All That for This: Martin “Ben Affleck” St-Louis and the Urgent Need for Action

Was that all there was to it? That was my first reaction on Friday night, as the Habs' fourth loss became official (and the team finished their run with just one goal in 120 minutes).

To collectively experience such a beautiful run… to get most of Quebec behind you… and then get dominated like that when everyone's on board! We all know that's not how they end, the good stories on Netflix.

Except that's exactly what we're missing: the end of the story. If the Canadiens can emulate the Lightning and the Panthers—and learn from a one-sided elimination—the end of the story will be a good one. It just hasn't been written yet.

The fact remains that, for now, we have a team that managed to eliminate the fourth- and fifth-best teams in the entire NHL during the regular season, but completely collapsed in its next series. Just like in 2010 against the Flyers and in 2021 against the Lightning…

Several things are encouraging, however: Jakub Dobes' performance, Lane Hutson's play when the referees put away their whistles, Zachary Bolduc's effectiveness in the playoffs, Ivan Demidov's courage, Alex Newhook's clutch play, the chemistry within the group…

But there are several other things that give us cause for concern.

Will Cole Caufield ever be able to be as effective in the playoffs as he is in the regular season?

Will Juraj Slafkovsky be able to make better use of his big frame?

Will Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson step up next spring?

Can Josh Anderson still play a few more seasons in the NHL? He looks “worn out.”

Have we (already) seen the best of Oliver Kapanen?

Who will be the second-line center? And the right-handed defenseman alongside Lane Hutson?

What will be done with Kirby Dach, Brendan Gallagher, Kaiden Guhle, and Alexandre Carrier?

Who will be Jakub Dobes' backup goaltender?

But above all: will Martin St-Louis really learn from this series against the Hurricanes? Will he be just as stubborn and headstrong next year? And the year after that? Rod Brind'Amour had him in the palm of his hand, and St-Louis refused to make any changes… even with four straight losses.

Problem: the guys were running out of gas, some were injured. Possible solution: put guys in the lineup who still had gas in the tank.

It probably wouldn't have changed anything, but you would have looked like a coach who tries things, who doesn't give up on his players, who still believes in them. There's a balance to be struck between “stick to the plan no matter what” and “make changes as soon as things aren't going well.”

And does MSL even have a backup game plan? Does he have one or two others to fall back on when his first one isn't working?

Should Kent Hughes provide him with an experienced assistant coach, as many fans have been demanding for the past two years? Because we need to avoid seeing Martin St-Louis lose the respect of his players…

The coach didn't even change his lines or defensive pairings after Games #2, #3, and #4! Nor did he adjust his zone entries—especially on the power play—which aren't working against the Hurricanes, who were waiting for the Habs at the blue line.

Some ways of losing are more acceptable than others.

Martin St-Louis also looked at the end of his rope when TVA Sports cameras were filming him on the bench. His body language was telling. He looked just like Ben Affleck smoking a cigarette.

Did his two quick trips in the middle of the playoffs to attend his two children's grade-level recitals finish him off? We'll never know.

I asked myself this all weekend: would it have been less bad if the Canadiens had lost Game 7 against the Sabres, after their 8-3 drubbing at the Bell Centre? After all, the Habs would have a higher draft pick as well.

The answer is no. The series against the Hurricanes exposed the Habs' weaknesses, and Kent Hughes will have no choice but to address them.

A top-four defenseman, a second-line center, a physical winger, an experienced assistant coach, a contract extension for Marco Marciano, some grit in the lineup…

The Canadiens aren't far off, but they aren't there yet. Kent Hughes decided not to make any moves at the trade deadline, and the holes in the roster are now glaringly obvious. Lane Hutson can't play with the team's seventh defenseman, and Ivan Demidov can't have Jake Evans as his center.

Now it's up to Kent Hughes to get to work. The month that just began this morning will be crucial for the future of the Montreal Canadiens.

In Kent we trust. In Kent we believe.