Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
We already have a verdict regarding the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Martin St-Louis.
As we reported in the last few minutes, Martin St-Louis was not at the Canadiens’ practice on Friday in Ottawa.
The absence is due to a family commitment, first reported by Renaud Lavoie.
Martin St-Louis will be behind the bench tomorrow night against the Senators
The news is that he will indeed be behind the bench on Saturday.
That removes a big question mark 24 hours ahead of a highly anticipated game.
On this kind of road trip, routine matters.
The Canadiens still held their practice, and the press conference kept its importance.
“While Martin St. Louis was attending a family event today, he will be on the Habs bench tomorrow.”
Eric Engels, Sportsnet journalist
Let’s recap a few other important storylines from the day.
This season, Laine has only five games played, with a single assist, one point, and a minus-3 rating.
Jake Evans was also back on the ice, also wearing a regular jersey.
Evans has played 34 games in 2025-2026, with five goals and five assists, for 10 points.
Kirby Dach also skated, which adds another piece to the puzzle.
Dach has 15 games this season, with five goals and two assists, for seven points.
His plus-minus is minus-2, and he has 16 penalty minutes.
On top of that, the Canadiens also sent Jacob Fowler and Owen Beck down to Laval.
That helps when you can feel some returns to play coming and the lineup starts to tighten.
In short, Friday felt like a transition day.
On Saturday, St-Louis returns behind the bench and the Canadiens resume their usual structure.
We hope everything is okay on the family side, and we move on to the next chapter.
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
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Canadiens issue update on Martin St-Louis after stepping away for family reasons
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