MONTREAL — Goaltender coach Pierre Groulx will not return to the Montreal Canadiens next season.
The NHL club announced Monday it will not renew Groulx’s contract, but gave no reason for the move.
Groulx, who previously worked for the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators, had been Montreal’s goalie coach since July 6, 2009.
He was the only member of the coaching staff kept on when Michel Therrien was named head coach for the 2012-13 season.
"Pierre is a coach with a strong work ethic; a true professional who largely contributed to the development of our goaltenders," general manager Marc Bergevin said in a statement. "Unfortunately, we have to make the difficult decision today not to renew his contract with the team."
Montreal’s goaltending tandem of Carey Price and backup Peter Budaj did well until late in the regular season when Price was pulled from back-to-back starts. He went 2-6-0 in his last eight appearances, allowing 27 goals.
The late swoon saw him post a below-average 2.59 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.
Price’s woes continued in the first round of playoffs as Montreal was eliminated in five games by Ottawa. Budaj started Game 5 and was beaten six times.
Montreal’s goaltending ranked 14th in the NHL.
