Canadiens pick up St. Louis' option, extend him for 2 years

The Montreal Canadiens have exercised head coach Martin St. Louis' option and extended him for an additional two seasons, the team announced Wednesday.

St. Louis is now under contract through the 2026-27 campaign.

"He's very impressive, he's the right person for what we're doing here, and not a day goes by we're not happy with him," vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton told reporters, including The Athletic's Arpon Basu.

St. Louis, 48, was hired by Montreal midway through the 2021-22 season after the firing of Dominique Ducharme. Since taking over, the Canadiens are 75-100-26 and have finished last in the Atlantic Division all three seasons.

The Hall of Famer has been lauded for his work with young players. Cole Caufield blossomed under St. Louis' tutelage after rookie season struggles with Ducharme, and first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky broke out in the second half this season.