“They can breathe a little” – Martin St. Louis

With the dawning of training camp, Martin St. Louis is keeping a cool head when it comes to the prospects of his roster.

In the first part of an interview with Jean-Charles Lagoy, which was broadcast on Monday, the Montreal Canadiens pilot emphasized that he had a goal in mind and that there were several possible means to achieve it.

“It’s hard to set expectations. During training camp, the team will talk to us. Our behavior on the snow will help us determine our destination. We have an overall picture and we have things to go with. We know where we want to go, but there are different ways to get there.”

Quebec also wants to use the bootcamp as a trial period. Some groups from last season showed promise, but he wants to keep an open mind to incorporate off-season acquisitions.

“We’re going to experiment. I have ideas, but I want to talk to the other coaches about it. We have ideas of how we want to try to start with that, but you have to experiment. I know some things are working from last season, but we have new players. You have to try a little bit. “.

If St. Louis is clear on one point, it is youth development. He assures that they will be placed in the best possible conditions so that they can achieve long-term success at Bettman.

“Young players are not end products and sometimes you want to finish them too quickly. If you give too much information, they think too much. You make mistakes with indecision. Where we are as an organization, the focus is very much on youth development. They have to feel that they are entering an element where they can breathe. A little. The pressure should be more pressure on themselves than on me, but the behavior and work ethic will not be negotiable.”

The coach also returned to the selection of Juraj Slafkovsky. Although he did not try to influence the decision, he admitted that he was quite comfortable with the choice.

“I’ve watched videos of top leads. I haven’t seen too many Scouts, but I’ve seen enough. I was confident in their choice. Me, I can’t come in there with a small sample and press them or point them in a direction they might not want to go. If someone asked me My opinion, I’ll give it. But not for me to make a decision like that. I’ve had enough on my part. I was very happy with the result.”

Watch the first of five parts of the interview in the video above.