The final western road swing of the year has been a rough one for the Montreal Canadiens. With a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, their record on the trip now sits at 0-2-1, with games against the Seattle Kraken and Colorado Avalanche remaining before they’ll see La Belle Province again. It wasn’t exactly a surprising result, as the Canucks sit atop the Western Conference as of this writing, so it was going to be a tall task for the Habs to leave Vancouver with two points.
But as disappointed as fans may have been to stay up late and watch a 4-1 loss, standings points don’t matter. What does matter is the development of their first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, and the impressive new point streak he’s quietly started up.
Over the 0-2-1 road trip to date, Slafkovsky has a point in each game. His streak on the whole is longer than that, however, dating back to the Toronto game on March 9, and seeing him amass two goals and five assists for a seven point total over six games. At this rate, he should comfortably pass the 40-point plateau for the first time in his young career, and could actually have a chance to hit 50, both marks that would have seemed lofty goals at this time last year.
The rapid progression we’ve seen from Slafkovsky will perhaps go down as the story of the year in Montreal. He’s already set the longest point streak by a teenager in Canadiens history, and may end up being one of, if not the highest scoring teenager the club has ever seen. Last year, the narrative was all about whether or not he’d be a bust, and now, we’ve graduated to wondering if his development curve could see him turn into the next Mikko Rantanen.
To be fair, Rantanen as a comparable remains a lofty goal, but the fact we can even have that conversation is a testament to how much Slafkovsky has improved. We’re not wondering whether or not the Habs called the right name at the podium, we’re wondering just how good he can be when he’s fully developed. He’s completely changed the narrative through his play, and on his way to becoming a fan favourite in Montreal.
He’s stayed late after practice. He’s put in the work. Now, the Habs just might have a star with Juraj Slafkovsky.
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