There have been reports that Nick Suzuki is upset with Martin St-Louis
It was a very unusual situation that occurred for Tuesday night's game between the Canadiens and the Senators. The home team had only three centers, as Mitchell Stephens had been placed on waivers.
Clearly, the strategy did not work. Nick Suzuki, Jake Evans, and Sean Monahan had their ice time doubled during the game, and the Canadiens were dominated for 40 minutes.
"Martin St-Louis relied on only three centermen. Nick Suzuki, Sean Monahan, and Jake Evans shared the task, a strategy that did not sit well with the captain, who, for a very rare occasion, did not seem to see eye to eye with his coach."
- Patrick Friolet, RDS
It is well known that player availability is at the discretion of Kent Hughes and not Martin St-Louis. With over 25 scouts at the Bell Centre, including three from the Dallas Stars, it is likely that one or more players were being auditioned.
It was more about the playing time that the captain did not seem very happy with.
"I think Jake [Evans] & Mony [Sean Monahan] were kinda more double-shifted than me but that's obviously a weird, interesting situation... but we were prepared to play a lot of minutes..."
- Nick Suzuki
When you think about it, Suzuki should indeed play much more than Jake Evans. However, he was on the ice barely a minute more, even though the Canadiens had five power plays.
In short, we don't really think there is tension between Martin and Nick, but let's say there is a strategy to refine so that everyone is on the same page.
POLL |
Do you believe there is currently turmoil in the Canadiens' locker room? |
Yes | 378 | 57 % |
No | 285 | 43 % |
List of polls |
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