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Montreal Canadiens appear ready to make a key behind-the-bench coaching change permanent


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Daniel Lucente
August 13, 2026  (3:17 PM)
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the Montreal Canadiens bench celebrates forward Nick Suzuki (14)'s opening goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period in game seven of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Benchmark International Arena.
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Montreal is set to confirm Marco Marciano as full time goalie coach, with Ilya Ejov staying on to lead Laval.

The Canadiens look like they're finally ready to close the book on their interim goalie coach experiment.
Marco Marciano has been running the show behind the bench for Montreal's goaltenders since late January, and everything points toward that arrangement becoming permanent very soon.
Marciano stepped into the role after Eric Raymond was let go, and the early results were hard to ignore.
Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes both showed signs of stabilizing under his guidance, and the goaltending unit as a whole started looking far more composed than it had earlier in the season.
For an organization that had been searching for consistency between the pipes, that kind of turnaround matters.

Ejov staying put in Laval

One detail that came out recently through insider chatter is that Ilya Ejov, who stepped up with the Laval Rocket while Marciano was away, is expected to remain with the AHL club.
That's a pretty clear signal about how the organization sees things shaking out long term.
It suggests Montreal wants continuity at both levels rather than shuffling coaches around again once the season wraps up.

What comes next for Montreal

If Marciano does get the official nod, it wraps up a storyline that's been quietly building since January.
He's earned plenty of praise from players and staff alike for his technical eye and his ability to connect with young goaltenders, and locking him in gives the Canadiens some much needed stability heading into next season.
Expect an announcement sooner rather than later.
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Montreal Canadiens appear ready to make a key behind-the-bench coaching change permanent

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