MSL could be the best NHL coach of the year, says Philippe Boucher

Dans les Coulisses
Crédit: MONTREAL, CANADA - MARCH 21: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens Martin St-Louis watches the warm-ups from the bench against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Centre Bell on March 21, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Unsurprisingly, the Montreal Canadiens aren’t doing too well so far this season.

Obviously, with so many major injuries, being “in the mix” is made difficult.

But the goalies aren’t doing enough, the defensive system is deficient and there’s a lack of offensive support.

The powerplay isn’t atrocious, but there’s certainly room for improvement there.

It’s better than last year, and this may have something to do with the change in forward coach.

Martin St-Louis has replaced Alex Burrows in this role, and frankly, I like the idea of MSL handling the NA.

But being head coach AND running the powerplay is just too much work.

That’s what Philippe Boucher thinks, and he was one of the guests (along with Anthony Marcotte) on the first French-language episode of The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro.

He also thinks that St-Louis could be the best coach in the NHL.

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If you click on the YouTube video above, you’ll see exactly where Philippe Boucher says these words.

It’s hard not to agree with Boucher on this one, as MSL has everything it takes to roll up a very good massive forward.

As Boucher said, he just needs more talent up front, and being head coach on top of it all makes the task very arduous.

As for talent, that’s going to come with the likes of Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage, who should be joining the club at the end of their respective seasons.

However, all this brings me to another point.

Personally, although St-Louis has done a great job so far with the youngsters, I don’t think he’s the ideal coach to win one or more Stanley Cups.

For this year, there’s no press, but if next year we don’t win enough, I’ll be asking myself questions.

That’s why I’d consider the option of finding a better coach to take the young core to the next level, while keeping MSL on the AN.

The next question is which coach would be ideal for the Habs.

Overtime

– Chris Pronger supports Jacob Trouba.

– Good news for the Blue Jackets.

– A nice text about the Joseph brothers.