Canadiens Coaching: Vincent To Face Tall Task In The AHL

The Montreal Canadiens did not waste much time when it came to replacing the head coach of their AHL affiliate. There were several quality options available, but in the end, the team hired former NHL head coach Pascal Vincent to lead the charge for the Laval Rocket.

Yes, Vincent is a Francophone, but more importantly, has a great handle on what it takes to coach in the junior ranks, as he was named the coach of the year in both the QMJHL (2007-08) and the AHL (2017-18). Some may be a little hesitant to discuss his coaching merits as he had a difficult season in his lone year as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but it’s only fair to acknowledge that keeping a coach in place for just one season at the helm of a rebuilding team is the professional equivalent of putting a band-aid on a deep flesh wound. Yes, there were some concerns about his player usage, particularly on the blue line, however, he simply did not have the horses in place to compete in the derby.

To put things into context, Canadiens fans were quite happy with the improvements the team saw from 2022-23 to 2023-24, including an eight-point improvement in the standings. The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, enjoyed a seven-point improvement in that span under Vincent’s tutelage, and you could easily argue he was dealing with a much worse lineup.

The Next Step For the Montreal Canadiens AHL Affiliate

Things will be a little different in Laval, especially compared to the five seasons he spent as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jet’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. In fact, you could argue Vincent is heading into a situation in which he will have the last amount of control since his time in the QMJHL. The Canadiens are quite active when it AHL usage. As former head coach Jean-Francois Houle explained, there were several times when orders from above usurped his own control of the team lineup.

That’s fairly normal for an AHL affiliate. The long-term goal is to prepare young players to make the biggest jump in their career, while team success is secondary. And yet, the coaches still get judged on how well their team performed while dealing with unforeseen call-ups to the NHL, injuries that have a domino effect on the players available from the Montreal Canadiens all the way down to the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions, and other variables, such as trades or unhappy players.

Don’t forget, while Vincent prepares players to take the next step in their careers, he’s also doing his best to get another opportunity, or rather, a first legitimate opportunity in the NHL.

Fair or not, the judgment factor will be in full force for Vincent, as he tries to rehab his image by building a team in Laval that can provide high-end reinforcements to the Montreal Canadiens while enjoying a modicum of success. Such is life as an AHL coach. It’s a delicate balancing act, one that pushes a coach’s knowledge and ability to adapt on the fly to the limit.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

The job in the AHL will take on even more importance than in previous seasons, as a slew of high-end prospects will shortly make their way to the Laval Rocket. As we established in the recent evaluations of the forward and defensive depth charts, there’s a healthy chance that top prospects such as Lane Hutson, David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom, and Logan Mailloux will spend a significant portion of the season in the league as the Habs attempt to solve their defensive logjam.

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There aren’t as many top prospects up front that will be playing in Laval, but that doesn’t erase the possibility that Ivan Demidov will one day don the jersey, or that Joshua Roy will return to the AHL to find his rhythm, or that Owen Beck will learn how to become a professional under Vincent’s watchful eye.

Simply put, he’s taking over the farm team at a crucial time for both the organization and the longevity of his head coaching career.