What's Next for the Montreal Canadiens? Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTg1MDUxMzMxNTEzMDM0MDcz/usatsi_16160188.jpg] Silly season is officially upon us, hockey fans. In the midst of a blistering day for breaking news, the Montreal Canadiens added fuel of their own to the fire by announcing that the team has come to terms with Dominique Ducharme on a three-year contract extension, officially dropping the interim tag and appointing him the 31st head coach in franchise history. Ducharme has been a member of the Canadiens organization for years now, serving as an assistant coach under Claude Julien for the past two seasons before taking over the head coaching duties in an interim capacity on February 24th after the veteran bench boss was let go. From there, Ducharme led the Canadiens on one of the more surprising post-seasons runs in recent memory, taking a team that posted a 15-16-7 regular-season record under his tutelage all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. If that rollercoaster weren't already rocky enough, Ducharme was also forced to isolate for 14 days in the middle of that playoff run after testing positive for COVID-19, missing seven total games before finally returning to the bench for game three of the Cup Final. Now with a brand new contract extension in place, the Ducharme Era in Montreal is officially ready to begin.
