La ouate, le banc et Juraj Slafkovsky

Saturday evening, after another almost uneventful match between two teams from the bottom of the rankings, Martin St-Louis concluded his press briefing by talking about the meritocratic nature of the NHL.

In the 5-1 victory that the CH had just signed at the expense of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the coach had skipped a few shifts from forward Juraj Slafkovsky at the end of the second period and during the first five minutes of the third.

Although it caused a small commotion on the press bridge, this very delicate slap on the wrist was intended to make Slafkovsky understand that he was playing sluggishly and that he was repeatedly committing turnovers that had no reason to be. Furthermore, the first pick of the 2022 draft seemed to be falling apart. Twice, like an overly spoiled teenager, he had just returned to the bench shouting curses to express his dismay, even going so far as to break his stick on his knees.

When you play badly, it’s generally better to be forgotten. Attracting attention and distracting teammates who are trying to do their job well certainly does not improve things.

Furthermore, a call to order and a few minutes of reflection never hurt. This generally allows a player to calm down, refocus and get back in tune with his teammates while waiting for the coach to call upon his services again. When such interventions by the coach are made, the other players also notice that they are not the only ones to see that something is wrong. And that sends them the message that someone is making sure the game plan is followed.

Ambiguity being the worst enemy of success in the world of sport, athletes are always happier when instructions are clear and coaches ensure that they are respected.

***

Before going any further, let us return once again to the almost anecdotal nature of Juraj Slafkovsky’s call to order.

The young Slovakian has played an average of 17 min 30 sec per match since the start of the season. And on Saturday evening, his clock stopped at 4:56 p.m. It was almost the equivalent of a mother correcting her child by telling him don’t do this, please.

This reaction from Martin St-Louis surprised many, not because it was unusual, but rather because it was a first choice in the draft and a player from the first line who was targeted. However, we were light years away from Brad Marchand, the captain of the Bruins, who was sharply reprimanded and who was benched by Jim Montgomery last month after committing a turnover. We are also a long way from David Pastrnak, an NHL superstar, who did not touch the ice for a full third period shortly after the incident involving his teammate Marchand.

It also had nothing to do with the decision taken by Jon Cooper, the coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had sanctioned his first trio (Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov) for a full period last season.

For the Bruins, Marchand and Pastrnak lined up behind their coach after being called to order. I was happy with Montgomery’s reaction because if he hadn’t done anything [après le revirement]that would have meant our team had much bigger problemsMarchand said in particular.

And in Tampa, when this kind of thing happens, the players on the team naturally support Jon Cooper by saying that very high standards of excellence have been established and that they must be maintained.

***

For all these reasons, the reaction of Slafkovsky, who is a very nice boy, proved much more surprising than the management of Martin St-Louis’ bench on Saturday evening.

Instead of straightening up, the tall forward appeared completely distraught by the turn of events. When the second period ended, Slaf remained seated at the bench instead of immediately retreating to the locker room with his teammates. And captain Nick Suzuki had to speak to him twice: at the end of the period and during the intermission to ask him to pull himself together.

“I didn’t like seeing him beaten down like that,” Suzuki admitted after the game. I just told him we would need him in the third period. »

When the team returned to the bench before the start of the third, Slafkovsky still looked disassembled. And it was Cole Caufield who decided that a little encouragement session was necessary to boost his morale.

After five more minutes of his short purgatory, Slafkovsky was then returned to the fray in his usual place alongside Suzuki and Kirby Dach.

He responded well, he skated hard and he got involved in the battles. No one likes being benched, but it’s how you respond afterwards that counts. And he answered wellSuzuki said.

Leaving the Bell Center on Saturday evening, interesting questions were in the air. Because it’s extremely rare to see an NHL player react the way Slafkovsky did, simply because the coach decides to manage his bench.

In fact, we never see that.

Does the athlete lack maturity? Has he been placed in the wool since his arrival on the team? Was the level of accountability imposed on players in recent seasons so low that some of them now struggle to understand that it is a necessary step for everyone? And if an innocuous decision like that of Saturday provokes this kind of reaction, does that illustrate how far the Canadian’s standards of excellence are from those that exist within the best organizations?

***

At the end of his press briefing, Martin St-Louis was asked a question about the progress of Jake Evans. This former seventh-round pick took the longest route to reach the NHL (four years of college, followed by two seasons in the American League). And in his fifth season with the Canadiens, Evans is in the process of getting rid of the label of fourth-line player that had been attached to him. He provides good service at the center of the second unit.

Evans, by the way, is one of those who applauds every time the coach raises his voice and pushes the team to do better. Players, he says, need to be treated like adults.

However, several elements of the coach’s response seemed to apply as much to Evans as to Slafkovsky.

When you reach a certain age, the league doesn’t care what round you were drafted. The question is whether you can play. Because if you can play, you’re going to play in this league. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-round pick. Eventually, the league doesn’t care if you’re a top pick. Can you play? Keep improving because if you can play, you will play. And if you know who you are, you’ll probably find a chair. And from there you might steal a higher chair [dans la hiérarchie]. It takes a lot of self-confidence. Your head must be stronger than your emotions […]replied St-Louis.

This slice of life from an ordinary Saturday evening taught us that things are changing a little for the Canadian, but that this team still has a long way to go.