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Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is demanding more from his team.
The Montreal Canadiens made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. It was a surprising run, especially considering their slow start to the season. But thanks to a steady hand from coach Martin St. Louis, and a second-half surge from Juraj Slafkovsky, they made the postseason.
Many doubted the team last year. And this doubt remains despite a big swing in the offseason. The Canadiens traded for Noah Dobson in a deal with the New York Islanders at the 2025 NHL Draft. Dobson gives this team two No. 1 caliber defensemen, alongside young star Lane Hutson.
The Canadiens opened their training camp last week. During their first couple practices, the message from St. Louis was clear. He needed to see more urgency from this team. They needed to perform at a high level throughout the year, no matter where in the season the games were played.
St. Louis especially needs to see this urgency from Slafkovsky. The former No. 1 overall draft pick has turned in good performances in the last two seasons. However, he has had some very slow starts each year. St. Louis is looking to avoid that, and he made that message loud and clear.
“It starts with the player,” he said, via Sportnet’s Eric Engels. “You can’t hold everyone’s hand, and he’s not 18 years old anymore either. He’s older, he’s more mature, he has experience. How do you measure if someone’s hungry? I’m not talking about hungry for food, but hungry for success. For me, it’s urgency.”
Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky Responds To Urgency Message
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesJuraj Slafkovsky has had some slow starts with the Montreal Canadiens over the last two seasons.
The slow starts from Slafkovsky are certainly frustrating. But there is no one on the planet who is more frustrated than the Canadiens star himself. He heard his coach’s words at practice. And he admitted there were things he didn’t find the urgency to do until later in the season.
“Some things were missing in my game, but I think I figured out what I need to do,” he said, via Engels. “Maybe I didn’t commit to doing all the things I needed to do the past two years, and I just started to do them halfway through the season.”
Slafkovsky noted that playing hard, winning puck battles, and scoring goals are important hallmarks of his game. And he found that he didn’t fully get into gear until midway through the season. He hopes this year is a different case, and that he can find consistency throughout the entire regular season.
Martin St. Louis’s Urgency Demand Goes Beyond Slafkovsky
Slafkovsky is one example of a player who needed to show more urgency. And there is logic behind why St. Louis mentioned him specifically. However, this message applies to the entire team.
The Canadiens made the playoffs at the last moment last season. Montreal put in a good account of themselves against the Washington Capitals. However, there is a lot of doubt about this team’s ability to make the postseason again. They need to show everyone they are for real, and that starts now, not in October or January.
“The shinny hockey is over, (the real hockey) has gotta start now,” St. Louis said, via Engels. “The decision you make with the puck in the neutral zone, it’s gotta start now. How your alarm goes off from offence to defence, it’s gotta start now. The way we play in our d-zone, it’s gotta start now…”
The Canadiens open their 2025-26 regular season against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 8th.
Tristin McKinstry Tristin has over 10 years experience writing at various blogs. He has spent the last three years gaining professional experience in the sports media world. He currently works with ClutchPoints and Pro Football & Sports Network alongside Heavy Sports. More about Tristin McKinstry
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