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Martin St-Louis arrived in Montreal in 2022 as an interim coach. At the time, he signed a contract just to finish out the team's 2021–2022 season.
His goal? To get his feet wet and show his bosses that he deserved the full-time position.
In June 2022, the Habs therefore gave him a three-year deal, with two option years at the club's discretion. And in April 2024, the Habs announced that the option years (from 2025 to 2027, in other words) had been activated.
What this means is that two years ago, the Canadiens decided to settle the matter quickly. The club didn't want St. Louis to approach the final guaranteed year of his contract without the assurance of keeping him.
Will it be the same story in 2026? After all, following the current season, the Habs' coach will have only one season remaining. And in hockey, a one-year contract for a coach isn't exactly a vote of confidence.
On this subject, Pierre LeBrun provided some insight. In an article (The Athletic) about coaches who may eventually need a contract extension, the journalist said he doesn't see why the Habs would want to have him work out a final year of his contract in '26-'27.
In other words? We should expect a contract extension.
NEW for @TheAthletic: There are only two coaches on expiring contracts, and they're potential Jack Adams Award candidates. Plus, there's a long list of coaches with one year left on their contracts next season. I took a deep dive into it all
https://t.co/8px4VJLRNw via @NYTimes
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 26, 2026
The Canadiens' coach isn't perfect, let's be clear. But he's clearly well-equipped to steer the team in the right direction and continue developing the young players.
No one is talking about changing the coach behind the bench because he's the right man for the job and the guys love him.
Barring a major surprise, I expect Martin St-Louis to sign a contract extension before the start of the team's next training camp.
Remember that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes started the 2025-2026 season without having signed contract extensions, but in October, they signed an agreement tying them to the club through 2031.
In a nutshell
– Here we go again.
Every Yankees batter got a hit… except Aaron Judge. https://t.co/h7IwFxxt2Z
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) March 26, 2026
– The Eastern Conference standings.
Eastern Conference standings ahead of tonight's game between the Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS) #Habs: pic.twitter.com/Wk3Xj8ggo4
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 26, 2026
– An away game for the Habs in 2028-2029? [BPM Sports]
– Six Habs prospects to watch in the CHL playoffs.
Six players to watch!
https://t.co/AslGbZju7R
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 26, 2026
