Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens will need to find a new head coach for their AHL affiliate, as Pascal Vincent has announced he will leave the organization for a job in the NHL.
Vincent, 54, will serve as the Seattle Kraken’s assistant coach in 2025-26, following a very successful tenure with the Laval Rocket.
Even though he spent just two seasons in the organization, it’s fair to say Vincent was the best head coach in Rocket history, and by a wide margin, too.
Not only did he lead Laval to consecutive North Division championships, the Rocket managed to finish the 2024-25 season as the top club in the entire league, with a sparkling 48-19-3-2 record, good for 101 points.
You could argue that they struggled to meet their potential in the playoffs, as they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final during Vincent’s first season, and they dropped a very frustrating series against the Toronto Marlies this past spring, but the fact remains that he instilled a new level of confidence with all the players who ended up making their way to the NHL, and when they did put on a Canadiens jersey, they were well-prepared for the step-up in quality of competition.
That’s the sign of a good coach, especially when discussing a league where the variable factors are overwhelming, and rosters changes are endless.
It takes a special breed of coach to adapt to the ever-changing sports landscape in the AHL, and Vincent did it with aplomb.
It’s one of the main reasons why he was named the AHL Coach Of The Year (Louis AR Pieri Memorial Award) in his first year behind the Rocket bench.
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
You never want to see a hard-working, intelligent coach held back, which is why the Canadiens allowed Seattle to discuss a promotion with Vincent, rather than burying him for their own good.
However, it’s also fair to say that the Canadiens just lost one of the smartest people in the organization, and it will be rather difficult to replace him given the restrictions put in place.
Few Francophone coaches can handle the intensity and pressure of working so closely to Montreal, where every single hockey decision is analyzed ad nauseam.
Such is life in professional sports.
