Canadiens notebook: ‘It-factor’ keeps Martin St. Louis in Montreal long term

LAVAL-SUR-LE-LAC, Que. — It was February of 2022 and I was sitting across from Jeff Gorton, asking him about how he and general manager Kent Hughes decided to pluck Martin St. Louis off the dimly lit bench of his son’s bantam team to drop him onto the bench under the biggest spotlight in the NHL.

“I just think Marty is just a special person,” the executive vice-president of hockey operations of the Montreal Canadiens responded. “You meet a lot of people in this world, and some people you meet, you just know that whatever they do, they’re going to be successful, and that’s Marty. He’s going to help with culture, the team, everything.”

I was hoping for something more concrete than you just know… Something about tactics, or philosophy, or encyclopedic knowledge of the game built over a Hall-of-Fame playing career.

But the first thing that came to Gorton was that he had a gut feeling and went with it, and the conviction with which he offered that response was telling.

A lot’s changed in the four years since, but that feeling hasn’t. It’s only been affirmed, so ripping up the final year of St. Louis’ deal to give him a new four-year contract was an easy decision for Gorton.

“There’s so much there,” Gorton said after the deal was announced Monday, “but he just has it.”

Is it enough to take the Canadiens from emerging team to Stanley Cup champion?

Gorton and Hughes are betting on it.

“There’s nothing that he’s shown us that he’s incapable of doing,” said Hughes before the Canadiens teed off in their annual golf tournament. “We’ve progressed every year. We made the playoffs when we were at extreme odds to do so two years ago at one point in the year. And then last year he was able to maneuver the team to the conference finals. He hasn’t given us any reason to doubt him…”

St. Louis has only inspired belief — and not just in Montreal.

Derek Lalonde observed the coach’s exploits from across the ice, as head coach of the Red Wings from 2022-2025, and then as assistant coach in Toronto last year.

Lalonde was compelled to see them from much closer, so he signed as an associate coach in July.

“It’s been impressive to watch Marty as a head coach,” Lalonde said. “To battle against him, it’s just been really impressive to see the growth in the group. And then I was able to talk to Marty late summer. We connected for the first time and I was taken aback (with) the way he talked about his process, his philosophies. I’m not surprised (with) the success he’s had with this group; it’s pushed it forward. I think a big part of him, he’s got a little bit of the natural player-first partnership relationship with the guys but still being in charge, and he definitely has a sense of accountability for the group. He’s definitely a modern coach in today’s NHL and it’s been impressive to watch from afar, and it’s been impressive to get to know him in the process as we’ve started here.”

His first two seasons in the NHL were St. Louis’ last two, and they were linemates through much of that time. The experience was so impactful for Kreider that the opportunity to fall back under St. Louis’ guidance was too good to pass up.

In Kreider’s first official comments as a Canadien, made just days after agreeing to terminate his contract with the Anaheim Ducks, he said the chance to play for an emerging, tight-knit group with a pack mentality was compelling. He intimated that Gorton’s and Hughes’ aggressive pursuit of him as a free agent was flattering.

But the 35-year-old referring to the opportunity to play for St. Louis as “a massive draw” spoke volumes about his decision to join the Canadiens.

“For me, having been lucky enough to play with him, even back then he was almost like a player-coach,” Kreider continued. “The intensity, the tenacity, and just the things that he brought to the rink every day — I don’t think that I can say that I’ve learned more from any one individual than in the time I spent playing with him on his line. Super wise, incredibly smart. Even back then, you knew he would be a good coach…”

Gorton, who was GM of the Rangers at the time, knew, and the Canadiens inevitably learned.

On Monday, Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki referred to St. Louis as the best coach he’s ever had before linemate Cole Caufield called his contract extension “good news for us, good news for the city, the fans, for everybody.”

St. Louis naturally received it with open arms.

“It’s for sure flattering,” he said. “It’s not something I was stuck on. I love what I do, and if they gave me the vote of confidence of ‘Marty, you’re the man,’ I’d have continued. And if I wasn’t the guy, it would’ve been OK. I’m humble enough to know that It’s not because you put all your effort into something that you’ll succeed. But my heart’s been in the right place and I love being the coach of the Canadiens.”

Josh Anderson honoured to be named alternate captain

The Canadiens could’ve gone in multiple directions with this one after Brendan Gallagher’s trade to Vancouver left a vacancy in the team’s leadership, but choosing Anderson to serve alongside Mike Matheson and underneath Suzuki as alternate captain was a great way to show the player just how valued he is in Montreal.

Because the Canadiens will have a hard time doing that in contract negotiations, especially considering Anderson’s potential market value.

Even with declining offensive numbers, and even at age 33 come summer, Anderson’s uniqueness as an unrelenting, punishing forechecker could price him out of Montreal. The Canadiens would love to keep him, but likely can’t give him as much term or money as a team with far less organizational depth on the wing probably would.

But sending the message to Anderson now — that he’s still a big piece of the puzzle— felt wise, if not pertinent. Especially since the honour is so deserved.

“Josh is a guy who plays for the team,” said Hughes. “If you knew how much he played hurt, especially the year before last when the trainers told him not to and he didn’t want to hear it because he wanted so badly for us to make the playoffs. He’s a team guy. He loves being in Montreal and brings strong leadership to our younger players.”

They certainly appreciate it as much as management does.

And Anderson cherishes that appreciation.

“Obviously extremely honoured, humbled to be an assistant captain with the Montreal Canadiens,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good leaders in that locker room that have matured so quickly over the last couple of years…”

Caufield, who scored 51 goals last season, is one. Lane Hutson, who appears to be the most determined Canadiens player to make the difference on every shift, is another.

Either of them would’ve been great choices to wear an ‘A’, even if it was in a rotation of sorts.

But the Canadiens chose Anderson, with St. Louis informing him two weeks ago.

The Burlington, Ont., native hopes it’s a role he’ll occupy beyond this season, though he intimated that possibility has yet to be tabled.

“I don’t have to tell you guys how much I love this city, how much I love this team,” Anderson said. “I think that the culture that we’ve been building over the last four, five years since Marty and Gorts and Kent have come has been obviously something pretty special. (The contract situation is) obviously something that’s in the back of your head, but you know you’re in a good place. This city’s just been unbelievable. My daughter was born here, close city to home, and just the people that you get to work with over the last six, seven years have been great. I’m a big believer in things will work out. I really do see myself being in Montreal, and I’m sure those conversations will pick up soon.”

The four-year, $16.8-million extension for Bolduc came in under the wire, and Hughes said he had no reservations about it walking the player straight to unrestricted free agency.

“It wasn’t something that was a sticking point for us,” Hughes added. “I think we’re in a league where players, if they don’t want to be in a certain place, ask to be traded and have term left on their deals and they’re gone. If we signed him for five years, he’d be going to free agency anyways. And I think if you walk a player to arbitration on the door of free agency… is arbitration always going to be the best vehicle for determining a player’s value? I would rather let the open market make that determination.”

It was another way of saying a two- or three-year deal that would’ve restricted Bolduc to the Canadiens could’ve also proven more costly for them in future negotiations than competing with other teams for his services might have.

Regardless, the Trois-Rivières, Que., native was signed to a reasonable contract while salaries for similar players are inflating across the league.

Bolduc’s deal left the Canadiens with roughly $4.3 million in cap space and one last player to sign: Arber Xhekaj.

As for where things stand with the 25-year-old bruiser, Gorton said they’re headed in the right direction.

“It’s a negotiation, I don’t want to talk too much, but I think we have a few days before we get on the ice,” said Gorton. “I’m confident that Arber will be there and be part of our group. We’re looking forward to that.”

Speculation has been rampant that an off-season corrective procedure will prohibit Kaiden Guhle from starting the season on time, with TVA Sports reporting Monday he could be out until November.

Sources we touched base with on the subject last week suggested that the Canadiens weren’t concerned about it being anything more than “maybe a delayed start to camp.”

Perhaps that’s changed, but the organization says there’s no update on the subject at this moment.