Juraj Slafkovský has been an important piece of the Habs’ plan since he was selected first overall by the Habs in 2022. The club needs the Slovak to become the elite power winger he’s capable of being… because the kid has a rare profile.
Talented big forwards aren’t a dime a dozen.
And after a solid second season in the NHL, the Canadiens’ decision to sign Slaf on a long-term basis was a welcome one. At $7.6 million a year for eight years, it has the potential to be a real bargain, especially with the salary cap set to rise significantly over the next few years.
However, there are those who, today, are less satisfied with this contract. One of them is JiC, who talked about it in his end-of-season review of the Habs… and who clearly doesn’t like the fact that the kid already has such a big contract in his pocket.
In fact, in his eyes, the decision to offer this contract is even worse than taking Patrik Laine’s contract… and no, he’s not saying that because he’s a fan of Laine’s contract.
He explains this by saying that seeing Slaf regress a bit in his first post-signing season makes it not look great today. He wonders if they would have offered him the same contract this summer… or if they would have opted for a transition contract.
The question certainly arises… but the club had to take that gamble. Let me explain.
When you look at the current state of the Habs, you see that if the club wants to become a contender one day, it needs Slafkovský to become the big, elite power forward we had in mind when we selected him. As we saw against the Capitals, this club needs big men who can make a difference… and Slaf fits the bill.
It’s not for nothing thatwe’re talking more than ever about keeping players with dogs in town: they’ll be needed if the club is to take a step forward.
In recent months, Slaf has proven that he can be an important element on a quality line, as he was part of one of the NHL’s best trios following the 4 Nations Confrontation. Without being the piece on this line, he’s had his moments… and for a youngster who’s just turned 21, it’s already encouraging to see all this.
Would we have liked to see more of Slafkovský this season? Yes. But can the Habs become the aspirational team they aspire to be without Slaf being a big part of the equation? Probably not, no.
Maybe the club could have signed him for less money this summer, but instead of straining the relationship between the team and one of its most important projects, the executives probably preferred to settle the matter before it came to a head.
Will it age badly? Possibly… but the gamble was worth it nonetheless. Now it’s up to Slaf, who will play the first season of his new contract next year, to live up to the expectations placed in him.
