Habs Mailbag: Canadiens might have to call up Jacob Fowler from Laval
Is Martin St Louis the best coaching option for this team?
Hoek on Bluesky — @graezilla.bsky.social
The biggest challenge for a coach is to get players to buy into what they’re selling. The Canadiens have bought into St. Louis since he took over the job almost four years ago and that hasn’t changed.
Jeff Gorton, the president of hockey operations, and general manager Kent Hughes knew this rebuild wouldn’t happen overnight and believed St. Louis was the right coach to teach young players how to play the game the right way and eventually start to win. All three of them have been patient since the start of the rebuild and they will continue to be that way.
Despite making the playoffs last season in Year 3 of the rebuild and the strong start to this season, all three know that as the youngest team in the NHL the Canadiens aren’t ready yet to be Stanley Cup contenders. The last five games against some bigger, more experienced teams have highlighted that.
Firing a coach in Year 4 of a rebuild — especially one that has gone very well so far — is taking a step backward since a new coach will bring in his new ideas and it’s sort of like starting over again. With a 10-7-3 record the Canadiens are actually seven points ahead of where they were at this point last season when they had a 7-11-2 record.
The Buffalo Sabres, sitting in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 7-9-4 record, look like they are going to miss the playoffs for a 15th straight season. One big reason for that is they have had seven different coaches since last making the playoffs in 2011. Lindy Ruff, the last coach to lead Buffalo to the playoffs, is now back behind the Sabres bench.
Bad goaltending and long-term injuries to Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook and Kaiden Guhle have played a big role in the Canadiens’ recent slump, although St. Louis refused to use that as an excuse after practice Friday in Brossard.
As the late, great Red Fisher of The Gazette used to say when things were going badly for the Canadiens: “Show me the players.”
