Martin St-Louis has just understood why Kent Hughes activated his contract option until 2027.
He finally understood why Kent Hughes, the team’s general manager, activated the option on his contract until 2027.
It wasn’t for his expertise as a coach or his tactics on the ice. No, it was for something much more specific.
Hughes wanted the Montreal Canadiens to continue to sink towards the bottom of the league, towards the dark depths of the standings.
For what ? To draft Gavin McKenna in 2026.
The cousin of Connor Bedard, eclipsed all of Canada’s records at the under-18 world championship. His 16th point was a work of art on the ice, a goal of breathtaking beauty.
McKenna is more than just a prodigy, he is the promise of an incredible future. We are talking about a generational player who is close to Connor McDavid.
A forward destined to surpass even Bedard, hockey’s rising star and his cousin who was supposed to be the future Connor McDavid. In the end, it is indeed McKenna who, one day, will become the best player on the planet.
For St. Louis, the little-wee coach, as some called him in hockey circles, is a godsend.
He can continue to hand out participation badges, aiming for the bottom of the leaderboard, all the while knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
A light that takes the form of Gavin McKenna. He is ready to play Hughes’ game, to play the pastoral facilitator as Réjean Tremblay says so well, and sacrifice a few seasons to target the cellar.
When CH is really ready to win, Martin St-Louis will no longer be around. He will have distributed enough participation badges to leave through the back door.
The Montreal Canadiens will continue to stumble, but they will do so with a clear goal in mind: drafting the future Connor McDavid, hockey’s next great hope. And with McKenna in their ranks, nothing will be impossible anymore.
