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Martin St-Louis absolutely must win the Jack Adams if the Canadiens make the playoffs.
Credit: Getty Images

It has been a long time – a very long time – since we’ve enjoyed watching the Canadiens this much.

It seems everything is working lately: the team is capable of defeating strong opponents because all the players want to contribute to the success of the Habs.

The loss on Saturday against the Leafs stirred conversations for the reasons we know, but it really seems to be just a minor setback when looking at the team’s performance over the past month.

The players have done their part, but a large portion of the credit goes to Martin St-Louis.

The head coach of the Canadiens sold a plan to his guys, and they bought into the project with him. Since everyone has been contributing in their own way, the Canadiens are winning!

At the beginning of January – just as the Habs finished their holiday trip – Eric Engels suggested seeing Martin St-Louis as one of the leading candidates for the Jack Adams if the Canadiens manage to secure a spot in the playoffs.

But now, at the end of January, it’s even clearer with the team’s recent successes: if the Canadiens make the playoffs, Martin St-Louis must win the Jack Adams.

He must win the title of Coach of the Year in the NHL because there was no one on earth who placed the Habs in the playoffs two months ago.

No one!

Even though the Canadiens are in an interesting position right now, not a single columnist from The Athletic voted for the Habs to make the playoffs this season.

This says a lot about how some experts view the Canadiens… And that’s exactly why St-Louis’s candidacy for the Jack Adams (again, if the Habs make the playoffs) makes sense!

There are other interesting names who could be in the running for the award right now.

I think of Craig Berube, who is in his first season behind the bench of the Leafs (4th in the NHL standings)…

I think of Scott Arniel, who is also in his first season with the Jets (2nd in the NHL standings)…

I think of John Hynes because there were no major expectations in Minnesota, and the Wild is having quite a season (7th in the NHL standings)…

And ultimately, we must consider Spencer Carbury (Capitals), who is the coach of the best team in the league as I write this.

But in reality, what Martin St-Louis is achieving right now… That’s something.

Especially when we remember the team’s ranking as of December 1, which was less than two months ago.

The Canadiens were at the bottom of the league and were only one point away from the last place in the NHL standings.

It’s funny, but we don’t hear anyone saying that Martin St-Louis is a pee-wee coach right now…

(Credit: NHL.com)

In short

– Great experience for the kids!

Hehe.

– That’s cute.

– Well done.

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