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Anthony Martineau believes Martin St. Louis made a mistake with his latest decision on Ivan Demidov
It was a roller-coaster game between the Canadiens and the Kings on Tuesday, and Juraj Slafkovsky was on everyone's lips afterward.
He had such a tough night that Martin St-Louis decided to replace him with Ivan Demidov on the first line.
And honestly, many are still wondering why the trial with Demidov, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield didn't last a little longer.
Anthony Martineau talked about it on The Sick Podcast, and it didn't take long for fans to react.
After listening, I have to say his comments were clear and direct - but very fair.
According to him, Slaf committed too many turnovers, which completely slowed down the game's pace. Hard to disagree.
Anthony Martineau believes Demidov deserved a real chance
Martineau explained that in moments like that, any coach would have reacted the same way.
"I don't know how many times Juraj put the puck right on a Kings player's stick, but the reaction would've been the same with anyone behind the bench. 'Okay Juraj, sit down, think about it, this game's not yours.'"
- Anthony Martineau
- Anthony Martineau
But he didn't stop there.
He also added that he would have liked for St. Louis to keep Demidov a little longer with Suzuki and Caufield - just to see if something could click!
As he told Marinaro:
"As much as I really like Juraj, I was thinking that if you're going to try something, give Demidov a chance for two minutes at the end of the period. Worst case, you go back to Slafkovsky after."
- Anthony Martineau
- Anthony Martineau
I think he's got a point.
In my opinion, sometimes when nothing's working, you have to take a risk.
And with a player like Demidov, there's really nothing to lose.
Watching the game, I found myself asking the same question - why not give him a real shot on the top line?
In my view, Martineau summed it up perfectly: when a team is searching for answers, sometimes you just need the courage to try something different.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 13 | 650 ANSWERS Anthony Martineau believes Martin St. Louis made a mistake with his latest decision on Ivan Demidov Do you think Ivan Demidov's tryout with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield should have lasted longer? | ||
| Yes | 477 | 73.4 % |
| No | 173 | 26.6 % |
| List of polls | ||