Martin St-Louis criticizes his second trio just days before the deadline

Félix Forget
Martin St-Louis criticizes his second trio just days before the deadline
Credit: Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

It's been a few months now since Martin St-Louis assembled a trio of young players within his top six. Oliver Kapanen (22), Juraj Slafkovský (21), and Ivan Demidov (19) have been playing together on the same line for quite some time now.

And in fact, the three kids are doing well this year. In 59 games each, Demidov has 47 points, Slaf has 46, and Kapanen, who doesn't play on the power play, has 31.
That said, it's clear that the coach isn't entirely satisfied. Things have been a little tougher for them 5-on-5 recently… and St. Louis publicly challenged them after practice today.

St. Louis feels that the guys' defensive play is lacking, which means they're burning themselves out before they even get a chance to attack.

And he wants to see more from his three young players.

All of this is interesting given that these comments come just a few days before the deadline and at a time when the idea of a top-6 forward arriving in town is gaining traction. We know, for example, that Robert Thomas' name is being bandied about around town at the moment.

Is this a way of trying to push the guys to improve, but also to send a little message to his bosses? Because even though Thomas isn't a great defensive player, he's still likely to be the center of that trio if a trade sends him to Montreal.

We know that it's not uncommon for young players to experience slumps, especially on the defensive end. And we might also wonder if the coach wanted to give his guys a little whip to motivate them to focus on their defensive play.

If the club wants to make it to the playoffs and go far, it will need its young prodigies at the top of their game. And the coach is fully aware of that.


In brief

– Quite a few scouts at tonight's Flyers-Maple Leafs game.

— He has a great personality.

— John Gibson: the worst has been avoided.

— I like that.

– Names to watch.

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