It is known that St-Louis hasn't always been a fan of the "mood swings" of the "Sheriff," if we may call him that, and it's also known that he hasn't always appreciated Arber Xhekaj to his full value (at least in our opinion).
It's worth noting that the Canadiens' head coach didn't seem pleased at all with Xhekaj's actions last Saturday against Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cédric Paré.
He was very cold during the press conference on that topic.
However, as reported by Maxime Truman in his latest piece, and according to information from Georges Laraque, Martin St-Louis has completely changed his philosophy.
To avoid misrepresenting his words, here is the exact quote.
This is indeed a major turnaround and quite a shift in philosophy from MSL.
We highly recommend reading the full article: The Canadiens might be shopping for a tough forward to complete their "bottom 6".
This explains everything.
Martin St-Louis admits that a tougher team is necessary, and therefore, management wants to add another rugged forward to protect the team's top players.
Clearly, they're all fed up with injuries and questionable hits.
They want more players who command respect, particularly to support Arber Xhekaj in his role.
Yes, management has realized just how important toughness still is in the NHL of 2024-2025.
Don't be surprised if an acquisition in this direction is announced sooner rather than later.
POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 4 | 906 ANSWERS Martin St-Louis reportedly changed his mind about Arber Xhekaj and thanked him in front of all his teammates Do you think Kent Hughes needs to add another tough player to the lineup? | ||
Yes | 719 | 79.4 % |
No | 187 | 20.6 % |
List of polls |