TVA Sports’ reporter Anthony Martineau got to interview Montreal Canadiens power forward Juraj Slafkovsky earlier this week, and one thing that stood out for me was the fact that the 21-year-old was crystal clear about his objectives for the upcoming season.
Last year, the big Slovak had declined to reveal his production goals, but in his media availability at the end of the campaign, he was pretty clear about failing to meet them. Speaking to Martineau he explained that he wants to progress this season and that picking up between 65 and 70 points would satisfy him.
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This would represent quite a jump in production. In his last two seasons, he gathered 50 and 51 points, but the youngster says he wants to be a driving force for the team. He further adds that when he’s at his best, he can be just that, but he needs to find a way to be consistent.
The left winger also explained that he wants to improve his play behind the net to be able to create scoring chances for his teammates. In other words, he understands what is expected of him in Montreal. Martin St-Louis and the coaching staff have worked hard to get him to realize that he’s more effective when he moves his feet and uses his big frame.
Slafkovsky is often hard on himself, and it’s not surprising to see him add that he needs to do all those things during the season rather than speak about them during the offseason.
He spent the last two seasons on the top line playing alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, not only because he has the talent to do so, but also because the Canadiens didn’t have many other bona fide top-six options. This is no longer the case. Now, if he’s not able to execute the way the coaching staff wants him to, there’s a chance that he may lose that spot to highly touted rookie Ivan Demidov.
While he spent the Summer at home in Slovakia, he has worked hard on improving his game, thanks to the guidance of Adam Nicholas who sent him videos highlighting what he needed to work on.
It will be interesting to see if Slafkovsky can deliver and meet his own objectives this season, if he can, the Canadiens’ first line will become a force to be reckoned with.
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