Stu Cowan: Canadiens fans are falling in love with Juraj Slafkovsky (2024)

There were some boos at the Bell Centre after the Canadiens made Juraj Slafkovsky the No. 1 overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal.

Slafkovsky didn’t let the reaction bother him as he smiled and waved to the fans after taking to the stage and putting on a Canadiens sweater for the first time.

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“I think it’s about hockey’s their passion as well as mine,” Slafkovsky said when he met with the media that day. “Maybe some of them didn’t like me, but I will do everything (so) that I will play good for this team and that they will actually maybe like me one day.”

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That day has definitely come.

Slafkovsky scored in the Canadiens’ season-ending 5-4 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, giving him 20-30-50 totals while playing in all 82 games. It was a big improvement from his rookie season, when Slafkovsky had 4-6-10 totals in 39 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

“You see Slafkovsky, maybe 12 months ago in this room people were maybe looking at us like we didn’t know what we’re doing,” Jeff Gorton, the Canadiens’ executive vice-president of hockey operations, said during a season-ending news conference Wednesday in Brossard. “But now it’s a year later and he looks like he’s going to be a really good player.”

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Watching Slafkovsky early this season, it looked like he needed some time in the AHL to work on his game.

After 30 games, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound winger had only two goals and five assists. But Slafkovsky’s game really started to improve after head coach Martin St. Louis put him on the No. 1 line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield in early December and he just kept getting better. In the last 19 games, Slafkovsky had 7-12-19 totals.

GM Kent Hughes warned Wednesday that progression is rarely linear with young players and that while Slafkovsky made a “huge jump” this season, he expects he will “go sideways again” before he gets to his ultimate peak.

It was certainly fun to watch Slafkovsky’s progression this season and see his confidence start to grow. The game also slowed down for him and he was able to process things much better and use his size more to his advantage. Slafkovsky said he also started to believe more in himself that he was indeed ready to play in the NHL.

“Beginning of the year, I still was finding myself and I feel like I wasn’t playing the same way as I’m playing now,” Slafkovsky said Wednesday when he met with the media for the last time this season in Brossard.

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When asked where he improved his game the most, the 20-year-old said: “I would say being better on the puck. Making better plays. Feeling like I had more time so I could be more the type of player I want to be and try my things. I feel like that’s important. But also on the defensive side, I feel like I improved a lot playing against top lines every night. I had to be more responsible and everything. That part of the game … just so many things I could name right now I feel like.”

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Caufield was also asked Wednesday where Slafkovsky’s game improved the most.

“Honestly, I think maturity in his game — off the ice, on the ice,” Caufield said. “Becoming a complete guy. Sometimes you forget he’s 20. You take a look at him and he’s like 38. For us, it’s just him doing it every day, doing it consistently and not getting too hard on himself. You have to come to the rink the next day, whether you have a good game or bad game, and kind of work the same. He’s figuring that out as a pro and he’s doing all those right things consistently. We’re all rooting for him and we’re all behind him. But he’s doing it himself, which is probably the best part.”

Slafkovsky’s season isn’t over yet. He’s planning to play for Slovakia at the IIHF World Championship, which will be held May 10-26 in Czechia. After that, he’s planning to take a vacation in Spain before starting his training for next season. He’s not certain yet what he will do with the US$250,000 bonus he earned by scoring his 20th goal of the season in the final game.

“I don’t have it yet,” said Slafkovsky, whose salary was US$950,000 this season. “Once I have it, I’ll start making decisions.

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“Hopefully good ones,” he added with a laugh.

Slafkovsky’s personality is another reason why Canadiens fans have fallen in love with him. He has adjusted well to the very bright spotlight in Montreal — especially on a No. 1 overall draft pick.

“I hope they like me,” he said Wednesday when asked about the fans. “I love our fans. They’re great. I don’t have any problem taking pictures or anything. I feel like it hasn’t been crazy.

“You guys should come to Slovakia if you want to see how it’s crazy.”

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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