The Montreal Canadiens Steal One From Tampa Bay: While Martin St-Louis Is Robbed
Well, the Montreal Canadiens did it! They successfully secured their spot in the second round of the NHL Playoffs, earning Martin St-Louis his first playoff series win — and doing so in six games against the franchise where he spent most of his legendary career. It was a series that had everything: physicality, momentum swings, controversial officiating, and a closeout game in which the Habs played with the kind of composed, structured hockey that has become the hallmark of this St-Louis era. Even better, the Habs exacted some long-awaited revenge for their Stanley Cup Final loss to the Bolts back in 2021 — a loss that, for many Montreal fans, still stings.
I hated how the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated that championship win, especially those "$18 million over the cap" t-shirts. It was completely bush league. Winning a championship while circumventing the spirit of the salary cap and then bragging about it publicly wasn't a flex — it was an embarrassment to the league. So with an even salary cap this time around, we see exactly what happens, Nikita Kucherov. You can't score! The Bolts looked pedestrian at times in this series, a far cry from the dynasty machine that tormented the league for half a decade. Turns out depth matters when you're actually playing by the rules.
The Jack Adams Award Snub: St-Louis vs. Cooper
I won't go on and on about the series, but the fact that Martin St-Louis is not a finalist for the Jack Adams Award while Jon Cooper gets a nod makes absolutely zero sense. On May 1st, the NHL announced the nominees for the Jack Adams Award, naming Jon Cooper, Dan Muse, and Lindy Ruff as the finalists for the prestigious award. Missing from those nominees is the Canadiens' Head Coach — a man who, for the second consecutive season, has dramatically outperformed every reasonable projection placed on his team.
It's important, in my opinion, that NHL voters need to lose their obsession with Jon Cooper. Yes, he is an amazing coach with a championship pedigree, and yes, he deserves respect for steadying a Lightning team that was clearly in transition this season. But he didn't exactly defy expectations. Tampa Bay is a veteran, well-resourced team with established stars. Getting them into the playoffs isn't a miracle — it's the baseline expectation. You can't just nominate someone because you like them and they make you feel good. Do your jobs.
Over the last two seasons, the Habs have made the playoffs when they were projected to miss. Last year, St-Louis dragged a rebuilding squad into postseason contention ahead of schedule. This year, they finished tied for fifth in the entire NHL standings with 106 points — ironically, tied with the very Tampa Bay team they just eliminated. Montreal did it with a roster that still features several players under 25 years old, without the benefit of a massive payroll or a decade of institutional winning culture to lean on. I don't really understand what it takes to make the Jack Adams shortlist, but in my opinion, Martin St-Louis is the best coach in the NHL. Full stop.
Proof on the Ice: Elite Player Development
If you need any evidence of his elite coaching, just look at how the Canadiens' roster has thrived under his guidance. Nick Suzuki has matured into one of the most reliable two-way centers in the Eastern Conference. Cole Caufield, once labeled a one-dimensional sniper with defensive question marks, has become a legitimate top-line threat trusted in all situations. Juraj Slafkovsky, the much-scrutinized first-overall pick, has silenced his doubters with a breakout campaign that finally showed the hockey world what Montreal saw in him. Cole Hutson emerged as one of the most exciting offensive defensemen of his draft class, looking every bit like a future cornerstone on the blue line. Mike Matheson rediscovered his best hockey and has been nothing short of excellent. Jakub Dobes stepped into a demanding goaltending situation and handled it with remarkable composure. And then there's Ivan Demidov — a first-year player adjusting to North American ice who, under St-Louis, looked like anything but a rookie by the end of the regular season. The development of that group speaks for itself.
St-Louis is one of the few NHL coaches who actually teaches his players to be better while letting them have fun on the ice. There's an authenticity to the way Montreal plays — an energy, a creativity, a sense that the players genuinely believe in both the system and the man running it. Frankly, the Habs grinding their way to 106 points — doing it young, doing it hungry, and doing it the right way — is far more impressive than the Bolts achieving the same number on the back of a proven veteran core. I am thoroughly confused by the voting, but not entirely surprised.
A Predictable Disappointment
Ultimately, this shouldn't be a surprise. NHL voters and hockey commentators historically lack imagination and critical thought — defaulting to big names, big markets, and big reputations rather than doing the actual analytical work of evaluating performance in context. Kevin Bieksa remains the rare exception in the media world, someone willing to challenge conventional narratives with actual substance. The rest, it seems, are content to recycle the same names year after year and call it due diligence.
Anyways — Lindy Ruff gets my vote among the actual nominees. But if the voters had done their jobs, Martin St-Louis would already have this award in the bag.