Despite a slight slowdown in recent games, Martin St-Louis has had a lucky hand, so far, bringing together Kirby Dach with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Dach is certainly the most consistent left winger of the two young Canadian players since Tyler Toffoli.
Under the direction of Dominique Ducharme, Toffoli had been called upon to complete the dynamic duo. A little over nine months after being traded to the Calgary Flames, Toffoli is delighted with the start to the season enjoyed by his two former linemates.
“Their success does not surprise me. I know how much they love hockey and how much they love working on their game. simply do not like to do,” said Toffoli, on the eve of the clash against the Canadian.
The experiment attempted with Toffoli had lasted a few weeks, yielding somewhat mixed success. Nevertheless, the Flames striker sees in the style displayed by Caufield and Suzuki the same as when he was at their side.
“We tried to get the puck as often as possible. And we knew that when we had it, we were enough to make plays and create chances. That’s exactly what they’re doing right now,” he said.
The positivism of St-Louis
Caufield, who was playing his rookie season last year, seemed to have a real boom once Martin St-Louis was in charge.
Since St. Louis’ first game at the helm on Feb. 10, Caufield is eighth in NHL scoring with 34 in 59 games. So far, in the first 30 games in the 2021-2022 season, he had hit the target only once.
Is the arrival of the new coach really at the origin of this start-up or is it simply attributable to the experience acquired during the previous months?
Hard to say for Toffoli, who only played three games under the orders of St-Louis. Nevertheless, he went there from the following hypothesis.
“Martin came in being extremely positive. He just wanted us to play and give it our all. The more you did, the more chances you got to play. Cole really took his chance. He started to play, to listen and his game came to the right place.
Expected December 12
Former teammate of Sean Monahan in the junior ranks, with the Ottawa 67s, Toffoli will soon, in turn, live a visit in front of his former supporters. The Flames are expected at the Bell Center on December 12.
“I haven’t come back to Montreal yet. I look forward. I enjoyed my time there. It’s unfortunate that COVID and the resulting restrictions prevented me from fully enjoying it. But I made friends in the city and within the team.