The Habs approached Benoît Groulx for the Rocket head coach position

In the last few weeks, the Habs had several mandates on the table.

There was the draft… There was the opening of the free agent market… But management also had to focus on finding a head coach for the club-school following Jean-François Houle’s departure.

All that is now settled, as Pascal Vincent was named Rocket head coach this morning.

What’s important to know is that the Habs took their time finding their new point man, because they wanted to make the right decision.

In Pascal Vincent, the Habs bet on an experienced coach, and it’s easy to see why this was an important criterion in the hiring process.

Because, according to Anthony Marcotte, Benoît Groulx was also approached for the Laval job.

Groulx, who has been coaching since 2000, spent seven seasons at the helm of the Syracuse Crunch (the Lightning’s training club), but eventually accepted a job in Russia.

He landed the head-coaching job with Traktor in the KHL at the beginning of May.

Benoît Groulx would have been a wicked good candidate for the Laval job too.

He knows the AHL, after all… And he’s worked for a long time in an organization that knows how to develop its players.

Tampa Bay’s development system is among the best in the National League, and in recent years we’ve seen Syracuse players who were able to graduate and make an impact in the NHL.

Mathieu Joseph, Yanni Gourde, Carter Verhaeghe, Anthony Cirelli, Ross Colton… These players played under Groulx in the AHL and have become good NHL players today.

But, hey. The bottom line at the end of the day remains the same: the Habs were able to get their hands on a coach with a proven track record and experience at every level.

That was the important thing, because we had to find a way to surround the organization’s young players in the best possible way.

Especially in view of the fact that many of the youngsters who will be playing in Laval over the next few years should be part of the future of the Montreal organization.

Overtime

– Joe Pavelski decides to hang up his skates.

BREAKING: Joe Pavelski on NHL Morning Skate tells @LaughlinSXM that he will not be returning to playing hockey in the #NHL and will hang up the skates after 1,332 career regular season games and 201 playoff games.

– SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) July 16, 2024