BROSSARD, Quebec. It was significant and fitting that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes revealed coach Martin St. Louis’s future at the start of their season-ending news conference on Wednesday.
Because there are numerous ways in which the coach’s future is directly related to the team.
By using St. Louis’ two-year option, which keeps him under contract through the end of the 2026–2027 campaign, the Montreal Canadiens have established a reasonable window of time for when this team may expect to contend. And competitive for the Stanley Cup, not for a postseason berth.
Rebuilds are temporary, and while patience is required to see them through to the conclusion, it’s crucial to move quickly to prevent the rot of losing from setting in and destroying the team’s culture when you witness rebuilds that never seem to end throughout the league. For this reason, even though their construction process is far from over, the Canadiens intend to contend for the postseason as soon as possible in the upcoming campaign.
The Canadiens feel that in addition to having someone in St. Louis who can maximize their players’ development potential, they also have someone who can draw in other players to the team, which is equally, if not more, significant.
Artemi Panarin was given to Gorton as an unrestricted free agent when he was general manager of the New York Rangers, and the city of New York was the draw at that time. Every team needs something to entice players to select them over the other 31 teams in the league, whether it’s your city, history, climate, taxation rates, or fan base.
Gorton stated, “I think our team is encouraged by the style of play we play.” They enjoy playing attacking, strategic games, and I believe this will benefit us in the future as we develop and acquire players.
