Here’s why Daniel Jacob is a logical choice for the Canadiens’ needs

It's official: Daniel Jacob is the Rocket's new head coach.

I hope no one falls off their chair. Pascal Vincent's assistant since 2024 (and Joël Bouchard's for a decade) has been the favorite for quite some time.

He knows the organization and the young players well.

But what's also notable is that the Canadiens have chosen to appoint a defensive specialist to lead the farm team. Jacob has been in charge of the defensemen and the penalty kill for the past two years.

Should we draw a connection to the fact that the Rocket will likely rely on key defensemen from the Canadiens' organization in the coming years?

Daniel Jacob spent time coaching Laval's defensemen in his assistant coaching role over the past few years and also oversaw the penalty kill

With a lot of great defensemen coming through the pipeline, I really like this. Congrats to him—hoping for a big year #GoHabsGo https://t.co/FC4hv14jTu

— Habs Digest (@HabsDigest) July 13, 2026

While the Canadiens' top offensive prospects have historically spent very little time in Laval in recent years, that hasn't always been the case for defensemen.

And that trend could continue.

In 2026–2027, there's a chance we'll see David Reinbacher and/or Adam Engstrom play some games down there. Bryce Pickford (when he's healthy) will also play in Laval.

Players like Owen Protz and Luke Mittelstadt will also play in Laval during the '26–'27 season. And don't forget that, on top of all that, Bogdan Konyushkov might end up finishing next season in Laval.

Defensive
Options for Laval in 26-27

–
Mittelstadt–
Protz–
Pickford–
Reinbacher–
Engström–
Samson–
Szuber– Walsh–

Dubinsky– Haché

Reinbacher and Engström will obviously have a chance to earn a spot on the big team.

— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) July 8, 2026

Given the circumstances, having a coach who specializes in the defensive aspect of the game is surely no coincidence. I'm not saying Jacob got the job just for that, obviously. But it must have helped, right?

We'll see how it all plays out in due time. But since the Canadiens' management is familiar with the new head coach, this was clearly an informed decision—even though Daniel Jacob has spent his entire career as an assistant coach.

In a nutshell

– It's got people talking.

And Yankees fans aren't having it at all. https://t.co/dOHe9EaJID https://t.co/o1IvWTVRE3

— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) July 13, 2026

– Oh, really?

The group that wanted to acquire Montebello Castle—including, among others, Michael Andlauer of the Senators, Martin Paquette of the Nordik Group, and Jean-Pierre Poulin of Devcore—was not selected in the sale process @TVAGatineau

— Philippe Bessette (@Phil_Bessette) July 11, 2026

– One less arbitration case.

Peyton Krebs and Buffalo have settled their arbitration case with a 4-year, $4.5M extension

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 13, 2026

– Note this.

Clarification regarding arbitration:

There was a time when the team and the player could reach an agreement during the arbitration process, provided the arbitrator had not yet rendered a verdict.

This happened with Subban; a contract was announced right in the middle of salary arbitration.

But this…

— Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) July 13, 2026