Patrik Laine at 5 c. 5: Martin St-Louis lost some patience during his press conference

Dose
Crédit:

After today’s practice, Martin St-Louis was questioned about Patrik Laine’s contribution at five-on-five.

The head coach – who wants to see more from his player – mentioned that Laine needs to continue working in order to improve and help the team collectively at that level.

A similar question came up at the end of his press conference… And he responded a bit awkwardly because he seemed tired of answering the question.

The coach said that he had already answered the question and that his answer would not change.

He then left his press conference… Before stating that Jakub Dobes will be in net tomorrow night against the Wild.

Again, his answer was quite short.

Ultimately, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Martin St-Louis behave this way in a press conference. He got angry after a question about Cayden Primeau just before Christmas, he has previously challenged a journalist about Rafaël Harvey-Pinard…

This often happens when the team is struggling on the ice. And the three recent consecutive losses likely play a role in all of this.

It’s normal to see emotions come out sometimes.

But while we’re talking about Laine’s five-on-five performance, let’s discuss it.

It makes sense to believe that St-Louis isn’t satisfied because, at five-on-five, Laine isn’t always visible on the ice.

At 6’4, we should be seeing him a bit more. Laine needs to help the second line be more dangerous on the ice, and for a few games now, that hasn’t been the case.

Add to this the fact that the forward hasn’t scored in his last four games and has only four goals in his last 13 games.

He also has just one even-strength goal since the start of the season. That’s not enough… Especially for a guy who makes $8.7 million a season!

(Credit: ESPN)

We expected him to slow down after a hot start to the season… But at some point, he needs to be able to contribute in other ways as well.

And it’s clear that this bothers Martin St-Louis a bit.

In quick succession

– An excellent choice.

– Good point.

– Drew Doughty is ready to make his return.

– Good reading.

– Oh!