Injuries- Legitimate Problemm
Injuries affect a player’s performance, whether they admit it or not, and Martin St. Louis is a prime example.
Everyone loves to bash MSL for the horrible playoff performance he had last year, but no one discusses why he performed so poorly.
St. Louis suffered a sprained MCL in his knee and was never quite the same after the injury. He was slower, couldn’t cut as efficiently, and his production tanked.
Fast forward to today, and people are all over Dan Girardi. But similar to St. Louis, no one wants to discuss that the veteran defenseman is playing with a cracked kneecap.
Derek Stepan and Kevin Klein also suffered injuries this season, and neither have returned to their former, productive selves.