Martin St-Louis re-invigorated the entire lineup

MONTREAL -- Martin St-Louis' impact has been felt far and wide since joining the Canadiens.

His penchant for focusing on a free-flowing game that put an onus on talent resulted in big strides in every important team statistic. The most notable improvement was the Canadiens' share of goals, which jumped from 38.2 percent all the way to 50.2 percent.
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Another way of looking at it is they went from last in the League up to 15th overall.
As for the players, the results were staggering.
First and foremost, young stars such as Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki saw an
immediate improvement in production
.
But St-Louis' influence went beyond just motivating younger players.
"The style of play that Marty implemented helped my game, and got me back on the right track," said Jeff Petry.
Statistically speaking, Petry hit the nail on the head. Not only was his game back on track, Petry started producing the type of underlying numbers we've come to take for granted throughout his career with the Canadiens.
"There was definitely doubt in my game," said Petry. "A lack of confidence. I knew what I was capable of, what I had done in previous years. So, for me, it was just to get that belief back in myself and kind of push through everything. I think Marty coming in, having several conversations with him, really helped."
From controlling shots, to goals, to high-danger chances, Petry excelled under St-Louis.

His offensive production also saw a significant uptick as well, going from 30th overall in terms of points per 60 at 5v5, all the way to 11th overall in the second half of the year, and first among defensemen.

But in Petry's case, there was more to his resurgence than just a coaching change.
His end-of-season press conference was a perfect reminder that these players are far from the hockey-playing robots we tend to perceive them as.
"And for my family, the decision to ultimately have them go back home was a very difficult decision," said Petry. "We both love this city. We've loved it for eight years. It's such a good setup for my kids in school, and the biggest decision was because it was hard for my family and her family to come visit and help, which, you guys have seen videos of my kids, it's a wild house."
They're humans, humans that are subjected to the same type of frustrating situations we all deal with on a regular basis.

"We needed all the help we could. Not having [our family] able to come help, and with schools closing, and the uncertainty of where things were going, we had to make the decision to bring them home, where they had help close."
Despite the frustrating season, Petry quickly re-iterated his love for the organization, the fans, and the city in which he's spent the better part of a decade.
"We love the city, we love the team, and I truly believe there's no better place to play, to win. Being so close last year, and getting a little taste of how amazing that could have been, I truly believe this is the greatest city play in when things are going well. I think the Bell Centre is second to none."
Petry was just one of many that improved his production in the last few months of the year.
Christian Dvorak enjoyed the type of revival in his play that can only be seen as incredibly encouraging. The 26-year-old didn't just improve his numbers, he ended up leading the team in points per 60 after February 9.

There's a lot more work to be done, but one thing is certain, from rookies to veterans and everyone in between, St-Louis' arrival immediately led to a cascade of improvements throughout the lineup, the type of crucial improvements that bode well for the future.