Martin St-Louis: 7th-best head coach in the NHL, according to The Hockey News

Félix Forget
Martin St-Louis: 7th-best head coach in the NHL, according to The Hockey News
Credit: YouTube

In 2026–27, Martin St-Louis will begin his fifth full season as head coach of the Canadiens. Having joined the team at the start of the rebuilding process, he has seen his team improve year after year since taking the helm.

He led his team to 68, 76, 91, and 106 points, respectively, in each of his first four full seasons.

As a result, St. Louis is increasingly earning respect throughout the league. Despite the fact that he'll be entering his third consecutive season with the league's youngest team, he finds a way to get results.

And The Hockey News, which ranks the NHL's top coaches, has singled out the Canadiens' coach for praise: According to the publication's rankings, St. Louis is the seventh-best coach in the league.

That's no small feat.

It's interesting to note that the coaches ranked ahead of St-Louis are all much more experienced than he is. From sixth to first place, the list includes Mike Sullivan, Joel Quenneville, Jared Bednar, Paul Maurice, Rod Brind'Amour, and Jon Cooper.

Cooper hasn't yet been officially announced as #1… but that's the only spot left to reveal, and he's the only coach who hasn't been ranked yet.

Adam Proteau, who wrote the piece on the Habs' coach, praises St. Louis's motivational skills. He acknowledges that the coach, who operates in a high-pressure market, is able to push the right buttons to get the best out of his team, which has confidence in him.

And Proteau notes that while it's still early, one might wonder whether St-Louis—who is already a Hall of Famer as a player—could eventually be inducted a second time as a builder. We're still a long way from that… but he's off to a good start right now.


In a Nutshell

– Oh, really?

– Great read on Samuel Montembeault.

– That's right.

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