Part of the boo bird club.
Before the players could get off the ice during the game five against the Florida Panthers, they were being booed by their home crowd, which accompanied the jersey-throwing contest. This is a bit more personal for Kyrou because the boos were directed toward him and him only. After the firing of head coach Craig Berube in mid-December 2023, Kyrou was booed in St. Louis' own Enterprise Center every time he touched the puck by the resentful and heartbroken Blues fans. To many fans, it seemed that Kyrou was the reason for Berube's dismissal.
Criticized as being one-way players.
Recently, Marner received criticism from the Toronto fanbase along with former Leafs enforcer Jay Rosenthal after their frustrating loss to the Panthers in game 5. He was criticized for turning the puck over, which Rosenthal then stated led to their eventual 6-1 loss. According to The Hockey Writers, which posted an article in October 2024, Marner and Matthews were struggling to adapt to Berube's style of defense when he was hired as the head coach. Sound familiar? Kyrou has also faced scrutiny from the Blues fanbase for giving up on plays and the impact of his +/- score in previous seasons.
Held to high expectations by their fanbases, especially Toronto.
It’s not like these guys are fourth-line grinders that lay their bodies to get inside and deflect pucks to the net. Every team needs that line, just like every team needs goal scorers, and that’s exactly what they do. This season, Marner was good for 27 goals, 75 assists, and 102 points, while Kyrou was good for 36 goals, 34 assists, and 70 points. If these young players continue to put up these numbers, their fan base will continue to expect more. Kyrou and Marner are two young players with an exceptional skillset, and if given the freedom to use it, they will continue to produce points, score goals, and lead their teams.
