Canadiens St-Louis Survives Another Atlantic Division Coaching Shuffle

Martin St-Louis became head coach of the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 9, 2022. In his time behind the bench, six teams in the Atlantic Division have fired their head coaches, including the Boston Bruins, who recently fired Jack Adams Award winner Jim Montgomery.

Thus far, St-Louis is 82-110-28 in 220 games as Canadiens head coach, which equals a .436 points percentage. His 110 losses rank seventh all-time in franchise history, achieving the feat in the fewest games.

Now, he is just eight more losses away from tying Alain Vigneault for sixth place and 15 defeats away from fifth all-time. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have secured the fewest wins in the Eastern Conference during this tenure.

Armed with that information, here’s a breakdown of all the Atlantic Division coaches fired since St-Louis took over, each with a better points percentage than the Canadiens bench boss, who is in his fourth season.

Florida Panthers – Andrew Brunette (2021-22) .720%

Joel Quenneville was the coach of the Florida Panthers to start the 2021-22 season but promptly stepped down, allowing Andrew Brunette to take over. In 75 games, he led the team to a 51-18-6 record before departing after a second-round playoff exit.

Boston Bruins – Jim Montgomery (2022-2024) .715%

Montgomery was fired after a slow start this season but led Boston to a 120-41-23 record during his tenure. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2022-23 when the Bruins set the NHL record with 65 wins and 135 points.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Sheldon Keefe (2020-2024) .665%

Sheldon Keefe was the Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss for five seasons, guiding the team to their first playoff series win in over a decade in 2023. However, his inability to get star players to the next level was the tipping point when he was relieved of his duties in 2024.

Ottawa Senators – Jacques Martin (2023-2024) .500%

After over a decade away from head coaching duties, Jacques Martin returned for a 56-game stint with the Ottawa Senators in 2023-24, finishing the season with a 262-26-4 record. As one of the more successful coaches in NHL history, his second tour behind the Senators bench was short-lived, as he stepped down at the end of the year.

Buffalo Sabres – Don Granato (2022-2024) .495%

Granato led the Sabres for four seasons and made zero playoff appearances while earning a 122-125-27 record in 274 games from 2020 to 2024. However, the Sabres were just 81-70-13 over his last two seasons, leading to his dismissal in the most recent offseason.

Ottawa Senators – D.J. Smith (2019-2024) .464%

D.J. Smith never led the Ottawa Senators to the playoffs, unable to guide them past a sixth-place finish in the division. He was let go just 26 games into the 2023-24 season, just months after leading the Senators to their first winning season since 2016-17.

Detroit Red Wings – Jeff Blashill (2015-2022) .447%

Jeff Blashill led the Detroit Red Wings for seven seasons, helping them through a rebuild with low finishes in the standings, which led to high draft picks. His teams only qualified for the playoffs once, his first season, and never finished above fifth place in the division after that year.

Despite being the second longest-tenured coach in the Atlantic Division, St-Louis has work to do to catch up with his counterparts. He remains near the bottom of the list regarding points percentage, even compared to those fresh on the job this season.

• Jon Cooper – Tampa Bay Lightning (2012-Present) .639%

• Craig Berube – Toronto Maple Leafs (2024-Present) .632%

• Paul Maurice – Florida Panthers (2023-Present) .624%

• Derek Lalonde – Detroit Red Wings (2023-Present) .514%

• Travis Green – Ottawa Senators (2024-Present) .500%

• Lindy Ruff – Buffalo Sabres (2024-Present) .472%

• Martin St-Louis – Montreal Canadiens (2022-Present) .436%

• Joe Sacco – Boston Bruins (2024-Present) TBD

Considering all the movement around him, St-Louis appears safe from the hot seat despite the losses. Moving up the points percentage list won’t be easy, but as long as he continues to groom the young kids merging into the lineup, everyone seems okay with the process and will see it run its course.

Related: Canadiens Longest Winless Streaks Under Martin St-Louis

However, it is interesting to see more successful coaches getting the boot and Montreal continuing its rebuild plans, unphased by what is happening around it.

Bookmark THN’s Montreal Canadiens site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and more.