A Final Bow and a Bright Habs’ Future

Coaching

Despite the heavy (and often exaggerated) criticism from parts of the fanbase, Martin St-Louis has done an admirable job behind the bench. He guided this young team to heights few believed possible this early in their development. Clearly, he must have done many things right.

That said, St-Louis does have room for improvement. His handling of the goaltenders, particularly youngsters like Cayden Primeau and Jakub Dobeš, has been lacking. Young goalies need to play regularly to develop, yet both sat for long stretches. There was no reason not to give them at least one start a week, and Dobeš certainly earned more playing time.

The same issue extended to the skaters. Michael Pezzetta appeared in only 25 games all season, sitting through a stretch of 28 consecutive games without seeing the ice — and it’s not as if the Canadiens went 28-0 during that span. Arber Xhekaj sat for over two weeks before finally getting into action in Game 3 of the playoffs, and he looked rusty, as expected. That’s on the coaching staff, not the player.

Going forward, St-Louis must do a better job rotating players in and out, keeping everyone ready and involved — especially the young ones who are still developing.

Future

It’s a cliché, but the future truly does look bright in Montreal. While the Canadiens aren’t Stanley Cup contenders just yet, they’ve kicked the window open to becoming a competitive team year after year.

To take the next step, Kent Hughes must find a second-line center to take pressure off Suzuki and his line. This isn’t a “want” — it’s an absolute “need.”

With David Savard announcing his retirement, the Canadiens also need to add a veteran, right-shot defenseman who can log 20+ minutes per night. This would allow Logan Mailloux or David Reinbacher to ease into their NHL careers with more sheltered third-pairing minutes.

Facing a bigger and more seasoned Capitals team also highlighted another need: the Canadiens must add more size and grit if they hope to contend in the playoffs.

Retirement

This will be my final article about hockey.

After six decades dedicated to this great game, the time has come for a new chapter. As many of you know, I’ll be moving to Costa Rica in June, and with that move, I’ll be stepping away from hockey — a sport I’ve loved, but one that no longer brings me the same joy. The NHL’s growing focus on money over the quality of the game has taken its toll.

I’ll also be deleting my hockey social media accounts, but if you’d like to stay connected, you can still find me here:

1. On Facebook: Under Grumpa’s Hat
2. On my blog: grumpa.ca — just hit the follow button to subscribe for free.
3. On Bluesky: @grumpa.ca
4. On X: @GrumpaDotCA

I explain my reasons here, as many have asked:

Away From Canada, Hockey and Stress 

Thanks for sharing the ride — here’s to new adventures ahead.