With an assist last night, Montreal Canadiens power forward Juraj Slafkovsky overtook legend Guy Lafleur in the most points by a player 20 years of younger in franchise history.
Juraj Slafkovsky's rookie season with the Montreal Canadiens wasn't easy. He was limited to 39 games thanks to a shoulder injury and could only put up 10 points. Then, in his sophomore season, there were calls to send him to the Laval Rocket in the AHL until something clicked, and everything fell into place for the youngster.
There was no sophomore jinx for him. Twenty goals and thirty assists for 50 points in his first complete season was quite an accomplishment. It even got him chasing former Montreal Canadiens' teenagers' scoring records.
Now 20 years old, Slafkovsky is chasing former Hab player and coach Mario Tremblay, who leads all players for most points with the Canadiens by a player 20 years old or younger. Tremblay played 208 games with the Habs before turning 21, accumulating 112 points in the process.
Last night, with his assist on Cole Caufield's power-play goal, Slafkovsky overtook Guy Lafleur in those rankings. The demon blond put up 64 points in 73 games before blowing 21 candles. The power forward's assist was his 65th point, and he added another one on Caufield's game-tying goal with just over two minutes to go in regulation.
His 66th point made him overtake another player in the ranking, Petr Svoboda. The former fifth-overall pick defenseman played 199 games with the Habs before reaching international adulthood and gathered 66 points in the process. Since Slafkovsky had scored 66 points in 127 games, he overtook Svoboda to take sole possession of fifth place.
If Slafkovsky keeps producing at the same pace he has since the start of his season, by the time he reaches the 208-game mark, he should have 108 points to his name, but he will reach 21 before playing all those games. The Slovak will turn 21 on March 20, 2025. By then, the Canadiens will have played 66 more games, bringing Slafkovsky to 193 games (if he steers clear from injuries, of course). If he produces at the same rate he has, he should have 100 points by then, which would give him the second rank behind Tremblay.
However, his production was rather slow when he first started and has significantly picked up since then. So far this season, he has six points in as many games. It would be surprising to see him keep up the point-per-game rhythm, but if he did, he would eclipse Tremblay's record with 132 points.
In the next 66 games, the power forward needs 46 points to tie Tremblay at the top. I dare say it sounds doable. I'll watch the Slovak's production this season to see if he makes it. Do you think he will?
*All stats taken from the website Statmuse.
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