Martin St-Louis may only have a few months experience as an NHL head coach, but his arrival in the league has surprised many. So much so that TSN reporter Travis Yost has placed him at the top of the list of Canadian team coaches.
Let's start with the top players before we get into the coach's list. According to Yost, Calgary newcomer Jonathan Huberdeau is the best left winger. He unsurprisingly joins Connor McDavid who dominates the center position and Mitch Marner who is the reporter's choice at right wing. On defense, the duo is Thomas Chabot and Quinn Hughes while the goalie is not Carey Price but Connor Hellebuyck.
Let's get back to Martin St-Louis who is currently, according to Yost, the best coach on a Canadian team. The rookie has, with only 37 games of experience and a record of 14-19-4, beat out Bruce Boudreau, Sheldon Keefe, Jay Woodcroft, Rick Bowness and D.J. Smith.
"I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge that Montreal's aggressive rebuild had reduced the options available in the skating ranks, but I'm optimistic about St. Louis after seeing him in limited duty last season.
When the Canadiens made the decision to fire Dominique Ducharme, the team had an abysmal 8-30-7 record. The "front office" would undergo a similar evisceration, and the Canadiens spent most of the rest of the season purging the lineup and integrating young players into the lineup under St. Louis as interim coach.
St. Louis went 14-19-4 with a roster devoid of real talent. Expectations were very low for St. Louis and perhaps for another season or two, but the team has definitely improved under his leadership and the organization seems thrilled to give him the keys to the operation for a longer period of time.
I look forward to seeing what St. Louis brings to Montreal next season and beyond. On our fake "All-Canadian" team, he has access to endless talent."
