into the NHL season, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky was at a crossroads with just one goal and two points.
Fast-forward to now, and Slafkovsky is the first teenager in Canadiens history to register 40 points in a season. Since Jan. 1, He has scored 27 points in 35 games, putting him third on the Canadiens in that span. Even since Feb. 1, he’s second on the Habs with eight goals and 20 points in 22 games. That’s a huge improvement from his 13 points in his first 36 games, with many wondering what needed to be done for him to really figure things out.
Slafkovsky also plays with better linemates, holding the top right wing spot alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. It seemed like there was some hesitancy to make that happen for quite a while, but the trio has Montreal’s best expected goals percentage on the teamWhen it was Slafkovsky and Caufield with Christian Dvorak, they were playing at 43.8 percent. When Caufield and Suzuki played with Josh Anderson? Try 42.4 percent. So this group feels right, and the results are showing.
So credit where credit’s due: it couldn’t have been easy, but Montreal’s commitment to developing Slafkovsky the right way is starting to pay off. Slafkovsky’s improvement now compared even just the fall is evident, and that has to thrill the Canadiens’ organization. What’s the ceiling? Is he going to put up 70-plus points a year? Or is he just going to be a consistent winger you can rely on to contribute in the top six the rest of the way? There aren’t many players built like Slafkovsky, so it’s hard to say. But there’s little reason to doubt he can’t hit 60 points next year.
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