The Canadiens still haven’t replaced Alex Burrows

A few weeks ago, the Habs announced that Alex Burrows would not be returning to the bench. He wants to spend more time with his family.

Still, the Habs have kept him on board, as he now works as a player development consultant.

Many wondered if Burrows’ departure as an assistant meant that Martin St-Louis would take the opportunity to hire an experienced coach to get the power play rolling. Guy Boucher’s name has been bandied about.

But it’s August 2, and at the time of writing, nothing has been announced. But there’s no hurry: we’re in the middle of summer.

It’s possible that the Habs, who like to announce their news at 9 a.m., are just a few minutes away from rendering my text useless. And with the Habs’ week of announcements, it’s far from impossible. #Xhekaj #Barron #Guhle

However, it’s also possible to think that the Habs won’t be hiring anyone.

Asked about this earlier this summer, Kent Hughes said he wasn’t sure whether Burrows would be replaced. He would have to talk to Martin St-Louis to see what he thought.

After all, Burrows doesn’t have to be replaced at all costs. The Habs could well be rolling with just three men (St-Louis, Trevor Letowski and Stéphane Robidas) behind the bench.

According to Philippe Boucher, who was asked about the Habs’ bench situation on the Sick Podcast by Tony Marinaro, it’s possible that having just three coaches behind the bench will be enough.

After all, Martin St-Louis is capable of handling the power play (he knows a thing or two about it… ) and with all the people gravitating around the Habs, the club isn’t short of resources.

Between the personnel in Laval and the multitude of people employed by the Habs in player development, let’s just say that the club has the resources to replace Burrows internally during training sessions.

The question is whether the head coach wants a third man behind the bench during a game. And if he doesn’t, Burrows’ assistant position could remain vacant.

To be continued.