Martin St-Louis may have lost the match, but he won his point.
The Sheriff must enforce laws and beware of those who dare cross the line. And he will never forgive a player who lacks respect for authority and also for his teammates.
We want to convey a new culture and Jonathan Drouin has pushed the boundaries. The coach made the necessary decision.
We know very well that had the Canadians had enough skaters available, Drouin would not have donned the uniform Saturday night in Tampa. What we are trying to understand in this file is where Drouin had his head in defying authority in this way? His absence at the start of Friday morning’s team briefing made Martin St-Louis snort.
Worse, I’m convinced that St-Louis’ anger can easily be explained by the fact that he’s given Drouin every opportunity to make a good impression since returning to the game. He put him out in numbers and gave him more responsibility, giving him a very important role in the centre.
It didn’t seem to deliver unspectacular results, but we felt a desire from Drouin to prepare for next season, be it in Montreal or elsewhere. But two minutes late and everything changes.
Drouin was still turning to the music. It’s so right. His coach repeated that he liked Drouin and he even recalled on a few occasions that his player had behaved well under the circumstances.
No other choice
On the other hand, he put his coach in a situation where he had no choice but to ban the skater, partly because St-Louis has always respected the team spirit throughout his coaching career, he values the community very much. That’s why he insists that a flagrant breach of a settlement is non-negotiable. The perpetrator must bear the consequences.
Whether St. Louis would have made the same decision if the Canadians were trying to bow out into the playoffs, the comparison doesn’t stand up. Because we have to assume that the Canadian would be in better health if the workforce was competing at a higher level. Would he have reacted differently? Without doubt. He would have invited Drouin to visit the press box.
He had to demonstrate his leadership, he had to show that he had goals to achieve, that he had an important role to play in the relaunch of the dealership and in the plan laid out by management.
And let’s question his authority, he had to go to great lengths to deliver a clear and concise message to all players.
Also as a reminder. Even in a rather precarious situation, Drouin didn’t bring any improvement due to his lack of discipline.
When it comes time to take stock of the season with Habs decision makers, I’m not sure we’ll dwell long on the assessment of Drouin, whose contract ends this season.
The Guhle File
Should Kaiden Guhle be sidelined for the rest of the season?
Perhaps if the young defender’s injury forces him to sit out for a long time then the debate will be over.
On the other hand, if the prospect of a return to football still lingers, should management be wary of Kaiden Guhle being kept out of the game for the third time?
The possibilities are numerous and invite you to think for a long time.
Taking Kaiden out of active competition, allowing him to recover and attend to injuries proves to be an interesting solution.
Having Guhle finish the season is another option, especially as he enjoyed that first National League experience.
Sure, injuries are sometimes a concern, but in a context like this, who decides exactly what’s best for them in the end? It’s up to Guhle whether we agree with his decision or not.
Stay a little embarrassed
We’re going to be a little embarrassed about Denis Gurianov, but let’s say he’s doing surprisingly well.
However, the question cannot be avoided: why did the Dallas Stars trade Gurianov, 25-year-old first-round restricted free agent, for Evgenii Dadonov, 34, unrestricted free agent?
There’s a reason. Peter DeBoer didn’t like him. It’s the playing style he doesn’t particularly like. Skaters who don’t have a flair for the art of playing defensively in their turf in general.
But didn’t we say the same thing about Valeri Nichushkin, another who failed in Dallas and found his niche in Colorado? Well, Nichushkin can always count on Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen at the Avalanche. The Canadian has yet to find a player of this caliber.
Flat five attack
Should we make a big deal out of the Canadian’s low-power play production? Schnell’s top sniper, Cole Caufield, has been absent for nearly three months. We haven’t seen Sean Monahan since early December. Any news from Kirby Dach? Mike Matheson has missed a significant number of games.
With so many players in the infirmary, your five-man attack could take a serious hit. Imagine if David Pastrnak were absent from the Bruins for an extended period. I dare not refer to Connor McDavid because it is often said that comparison is lame. But I’ll focus on the influence that Caufield, Monahan and Dach had alongside Josh Anderson and Nick Suzuki…
