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When Martin St-Louis was appointed in the tail end of the 2021-2022 season, the Canadiens were in freefall and all that was asked of him was to start familiarizing himself with his new team and players. Still, he managed to make it fun for the players to come to the rink again and he got Cole Caufield out of the terrible slump he had been stuck in under Dominique Ducharme.
Exceptionnelle cette vidéo, l’impact de Martin St-Louis sur la carrière de Cole Caufield est énorme. C’est chouette d’avoir comme coach une légende !
— Charles Trognon (@CharlesTrognon) April 8, 2022
CC @BR_OpenIce pic.twitter.com/XzJMJJFiAl
Last season was all about development, we’ve heard time and time again that results didn’t matter as long as the team played the right way and most of the time it did, but there were a few losing streaks that felt like they were never-ending. During the first of two seven games without a win streak, there were a few blowout losses that were cringeworthy to watch. Losing to a Washington team that’s no longer a powerhouse by a score of 9-2 is a sorry spectacle, but it’s even worse when it comes after a 7-2 defeat to the Panthers. No matter how many goals you allow, you’re still only giving 2 points in the standings, but the damage to the team’s morale is much more important.
In their end of season media availability, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton said that the team would be expected to be more competitive. Nobody’s talking about the playoffs just yet, this is still only the second year of what could be a lengthy rebuild, but the front office wants the Habs to stay in the conversation for a while, not be out of the playoffs by early December. In 119 games behind the bench, St-Louis has got a .420 point percentage and that stat will be expected to go up this season.
Even though the powers that be want to see the team be more competitive, St-Louis will still have to work his magic development wise. Last season, Kirby Dach experienced a breakthrough year, and he gave a lot of credit to his coach for that. The big forward said that the coaching staff made him believe in himself again and told him that making mistakes was fine, as long as learnt from it. As a result, Dach had his best NHL season and had it not been for injuries, he would more than likely have broken the 50-point mark. This time around, St-Louis will be expected to unlock new acquisition’s Alex Newhook’s potential, if he can do it, it will not only be good for the team, but it will make Kent Hughes look like a bit of a trading wizard.
Meanwhile, the bench boss will also have to juggle with a very crowded line-up and find a way to give ice-time to the players that deserve it. Sophomore Juraj Slafkovsky will be expected to take a big step forward this year, but it will be hard for St-Louis to just offer him the keys to the top-six kingdom if he doesn’t earn it. Last season, Rafael Harvey-Pinard showed he had a scoring touch and could be very useful to this team, but unfortunately for him, he can go down to Laval without clearing waivers. If his reward for last year’s display is a one-way ticket to the AHL, he will hardly be receiving what he deserves.
Furthermore, there are rookies that will be coming to camp and hoping to force their way into the line-up. Owen Beck was so impressive at last year’s training camp that he earned an entry-level contract. This season, the young man wants to stick in the NHL, but realistically, there’s no room for him. With Beck being 19 and from the CHL, he cannot be sent to the AHL unlike Mesar who’s got a derogation as a European first-round pick, even though he played in the OHL last year. In all likelihood, St-Louis will have to find a way to tell a highly motivated young man who believes he’s ready to turn professional that he’s got to go back to his junior team. Even if Dvorak is not ready to start the season, the Canadiens have got more than enough centers as things stand; Suzuki, Dach, Monahan, Evans and Newhook can all play down the middle.
In other words, St-Louis will be expected to juggle a lot of priorities, getting more results, developing his players all the while managing a lot of expectations, those of his bosses, of the fans and of the players themselves. Hopefully, the coach has had a restful summer because he’ll have his work cut out for him this season.
Un bon vieux «fist bump» de Martin St-Louis après le but de Caufield. Match préparatoire. Le coach aime gagner, rien de moins. #Habs
— L.A. Lariviere (@L_A_theRiver) September 30, 2022
St-Louis with a fist bump after Caufield go-ahead goal. Preseason game. Coach likes winning, nothing less. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/KisBLPvgi8