If there was a silver lining to the injury that cut short Juraj Slafkovský’s inaugural campaign, it was that it prevented people from making definitive conclusions from the Slovak forward’s rookie season. However, that also helped drive the anticipation for Slafkovský’s sophomore year through the roof. For two games, it looked like Slafkovský could possibly live up to expectations.
Then Kirby Dach’s season ended.
Playing alongside winger-converted-centre Alex Newhook and the enigmatic Josh Anderson, Slafkovský’s game ground to a halt. Charitably, the youngster stagnated. Uncharitably, he floundered. After three shots on goal at five-on-five in his first two games, Slafkovsky managed the same number over his next eight.
Then came game 11, when Martin St-Louis moved Slafkovský to the first line alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Some expected this move to be the final nail in Slafkovský’s coffin — a last throw of the dice before the inevitable demotion. Instead, Slafkovský thrived, scoring a power-play goal and matching his five-on-five individual expected-goal output over the previous eight games (0.56 ixG) in a single night.
Slafkovský wouldn’t stay on the top line over the long haul, but neither would he return to Anderson and Newhook. Skating mostly with Caufield and Christian Dvorak, the Košice native looks like a new player — and it showed up on the scoresheet over the next 10 games. Four five-on-five points in 10 games might not get Slafkovský on any “top X under 24” lists, but they’re a clear sign of his offensive potential, especially since they’re accompanied by two-fold or greater increases in several underlying offensive parameters.
Slafkovský’s strong play is also helping the team as a whole. Part of this comes from playing with some of the better two-way players on the roster during the second 10-game stretch, but the sophomore is showing that he isn’t a defensive burden. Moving from a 45% to a 50% possession player while the team is mired in a tailspin is no small feat, and it’s gaining notice from the coaching staff — who deployed Slafkovský during three-on-three overtime for the first time this season in game 20.
Beyond all of these statistics showing personal improvement, Slafkovský is also proving that he is currently capable of being an NHL-calibre forward. For the first 10 games, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he was simply occupying space on the roster. Slafkovský ranked dead last among forwards, or close to it, in pretty well every statistical category. The next 10 games are, again, a completely different story. Slafkovský isn’t topping the charts, but he’s solidly in the middle of the pack, while excelling in certain categories like high-danger chance generation.
That, in itself, is no small feat. Playing five-on-five hockey as a 19- or 20-year-old in the NHL is a challenge, and unless one’s name is Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli, there is little guarantee that a prospect is going to immediately supplant his more experienced peers. Slafkovský’s struggles are not unique, as Logan Cooley, Leo Carlsson, and Zach Benson are likewise treading water outside of special teams. The less said about Shane Wright right now, the better.
It may not feel like it sometimes, but Slafkovský, all gangly and sometimes clumsy 6’3″, 230-something pounds of him, is currently a capable NHL player. A forward who is keeping pace alongside the best of his peers in the 2022 draft class. What Slafkovský becomes from here is anyone’s guess, but he and the Canadiens can take the last 10 games as a blueprint, a foundation for what he can accomplish.
All statistics sourced from Natural Stat Trick.
