Martin St. Louis had his work cut out for him.
When the Montreal Canadiens named St. Louis interim coach in February 2022, they were in total free fall, having lost 37 of 45 games following a surprise Stanley Cup Final appearance. No one expected an overnight turnaround, and the Canadiens’ record under St. Louis reflects that. Montreal’s .435 points percentage (77-104-27) ranks 29th in the NHL since St. Louis’ first game on the bench.
Those struggles have continued this season. The Canadiens have lost five of seven (2-4-1) to start the year, allowing nearly four goals per game in the process. It has led to questions about St. Louis’ approach to defence. (Montreal uses a hybrid defensive scheme — a mix of zone and man-on-man coverage.)
The Canadiens are averaging 2.71 expected goals against per game at 5-on-5 — the worst mark in the league. They are also last in 5-on-5 scoring chances (22.7) and slot shots on net (13.3) against per game.
Opponents are setting up shop in Montreal’s defensive zone at 5-on-5. The Canadiens are allowing 5:27 of puck-possession time per game in their own zone (third most) and 9.43 cycle scoring chances per game (worst).
When the Canadiens have a chance to leave the zone, they have trouble doing so, ranking 27th in the percentage of 5-on-5 controlled exits that are followed by a successful play (such as a pass or dump-in attempt).
Unsurprisingly, Montreal ranks at or near the bottom of the league in several defensive categories during St. Louis’ tenure. (Turnover scoring chances are those that occur within 10 seconds of a giveaway.)
It is important to note that St. Louis has been coaching one of the youngest teams in the league since coming aboard almost three years ago. Montreal’s opening-day roster this season had an average age of 26.0 — second only to the Buffalo Sabres (25.3). It was third youngest last season at 26.3, behind the Sabres (26.0) and Columbus Blue Jackets (26.2).
That inexperience is most apparent on the defensive corps. Six of the eight defencemen who have played for the Canadiens this season — Justin Barron, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj — are under the age of 24.
Hutson, a 20-year-old rookie, is averaging a team-high 23:16 of ice time and 2:42 of puck-possession time per game in all situations. Two defencemen are averaging more stick-on-puck time per game in the league — Norris Trophy winners Quinn Hughes (3:22) and Cale Makar (2:55).
A young player entrusted with so much is bound to make mistakes, such as the turnover that led directly to Reilly Smith’s goal for the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
“I let (St. Louis) know it was a really bad play,” Hutson told reporters. “He just told me, ‘Don’t hide away from it. You’ve just got to go out and play.’ It’s good to hear, but I’ve got to be a lot better for all the guys in here.”
St. Louis started Hutson with veteran David Savard — a partnership that has not produced results. They have been outscored 4-0 at 5-on-5. Hutson and Guhle, however, are off to a strong start as a pair, helping the Canadiens generate 61.8 per cent of the expected goals at 5-on-5 in 34:31 of ice time. Actual goals are 3-0 for Montreal with Hutson and Guhle on the ice together.
But an injury to Guhle, who has missed the past two games, has forced St. Louis to shuffle the deck. In Guhle’s absence, Hutson has played most of his minutes with Mailloux. The Canadiens have been out-chanced 18-10 at 5-on-5 with Hutson and Mailloux on the ice.
The Canadiens are averaging 3.61 goals against over St. Louis’ 208 games as coach, but it should be worse. Canadiens goaltenders have recorded steals in 13.5 per cent of their starts over that span — the fourth-highest rate in the league.
A goaltender is credited with a steal when the amount of goals he saves above expected is greater than the margin of victory. For example, Sam Montembeault stole the Canadiens’ 1-0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 9 by saving 3.41 goals above expected. Montembeault stole 20 per cent of his starts last season (8 of 40), which was tied with Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin (11 of 55 each) for the league lead.
Although the Canadiens arguably have been the league’s worst defensive team under his watch, St. Louis has no intention of simplifying his system.
“If you want to do something simple, you don’t do anything. You just stand still,” St. Louis told reporters earlier this month. “To me, we don’t have the puck. It’s not time to be simple. It’s time to be calculated together. When we gain the puck, maybe now we’ve got to be simple. … To me, the simplicity happens more when we have the puck. Instead of trying to hit a home run, let’s just try to get on base here. But defensively, if you’re asking guys to be simple, I don’t think you’re helping the group.”
All stats via Sportlogiq