If Montreal Canadiens' fans have not missed a second of Juraj Slafkovsky's development, the same can't be said about everyone, but the youngster has just put the world on notice with his fantastic Olympic performances.
Four years ago, Juraj Slafkovsky established himself as a dominant force on the international stage, earning the MVP title of the Beijing Olympics hockey tournament. The teenager scored seven goals in as many games as he led Slovakia to a first medal in men’s hockey, the Bronze one. That performance caught the Montreal Canadiens’ eye, and they decided to use the first-overall pick of the 2022 draft on the youngster.
In the run-up to this year’s Olympics, we heard it would be different because the competition would be much better with NHLers being able to take part this time around, but Slafkovsky has been just as dominant, if not more. On the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman summarized it nicely in this way:
If you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan, your nipples have to be erect, seeing how well Juraj Slafkovsky is doing (at the Olympics).
We’ve said time and time again that the future was bright in Montreal, but we’re slowly starting to see that future come into place, and Slafkovsky’s awakening this season has been one of the best stories in town. Not everyone noticed, though, but now that he’s taking center stage at the Olympics, more people are taking notice.
Former NHLer and Slovak player Marian Gaborik was the highest selected Slovak at the NHL draft until Slafkovsky was claimed first overall by the Canadiens, and he’s one of those who’s been paying attention. The Minnesota Wild draft pick at the 2000 draft played 1035 games in the NHL and gathered 815 points, and he’s spending the Olympics commentating on Slovakia’s games on TV.
He had high praise for Slafkovsky when he spoke to NHL.com’s journalist Jean-Francois Chaumont:
Juraj is more mature as a player. We see him accomplishing big things on the Olympic ice. He didn’t have that confidence last year or during his other seasons in Montreal. Four years ago in Beijing, he was dominant for Slovakia with seven goals, but he didn’t play such a complete game. Now, he works as part of a team, he controls the puck, he plays well defensively, and he’s skating with intensity to get back to the bench. He keeps his cool when he’s hit, he doesn’t retaliate, I love the way he handles himself.
A Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, Gaborik even added that the sky’s the limit for Slavkosky. While he’s progressed by leaps and bounds this season, it still feels like he hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, and one has to wonder what that will look like.
It feels like the youngster becomes more confident with each new Olympic game, and in the NHL, he’s on pace for a career year with 45 points in 57 games, on pace for a 64-point season, and his first 30-goal season. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes must be incredibly glad not only that they selected him in 2022 but also that they were able to ink him to a very reasonable eight-year contract with a $7.6 M cap hit. As the years go on and the cap goes up, that contract could become an absolute steal.
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