loss to San Jose on October 20, St-Louis didn’t sugarcoat his frustration.
Montreal answered with five straight wins, beating Chicago 4-1, Winnipeg 2-1, St. Louis 2-0, Dallas 5-2, and Pittsburgh 5-4 before eventually dropping last night’s game to the Jets in dramatic fashion, a 5-4 overtime loss after blowing a 4-0 lead.
Even with that setback, the Canadiens are 9-3-3 and finding ways to win without Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov, two of their top forwards.
St-Louis also said he has full confidence in Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton to handle the hockey decisions, a sign that the relationship between the coach and the front office remains on solid footing.
In Other News...
Florian Xhekaj Suddenly Faces Real Pressure In Canadiens Lineup
Florian Xhekajs night against the Winnipeg Jets turned into one of those moments that can linger well beyond the final horn. The Canadiens rookie dropped the gloves in a game that was still manageable, and the sequence helped set the stage for a wild finish as Montreal saw its lead disappear in an overtime loss. It was the kind of momentum shift that can leave a coach weighing not just the emotion of the moment, but the cost of it.
Martin St-Louis did not call out Xhekaj publicly, which fits the coachs usual measured approach, but the bigger issue may be what comes next for the young forward. Montreal is getting healthier, and when the lineup starts to tighten up, every shift matters more. For Xhekaj, the fight may not have drawn an immediate rebuke, but it could still make his place in the lineup a lot less secure. [Read more 🡒]
Martin St-Louis Just Called Out A Canadiens Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Canadiens left Winnipeg with a result that said far more about their own play than about the scraps that broke out along the way. Montreal had built a 4-0 lead, but the game slipped away in overtime, and Martin St-Louis made it clear afterward that the issue was not the fights so much as what happened at five-on-five, where Winnipeg controlled much of the night.
For a team still sitting second in the Atlantic Division, the loss landed as a reminder that the margin for error can disappear fast, especially when two important forwards like Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach are out of the lineup. St-Louis message was less about one bad bounce than a bigger concern the Canadiens cannot really brush aside, because the way they played at even strength is the part of this story that lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A No-Cost Roster Decision Kent Hughes Must Weigh
Waiver season has handed Kent Hughes an unexpected bit of roster flexibility, with a pair of available players suddenly giving the Canadiens a chance to add help without paying a trade price. Montreal is at least evaluating the fit, which makes sense for a front office that has tried to balance immediate depth with longer-range planning as it shapes the roster.
The decision comes down to what the Canadiens value more right now: a younger piece who could grow into a bigger role over time, or a veteran who might help sooner but comes with a shorter runway. No move has been made yet, and for Montreal the real intrigue is whether Hughes sees this as a rare no-cost chance to address a need before another club gets there first. [Read more 🡒]