Canadiens exercise two-year option for coach Martin St. Louis

This past season, the Canadiens finished 30-36-16 with 76 points, last in the Atlantic Division. They closed the season out with a four-game losing streak and seven of their last eight. Going into Wednesday’s slate of games, the Canadiens were ranked No. 27 in the league.

The only team that could jump them in the league standings are the Arizona Coyotes, who with 75 points could win against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday and finish ahead of the Canadiens, pushing them down to No. 28.

Joining the Canadiens behind the bench midway through the 2021-22 regular season, St. Louis has a career record of 75-100-26, a points percentage of .438%. The Hall of Fame forward never coached at the professional level before, only working as a special teams consultant for the Columbus Blue Jackets, working alongside John Tortorella.

Prior to joining the Blue Jackets, the only time St. Louis was behind a bench was when he coached his three sons in Connecticut’s Mid-Fairfield Youth Hockey Association.

Captain Nick Suzuki hit career highs with Montreal this season, scoring 33 goals and 44 assists for 77 points and leading the team in all offensive categories. Cole Caufield also hit career highs this season, scoring 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points.

Juraj Slafkovsky, the 2022 No. 1 overall pick, took steps in his development, scoring 20 goals and 30 assists for 50 points.