SUNRISE | The work Martin St-Louis is doing with the numbers at his disposal, and despite the ever-growing injury list, continues to be commended by the NHL’s head coaching fraternity. Paul Maurice is the last in line.
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The current Panthers head coach has been rolling his belly in Bettman County for more than a quarter of a century. He was just 28 when the Hartford Whalers handed him leadership of the team in November 1995, making him one of the youngest drivers in league history.
Obviously, at 47, Martin St-Louis is not in the same chapter of his life. However, the situation of the two men is similar as Maurice had barely a month of NHL experience (as an assistant coach) when he was promoted.
“He’s not in an easy situation. His squad is decimated by injuries and he operates in a market that demands excellence. Despite everything, he manages to keep his dressing room alive. »
Maurice ranks fourth in circuit history with 1752 games behind the tie. He saw water flowing under bridges. And he thinks he knows what makes his Canadian colleague so successful.
“We remember his Stanley Cup and Martin’s goalscoring abilities. But before he got there, he had to scrape, grind and learn to master all the little details to make his way into the NHL,” he recalled.
“This unusual journey allows him to understand each player in their dressing room, the game and the range of emotions one can go through,” continued Maurice.
Verhaeghe emerges from the shadows
When it comes to players who had to work hard to reach the NHL, the name Carter Verhaeghe is another example. The Toronto native, who was stuck in the ECHL and American League until he was 24, currently dominates the Panthers’ scoring charts with 32 goals.
“It’s another Martin-St-Louis story,” noted Maurice. He’s a sniper, a guy who can draw fast. However, what we like more about him is his defensive play. Since realizing he can score goals in this league, he’s become more aware of other aspects of the game.”
We understand Alexander Barkov has missed 14 games this season, but Verhaeghe’s name isn’t what we were expecting at the beginning of this column. At least not from the outside.
“From our side we are not that surprised. He can score 30 or 40 goals a year with his eyes closed, Anthony Duclair said. We got to the Panthers at the same time. I saw from the start that he would be a good player. »
“You can see that in the organization of the Blitz he had no opportunity to assert himself. Here it was the other way around. He had the opportunity to play with good players,” the Montrealer continued.
Tkachuk takes advantage of this
This season, Verhaghe has mainly skated with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett.
“Before I played here I didn’t know much about him. I knew he had a couple of good seasons, but right from the training camp I saw how fast he was,” said Tkachuk.
“I love playing with him. We’re two players with different styles, but it works very well,” he argued.
With 87 points on the clock, Tkachuk is nearing his personal best of 104 points. We can therefore understand that he appreciates the presence of Verhaeghe at his side.
With 87 points on the clock, Tkachuk is nearing his personal best of 104 points. We can therefore understand that he appreciates the presence of Verhaeghe at his side.