The Montreal Canadiens have surprised many people with their play to start the season. Very few thought they had a chance with their young defensive corps and what most figured would be mediocre goaltending. However, 14 games into the season, the Habs find themselves one game over .500, and their young rookies impressing everyone. One player improving with every game is first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky. He has improved so much game after game that it is about time Montreal started playing him in the top nine and not on the fourth line. Here is why Slafkovsky should start getting more ice time soon.
Of course, this ice time change won’t come into effect until after he serves his two-game suspension for a dangerous hit from behind on the Detroit Red Wings’ Matt Luff. Slafkovsky received a two-game suspension, and Luff will be out 10-12 weeks after he required surgery. He can return to the Canadiens lineup on Nov. 15 against the New Jersey Devils.
Canadiens Draft Slafkovsky First Overall
General manager (GM) Kent Hughes surprised a few people when he went against the consensus and drafted Slafkovsky first overall over favoured prospect Shane Wright. According to most scouting reports, Wright was supposed to go first, but a few scouts and experts gave Slafkovsky an outside chance based on his performance at the Olympics and World Championship for Slovakia. The Canadiens fell in love with his attitude and outlook on the game; they felt he had all the tools to be a future star player for the team.
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There was a mix of cheers and jeers when Slafkovsky’s name was announced, but the fans quickly grew to love him after hearing his interviews and listening to his humble answers to the questions. He wants to be the best player from the draft and is willing to work at anything to improve his game. This is starting to show in how he plays; even though he is getting only 10 minutes per game, he is making the most of it.
Canadiens St. Louis Wants To Take it Slow With Slafkovsky
From the beginning, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said he wanted to take things slow with Slafkovsky. Many thought he would start the season in Laval because of his mediocre play in the pre-season, but due to injuries to Joel Armia and Paul Byron to start the season, Slafkovsky began the season with the Habs. He didn’t look out of place in his first few games but didn’t wow anyone either; playing only at even strength on the fourth line, there wasn’t much to expect.
As the season progressed, Slafkovsky got more comfortable with the NHL’s speed and ice size. He started using his 6-foot-4, 218-pound body to his advantage and separated his opponents from the puck. Although he was still on the fourth line, he was getting minutes on the second power-play (PP) unit and scored a PP goal. With St. Louis’ approach, Slafkovsky is quickly adapting and improving in all aspects of his game – he still has things to work on, but his attitude and willingness to learn and improve are aiding him immensely.
Slafkosky Should Get More Ice Time Soon
As Slafkovsky steadily improves, so should his ice time. Playing on the fourth line will not help him in the long run; Jake Evans and Joel Armia are outstanding defensive players but lack in the offensive department, which Slafkovsky excels at. Many sequences in the offensive zone set up by Slafkovsky die on his teammates’ sticks, with passes being missed or them not being able to get the puck to him.
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Slafkovsky is proving himself with every game and if he can get more skilled linemates, he can enhance his scoring prowess and quickly become the player he was drafted to be. St. Louis still wants to take his time with the young forward and not put him in situations where he could struggle and lose confidence. With a shooting percentage (SH%) of 30% – which will not be sustainable – and three goals in just ten games, Slafkovsky is on a pace to score 23 goals this season, which is the same amount Cole Caufield scored in his rookie season. If he can gain more minutes and play on a line with more skilled players, his goal total could increase even with a decrease in his SH%.
It will be interesting to see where Slafkovsky will draw in when he returns, but don’t expect this increase in minutes to happen immediately. It will slowly increase along with his PP time. When Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson returns, the Habs will have to make a roster move and if they decide to move another forward out, like when they waived Rem Pitlick, it could open a chance for him to move up the lineup and increase his production.
