As the Montreal Canadiens hosted their end-of-season media availability, general manager Marc Bergevin said the team is engaging in talks with Dominique Ducharme to officially become the team’s head coach.
It was a tale of two seasons for Montreal under Ducharme. While Montreal started strong out of the gate, a short string of unexpected losses led to the firing of head coach Claude Julien. On February 24, 2021, Ducharme was named the team’s interim head coach. It didn’t seem that Julien’s firing had made much of an impact on the team’s performance, however. Under Ducharme in the regular season, the Habs posted just a 15-16-7 record, clinching a playoff berth as the league’s 18th-ranked team due to this year’s divisional alignments. It all makes Montreal’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, in which the team still went 13-9, even more impressive.
What the Canadiens saw from Ducharme this season, in their eyes, has been enough to earn him the job. While the team’s on-ice performance may not have blown off doors immediately, Ducharme was able to guide the group through a tough first-round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs and onward. Under his tutelage, the team gelled at the right time, losing to a team that’s now won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As the Habs make an effort to bring back their core next season, things may look a little different. The flat salary cap might have an effect on who they can and can’t afford to bring back. Montreal is hoping that by potentially retaining Ducharme in his role, it can catch lightning in a bottle once again moving forward.
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