The Montreal Canadiens season has been over for nearly two weeks now and the front office is beginning to evaluate the options they'll have to add to the organization through free agency and potentially on the trade market too.
Behind the scenes, there's a lot that needs to be done in order for the NHL club to take that next step towards reaching the Stanley Cup Final, however for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Laval Rocket, the Canadiens are now on the lookout for a new bench boss following an announcement made on Thursday afternoon.
Montreal Canadiens looking for new AHL head coach, Pascal Vincent departs the organization
Earlier on Thursday, Montreal Canadiens Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton released a statement after it was announced that Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent has been hired as an assistant coach by the Seattle Kraken. Vincent joins a coaching staff led by Lane Lambert, along with fellow assistants Chris Taylor and Aaron Schneekloth.
"We would like to sincerely thank Pascal for his work and contribution to the Rocket and wish him all the best in his next professional chapter in Seattle. He was highly committed to our success and made valuable contributions over the past several years. A native of Laval, Pascal was greatly appreciated and respected by the players, his staff members, and the fans. We are grateful for his dedication, leadership, and hard work during his time with the Rocket." Jeff Gorton said in statement today.
Vincent, 54, joined the Montreal Canadiens organization in the summer of 2024 when he was named head coach of the Laval Rocket. In his first year behind the bench in Laval, Vincent led the Rocket to the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, which is handed out annually to the AHL team with the best record during the regular season. Laval would go on to reach the Eastern Conference Final, but fell in four games to the Charlotte Checkers.
In year two with the Rocket, Vincent guided the club to their second-straight Atlantic Division title, finishing one point ahead of the Syracuse Rocket. Laval's playoff run this spring didn't last nearly as long as 12 months ago, with the Rocket bowing out in the Eastern Conference Division Semifinal round in five games at the hands of the Toronto Marlies, who are set to begin the Calder Cup Final on Friday night.
Vincent set for third stint in the National Hockey League
With this new opportunity with the Seattle Kraken, Vincent is gearing up for his third coaching stint in the National Hockey League. From their inaugural season in 2011-12 to 2015-16, Vincent served as an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets, before spending the next five years as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
Following his departure from Manitoba in 2021, another chance to coach in the National Hockey League came Vincent's way, with the Laval, Quebec native being hired as an associate coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. During Vincent's first two seasons in Ohio, the Blue Jackets saw their playoff drought extend, which led to some more changes behind the bench.
Vincent remained in his role as associate coach, with Columbus bringing in veteran bench boss Mike Babcock to take over the head coaching reigns for the 2023-24 season. As everyone knows, Mike Babcock resigned from his job in Columbus just before the start of training camp that September amid allegations that he invaded the privacy of his players. Rather than going out and hiring their second head coach in less than three months, the Blue Jackets promoted Vincent for the 2023-24 campaign.
His lone season as head coach in Columbus was one that fans put in the rearview mirror very quickly. Under Vincent, the Blue Jackets finished dead last in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference with a 27-43-12 record, which saw them land the fourth overall selection in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Who could take over for Pascal Vincent in Laval?
While it's a bit premature to say who could take over the head coaching reigns in Laval starting this fall, the Canadiens have been preparing themselves for this scenario for a little bit. Given how well the Rocket performed under Vincent, there's no surprise he was able to land another job in the National Hockey League. After reaching the Eastern Conference Final with Laval in 2025, there's no question there was interest from other NHL teams, but Vincent wanted to stick around and try his hardest to lead the Rocket to a Calder Cup championship this season. Unfortunately for Vincent and Laval, his tenure ends without a championship.
A promotion from within can't be ruled out at this point, potentially involving former Serbian national team member Daniel Jacob. Jacob has seven years of AHL assistant coaching experience under his belt, five of which have come with Laval across two separate stints, and has spent some time in the QMJHL with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
After stepping down from his assistant coaching gig in Montreal to take on a role as a player development coach, which didn't require him to be around on a daily basis, perhaps the Canadiens could convince Alexandre Burrows to return behind the beck in Laval. Burrows spent parts of three seasons with Laval as an assistant before being promoted to Montreal in February of 2021. The former NHLer has plenty of experience behind the bench at the age of 45 and now might be the right time for him to take on his first head coaching role.