Seat Warming for Canadiens HC

The seat is warming quickly for the current Montreal Canadiens head coach.

Nov 2, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis (rear) reacts on the bench against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens are in their third season under head coach Martin St. Louis. The Hockey Hall of Fame player was named the interim coach of the Habs in February of 2022, and he's been behind the bench since. His hiring brought an overwhelming sense of optimism and excitement, as he was viewed as the perfect candidate to lead this team out of their rebuild.

Now in his second full season as the head coach of the Canadiens, that unwavering belief in St. Louis is fading. The Habs are currently 7-11-3 and sit in 30th place in the overall league standings. While the expectation for this season wasn't to have a Stanley Cup, taking a step towards the playoffs was absolutely on the table. The team hasn't taken that next step under their current coach, and it's quickly turning a comfortable job into one of the hottest seats in the NHL.

The season is now a quarter of the way through, and with American Thanksgiving here, the playoff picture is becoming a bit clearer. The Canadiens are well removed from that race, and have a better shot at earning the first overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft than making the postseason. Because of this, Martin St. Louis should be getting nervous. Despite the team exercising a team option that extended his deal through the 2026-2027 season, it's possible he doesn't make it that far with the team.

Around the league, there are more and more questions popping up and continued speculation that the Canadiens could be in the market for a new head coach in the near future. Former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau joined Jay Onrait on TSN to discuss the state of the Montreal coaching staff, and it isn't all sunshine and roses.

For Boudreau, he sees the possibility that the Canadiens could move on. Even if he is able to turn the record around, St. Louis might not be behind the bench when the team makes a playoff run.

"The teams that have the coaches that are in last place," he said. "By the time they get good, they're with another coach."

This was less of a criticism of St. Louis and his tenure and more of an acknowledgement of the franchise not making the progress they were supposed to. They've made some improvements under St. Louis, but it's not anywhere near where a contending team can be.

"What you worry about is," he said. "When you take over last-place clubs, you can get them turned around and then somebody else is gonna come in and take them over the top."

That could be the case for the Canadiens, while they continue developing under their head coach. If the team doesn't take some steps forward soon, Martin St. Louis could be watching the rest of the Habs' season from the outside of the organization.

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