Martin St-Louis: Just like his players, he left money on the table

This morning, we learned that Martin St-Louis signed a new contract with the Canadiens. The coach, who had one year remaining on his contract through the 2026-27 season, saw the club terminate his current deal to offer him a new four-year contract.

The deal runs through the end of the 2029–30 season, more or less.

We know that since the beginning of the summer, people have been wondering when all of this would be settled. And even though the announcement was a long time coming, Kent Hughes took the opportunity during his interview with Renaud Lavoie (TVA Sports) to reassure everyone: it was settled very easily.

The GM says it took just one conversation to reach an agreement with St-Louis, who wanted to stay. And the coach, as a gesture of solidarity with his players, agreed to forgo some of his own pay as well.

And he did so even though his salary doesn't count toward the team's payroll: he had no incentive to do so, but he did it anyway.

It's worth noting that last year, when Kent Hughes signed his new contract, he, too, did the same thing by leaving money on the table. The GM, just like the coach, had no personal gain from doing so, but he did it anyway.

That said, it's probably easier to ask your players to take a pay cut when you're doing the same yourself. And if the head coach did the same thing, it further strengthens the culture that's already firmly established in the city.

And as Hughes noted, St. Louis didn't care much about his salary. He's in town because he believes in this project and wants to see it through, which is why it was so easy to reach an agreement.

After years of rebuilding, it's understandable that the coach—who is one of the key architects of this project—would want to reap the rewards of his efforts. And after seeing all his players sign for reduced salaries, he decided to do the same: that will only boost his (already very high) popularity in the locker room.

Extension

– In the same interview, Hughes admitted that he's happy to see Chris Kreider chose the Habs over several other interested teams. He credited his players and the coaching staff for making Montreal such an attractive destination.

– Even though Martin St-Louis has officially signed a new contract, there still hasn't been an official announcement regarding Marco Marciano as goaltending coach. Everything suggests it's coming, but it's still not official.

– Nick Suzuki, speaking to the media this morning, said he was glad to see several Habs players spend the summer in Montreal. We know that the captain, who returned home this summer, was one of the first core players to do so in previous years.