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Pascal Vincent: his hiring is (also) an insurance policy for Martin St-Louis

 Andrew Taylor
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Pascal Vincent: his hiring is (also) an insurance policy for Martin St-Louis
Credit: Getty Images
Earlier this week, the Canadiens finally named the coach of their Laval club-school. Pascal Vincent, who has just been fired in Columbus, inherited the position.

We’re talking about a guy who, on the whole, has a fine track record, especially when it comes to graduating players to the NHL.

The Habs opted for an experienced coach, something they didn’t really have in their organization. Trevor Letowski coached a few games last year during Martin St-Louis’s absence, but otherwise, the organization’s coaches aren’t exactly old hands.

And in fact, that’s something the organization has been lacking. Because if St-Louis were to lose his job eventually, there weren’t many internal candidates.

In that sense, then, Stu Cowan is right to say that Vincent’s hiring is (also) an insurance policy for MSL.

Of course, no one in Montreal thinks the Habs coach is on the ropes. The club has just exercised the option to keep St-Louis in town for the next three years, and he seems to be really beloved by the management.

That said, in the NHL, we know that coaching changes quickly. Remember that St-Louis, who has only been on the job for just under 30 months, is the fifth longest-serving coach in the NHL.

Only Jon Cooper, Mike Sullivan, Jared Bednar and Rod Brind’Amour have been with their current teams longer than St-Louis has been in Montreal.

Even with another difficult season in 2024-25, it would be surprising to see St-Louis’ position in jeopardy. On the other hand, if the club is ready to turn a corner the following season and the coach doesn’t deliver, that’s when having an in-house successor becomes interesting.

And in Vincent, that’s what the club has acquired… although he could be considered for a head coaching position with one of the other 31 NHL teams in the meantime.

Vincent has stated that he’s not in town to steal St. Louis’ job, and we can assume he’s sincere in that regard. That said, if circumstances were to lead to the position becoming available… we agree that he would leave with a head start to get it, especially if he does a good job in Laval in the months to come.


Overtime

– New contract for the Quebecer.

– Nice moment.

– Interesting.

– Big session for the McLaren team.

– Good news.

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