This season must have been a ride for the Montreal Canadiens’ bench boss. From suffering one-sided blowout losses to clawing their way into the playoffs through big comeback wins, his young team showed him that he was right to believe in themselves.

When the losses began piling up in November and media members asked him for explanations, the Canadiens’ pilot kept saying it was a process and that he didn’t want to outcoach by trying to address every little thing. He added that you only need to worry when those little things become trends.

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Even when the scribes told him they saw trends, St-Louis would shake it off. He even explained that he didn’t care about the opinion of someone he wouldn’t go to for advice. That was his way of saying that even though the press suggested he should do this or that, or the fans moaned about his handling of Arber Xhekaj, he did not care and would keep doing things his way.

And he did. It took months and a good scare of missing the playoffs, but he did right the ship quickly. That resulted from his being able to make up four well-balanced lines (when everyone was healthy) and casting some veterans in new roles.

Josh Anderson, who bounced back after a tough season, was given new penalty kill responsibilities, which freed up captain Nick Suzuki from the task. That meant Suzuki had enough gas in the tank to skate on both power play units and reached a career high in points.

As for Anderson, he became a wrecking ball out there, hitting everyone and becoming a key cog in St-Louis’ system. His willingness to forecheck helped St-Louis demonstrate that plays that are not always easy or fun can bring back dividends.

Veteran Brendan Gallagher also had a better season. Under the coach’s tutelage, he has learned to pick his battles and not waste too much energy by engaging in situations with nothing to gain.

The coach also made Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook better players, who know they can use their skills at both ends of the ice. Caufield has become quite a pain on the forecheck for opponents. He won’t run you over with a big hit, but picks your pocket easily. Newhook now uses his speed to backcheck instead of just using it to get the puck into the attacking zone.

There’s no denying that the Canadiens’ players buy what St-Louis is selling. So much so that they managed to reach the playoffs before they were expected to, and the league took notice. There was so much notice that the NHL Broadcasters’ Association members voted him as a Jack Adams Trophy finalist alongside Spencer Carbery and Scott Arniel, who led their teams to the regular-season Conference Championship.

Those who questioned St-Louis’ hiring early on, when Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton decided to think outside the box to fulfill their coaching vacancy, have nothing left to say. The “peewee coach” has left them with egg on their face and has proven how well his coaching techniques work with professional players. St-Louis’ prints are all over this surprisingly successful season, and while there were some rocky roads along the way, nobody is asking if his job is in danger anymore, nor should there be.

Considering the ups and downs, the coach deserves an A- for his performance. You could argue that results took a while to show, but that doesn’t matter. The Canadiens are thinking long-term, and St-Louis has coached accordingly. It’s about the here and now, but it’s also about the organization's future and long-term gain.

Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

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