Major: Martin St-Louis Sends a Strong Message to Josh Anderson, and It Can't Be Ignored Anymore

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David St-Jean
March 16, 2024 (11:46)

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We need to face the facts; Josh Anderson is having a very poor season. It's not just a slump; his entire season is a disaster.

Martin St-Louis defended him and gave him ice time, which led to a good December with 6 goals in 6 games, earning him even the Molson Cup for the month.

However, the cold streak has returned, and nothing is going well. He's unrecognizable, and it must be frustrating because he works hard and is capable of scoring 25 goals in the NHL, but this year, it's not working.

So, Martin had a decision to make. It's all well and good to defend players, but at some point, when the results aren't there, he has to make decisions; otherwise, the message it sends to the whole team isn't great.

"He's playing on average 1 minute and 8 seconds less per game compared to last season at the same time. I salute Martin St-Louis for his management because this kind of decision is an integral part of coaching. It's never easy to relegate a veteran to the end of the bench."

- Renaud Lavoie on the JiC show

From month to month, Anderson's ice time has dropped from an average of 17 minutes to 14 minutes. Thursday night, he was used for 11 minutes and 19 seconds, his lowest total since he joined Montreal.