The Montreal Canadiens have reportedly granted head coach Guy Carbonneau a contract extension, one which will keep him behind the bench for the foreseeable future.

TSN of Canada reported that Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey made the announcement Friday morning, but did not divulge the length of the deal nor the amount.

Carbonneau is entering the final year of a three-year contract, first signed when the former Habs captain was named head coach prior to the 2006-07 season.

Over the last two seasons, the 48-year-old Quebec native posted a 89-59-16 record, which included a 47-25-10 mark last season that saw Montreal nab the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Their regular-season ascension did not breed postseason success, as the Canadiens were toppled by the Flyers in a five-game conference semifinal.

The extension is a sign that Gainey is expecting bigger things from his former teammate, as the Canadiens enter their 100th season of existence as a prohibitive favorite in some circles to win the East once more and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Montreal begins its season on the road on October 10 at division-rival Buffalo.

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@