The story

The Montreal Canadiens signed head coach Martin St. Louis to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Monday. The deal runs through the 2029-30 season, a four-year agreement that replaces his previous contract. St. Louis, 51, was entering the final year of his existing deal. General manager Kent Hughes said St. Louis has done a terrific job leading the young team and is a great communicator and teacher.

St. Louis has led the Canadiens to steady improvement, with the team increasing its point totals from 68 in 2022-23 to 76 in 2023-24, 91 in 2024-25, and 106 in 2025-26. The team reached the Eastern Conference Final last season, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes, after posting a 48-24-10 regular season record. Montreal was the youngest team in the NHL when St. Louis was named a Jack Adams Award finalist in 2024-25, after leading them to the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21.

St. Louis was hired as interim head coach on February 9, 2022, and officially became the 32nd head coach in Canadiens history on June 1, 2022. He has a 163-155-47 record entering his sixth season. A Hockey Hall of Fame inductee in 2018, St. Louis totaled 1,033 points as a player and won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2003-04, when he also won the Hart Trophy as MVP and the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer.