Five seasons in, and Montreal doubled down
Kent Hughes did not wait for training camp. The Canadiens announced Monday that Martin St. Louis has signed a multi-year contract extension, and TSN’s Pierre Lebrun reports the deal runs three years past his current one. That takes the 51-year-old through the 2029-30 season.
“Marty has done a terrific job leading our young team,” Hughes said in the club statement. “He is a great communicator and teacher. We look forward to his continued efforts to mold this group into a championship-caliber team.”
St. Louis sits at 149-136-43 behind the Montreal bench. He starts his fifth season with two playoff appearances on the ledger, the second of which ended in the Eastern Conference Final last spring.
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From interim hire to the longest view in the room
Nobody in Montreal saw this coming in February 2022. St. Louis took the interim job on Feb. 9 that year with no head coaching experience above youth hockey. The club made it permanent on June 1, naming him the 32nd head coach in franchise history.
The 2024-25 season settled the argument. Montreal improved by 15 standings points, ended a four-year playoff drought, and St. Louis landed on the Jack Adams ballot as a finalist. Two years later the front office has decided the rebuild and the coach travel together.
A leadership group reshuffled the same day
The Canadiens also confirmed Josh Anderson and Mike Matheson as alternate captains for 2026-27, working alongside captain Nick Suzuki. Matheson has worn the A before. Anderson never has in Montreal, six seasons after arriving from Columbus in the trade of Oct. 9, 2020. He inherits the letter Brendan Gallagher left behind when the Canucks acquired him this offseason.
It caps a busy few days. Chris Kreider signed a one-year contract over the weekend, restricted free agent Zachary Bolduc agreed to a four-year extension, and camp opens Wednesday. Hughes cleared his desk with two days to spare.
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