Kent Hughes will have a lot on his plate during the summer. But his first mandate would certainly be a contract offer to Martin St. Louis.
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Because, yes, the interest in seeing St. Louis behind Canadians’ seats is mutual. And without the temporary label of course. All that remains is to find common ground.
“Ideally, it would be a contract of at least three years,” said the Canadian general manager.
Thus, St-Louis will have the opportunity to properly work with the youth of the organization and advance the team without maneuvering a shadow over their heads.
“I know it’s going to take some time to get this team to where we want to take it. How long? I don’t know. That’s an aspect we’ll be looking at over the next few days,” St. Louis said.
It is not only the return of Lavalois that seems cosmetic. That of his assistants as well. St. Louis virtually confirmed their respective positions.
“I am very comfortable with the guys that I have. They are working guys, hockey players, good people. They are not afraid to give their opinion. I think things have gone well and we are working well together.”
So Luke Richardson, Alex Burrows, Trevor Letowski and Eric Raymond can all go on vacation with peace of mind.
“I trust their experience. Not just in training. They’ve been in hockey for a long time. They’ve been playing lately. I find that important,” he added.
Take a step back
Friday night, after the last game of the season, St. Louis said it would follow the playoffs like every year. However, he hinted that he would watch this time more carefully. It is likely that players will be identified who can come in and fill his training next year.
However, there is no doubt that the plans are immediately put into action, even just to put in place a measure for the 2022-2023 campaign.
“It’s too early. We should meet first, coaches. We’ll share our notes, and I’ll go back to my notes to see what we’ve been about to do lately. I can’t prioritize now.”
Same about the concepts and game plans he will propose.
“I don’t know what will happen between now and September. I don’t know who will be here,” he said.
“This is life”
On the other hand, what he knows is that he loves his job.
“I love hockey. I am happy to be back in the NHL.”
And that, even if his first two months at the helm of the Canadian team have taken on the appearance of a real roller coaster in terms of team performance.
“But like anything, you can’t expect it to be fun every day.” this is life. Some days are worse than others. And these are the days that make you work harder and appreciate the good days. »
Hopefully, the second category days will be more numerous in the near future.
