{"id":411564,"date":"2026-01-16T22:11:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T22:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/411564\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T22:11:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T22:11:37","slug":"canadiens-issue-update-on-martin-st-louis-after-stepping-away-for-family-reasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/411564\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadiens issue update on Martin St-Louis after stepping away for family reasons"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t \"Nov <\/p>\n

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

We already have a verdict regarding the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Martin St-Louis.<\/p>\n

As we reported in the last few minutes, Martin St-Louis was not at the Canadiens’ practice on Friday in Ottawa.<\/p>\n

The absence is due to a family commitment, first reported by Renaud Lavoie.<\/p>\n

Martin St-Louis will be behind the bench tomorrow night against the Senators<\/p>\n

The news is that he will indeed be behind the bench on Saturday.<\/p>\n

That removes a big question mark 24 hours ahead of a highly anticipated game.<\/p>\n

On this kind of road trip, routine matters.<\/p>\n

The Canadiens still held their practice, and the press conference kept its importance.<\/p>\n

“While Martin St. Louis was attending a family event today, he will be on the Habs bench tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

Eric Engels, Sportsnet journalist<\/p>\n

Let’s recap a few other important storylines from the day.<\/p>\n

This season, Laine has only five games played, with a single assist, one point, and a minus-3 rating.<\/p>\n

Jake Evans was also back on the ice, also wearing a regular jersey.<\/p>\n

Evans has played 34 games in 2025-2026, with five goals and five assists, for 10 points.<\/p>\n

Kirby Dach also skated, which adds another piece to the puzzle.<\/p>\n

Dach has 15 games this season, with five goals and two assists, for seven points.<\/p>\n

His plus-minus is minus-2, and he has 16 penalty minutes.<\/p>\n

On top of that, the Canadiens also sent Jacob Fowler and Owen Beck down to Laval.<\/p>\n

That helps when you can feel some returns to play coming and the lineup starts to tighten.<\/p>\n

In short, Friday felt like a transition day.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, St-Louis returns behind the bench and the Canadiens resume their usual structure.<\/p>\n

We hope everything is okay on the family side, and we move on to the next chapter.<\/p>\n

Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics<\/p>\n

POLL<\/p>\n

2 HOURS AGO\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0179 ANSWERS<\/p>\n

Canadiens issue update on Martin St-Louis after stepping away for family reasons<\/p>\n

Which of these two teams do you think will have the most wins over the next five years?<\/p>\n

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