Martin St-Louis once again showed his talent for subtly infantilizing Juraj Slafkovsky, the young Slovakian prospect of the Montreal Canadiens.
Asked by Anthony Martineau of TVA Sports about Slafkovsky’s progression and the challenges he currently faces, St-Louis responded in a manner reminiscent of the advice one might offer to a child taking their first steps on the ice .
With simple terms and a paternalistic approach, he offered a response far from the technical advice one would expect from a professional NHL player.
Martineau recalled in St. Louis that last year he compared the Slafkovsky development to a route on Waze, acknowledging that there would be traffic jams, but that the destination was beautiful.
Slafkovsky, for his part, recently admitted that he thinks so much on the ice that it affects his speed, making him slower and more hesitant.
It was the perfect opportunity for St. Louis to show kindness disguised as simplicity. Here is his response:
“Just move your feet, then we’ll talk about the readings.” »
This most uncomfortable extract is worth watching. Imagine how Slaf’s face looked when he heard his coach talk about him like this:
With this sentence, St-Louis brings Slafkovský back to the most basic basics of hockey, as if the latter were a novice on the ice.
Instead of giving him tactical advice to refine his vision of the game or improve his decision-making, St-Louis chooses to break down a door that is already wide open.
His advice? Move your feet, anticipate and dare to make reading errors rather than not making them at all. A simplistic piece of advice, which sounds almost like a childish reminder:
“Come on, put one foot in front of the other, and don’t be afraid of falling!” »
The St-Louis approach can be read in two ways. On the one hand, some will say that he tries to protect his young player by sparing him from excessive technical criticism, preferring a simplistic pedagogy to strengthen his confidence.
But on the other hand, this response seems to downplay Slafkovský’s potential and intelligence, treating him almost like a child who needs to be guided at every step.
By simply repeating that he must “move his feet” and avoid thinking too much, St-Louis seems to be telling us that Slafkovský is not yet ready for more elaborate advice – an observation that speaks volumes about the confidence that the coach really grants the young striker.
“I’d rather have him make a bad read than not make a read. »
St-Louis seems to be encouraging a form of base instinct here, as if trying to guide a child through the basics of hockey, away from the subtleties and advanced analysis.
In other words, he encourages Slafkovsky to try without asking too many questions, as one might say to a child hesitant about his first skating tricks.
But for an NHL player, this approach can seem condescending, especially when you know how much Slafkovsky yearns to prove his worth.
St-Louis did not dwell on Slafkovsky’s offensive aspects, explaining that they had “not talked much about that in two weeks” and that the priority was to work on the defensive game.
This reminder, although important, further accentuates the elementary character of his speech. In other words, he brings Slafkovsky back to basics, as one would an inexperienced player, reminding him that efforts must start from the base before thinking about attacking.
For St-Louis, defensive control and basic anticipation are paramount, elements that he believes have been strengthened in the last five games.
Pardon? Who does St. Louis take us for?
Regardless of whether CH has really improved its defense, this approach may seem restrictive for such a young player, who already has obvious potential and who is looking to assert himself offensively.
The way St. Louis responds to Slafkovský could be summed up in this image: that of a child putting on his skates for the first time and being encouraged to “just move his feet.”
By treating Slafkovsky with such simplicity, St-Louis leaves little room for the complexities of the game, as if the young striker was not yet ready to integrate these aspects.
While he will be paid $7.6 million per year…for the next 8 years..
This attitude, while informal and likely well-intentioned, may give the impression that St. Louis is infantilizing Slafkovsky, downplaying his need for more advanced tactical advice to better understand the nuts and bolts of the NHL game.
St-Louis therefore seems to oscillate between protecting Slafkovsky and a certain minimization of his potential. By giving him advice as basic as “move your feet,” he is probably trying to ease the pressure on the young player.
But this approach could also hinder Slafkovsky’s progress by preventing him from focusing on more advanced aspects of his game.
While expectations are high for a first-round draft pick, one would hope for more nuanced and proactive management from the coach.
The attitude of St. Louis is strange. Juraj Slafkovsky is a young talent with immense potential, but he is no longer a kid on his first skates.
By treating him like this, St-Louis risks slowing down the development of his game, or at least keeping him in a position where he will never fully exploit his talent.
The future will tell us if this approach will ultimately pay off… or if it will only fuel doubts around the management of young talents within the Montreal Canadiens.
Slafkovsky is supposed to be a prodigy…not a kid who starts skating…
