Canadiens exercise option on head coach Martin St. Louis' contract

Habs clearing out locker as season ends As the Habs clean out their locker rooms for the season, management says it's sticking to their long-term plan.

The Montreal Canadiens have exercised the two-year option of the contract of head coach Martin St. Louis, committing him to the team for the next three seasons.

Montreal brought in St. Louis on an interim basis following Dominique Ducharme's dismissal in February 2022.

The 48-year-old from Laval, Que., was named head coach at the end of that season, taking on his first role behind an NHL bench.

The Canadiens have missed the playoffs in three straight campaigns after finishing last in the Atlantic Division with a 30-36-16 record this season.

St. Louis has a 75-100-26 record as head coach while the Canadiens undergo a rebuild.

Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, St. Louis won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, a Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in 2004 and totalled 1,033 points in a decorated playing career before retiring in 2015.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2024.