Pat Svoboda: Cold Again

[StamkosFan 72]

Pat Svoboda: Cold Again

Pat Svoboda scores one of his two goals in the last 15 games.

 

Just when it looked like things might turn around for rookie right winger Pat Svoboda, his numbers are back in the trenches. In the last 15 games, he has registered just 2 goals and no assists, and his shooting percentage has ticked down. It seems like the hopes of salvaging the season are out the window for good; in fact; it is difficult to even find a silver lining for the Swedish forward, whose inaugural season has been plagued by off-ice tension and hardships. Svoboda's frustrations finally seemed to reach a breaking point as he did not show at this morning's skate, and his coaches are incensed by his absence. His teammates have also been talking smack about his attitude in the locker room according to sources, and have made some underhanded jabs at the Swede in statements to the media.

 

"He called in 5 minutes after practice started, said that he didn't feel like coming down to the rink, and hung up. This kind of behavior is absolutely unprofessional and unwarranted; we're extremely disappointed in him, and we're considering disciplinary actions," said an anonymous member of the Quebec coaching staff. "He was a fifth overall pick, but he's not putting up numbers and he doesn't seem motivated at all to put in the work. He's just barely doing the minimum for training even when he does show up, and we're completely aware that he keeps talking about other teams in the media. We're very displeased with him and hope that he gets his act together. This whole thing reeks of a publicity stunt, and we will not tolerate this nonsense within our organization. We take matters like these very seriously, and he will get a strong rebuke at the least, in no uncertain terms."

 

But Svoboda must not be too concerned, as reports surfaced in the media that he is contemplating a return to Sweden in the offseason and go to the SHL; in fact, he probably would've done so sooner if he wasn't under pressure to stay in North America since his wife is a lifetime Canadian resident. With the playoffs nearing, Quebec cannot afford to have Svoboda sitting out games or even boycotting the playoffs. They need all hands on deck and need Svoboda to get his head in the game. The Swede has shown to all 42 of the Meute's games so far, so it is possible that getting some space from the team for a day clears his head and he arrives ready to go at the next match. Will the staff brush it under the rug after such a clear violation of their team standards and pretend as though nothing happened? That remains to be seen. Svoboda has been quiet to the media as well, so all that there is to go on is the information that insiders have leaked and disclosed to the press. Hopefully, his side of the story will be available soon, as he could not be immediately reached for comment and his agent declined to discuss the matter.

[Baozi 1,638]

Bench him!