Skip to content
Your daily dose of hockey
Slafkovsky feels like throwing up when he watches his games from the start of the season.
Credit: Getty Images

It seems that last year’s scenario is repeating itself for Juraj Slafkovsky.

He had a very mediocre start to the season… But he has been playing very good hockey for the past few games.

The big forward has scored in three of his last four games, and it’s not a coincidence: he has (re)started using his body to bother opponents and create plays on the ice.

We have seen how good he can be when he is at the top of his game and takes advantage of his skills.

In the second half of last season, Slaf was really excellent… And we have to wonder if we will see the same Slaf by the end of the campaign.

That said, the 20-year-old is putting a lot of pressure on himself because he wants to perform the right way. He wants to be an important player on Martin St-Louis’s team because he has confidence in himself.

This is what explains, in my opinion, why he feels that his start to the season has been disgusting.

The Slovak claims (NHL.com) that he feels like throwing up when he thinks back to his first games of the campaign. That’s a big quote:

I have a hard time believing that this is just a coincidence… But we shouldn’t forget one thing in all of this.

Exactly two weeks ago, Kent Hughes said in his mid-season report that he wanted to see more from Slaf.

The Canadiens’ GM reminded that Slaf “is capable of more” and it’s not the first time this season that he has sent him a message.

At the beginning of December, Hughes “gave some flak” to his young player because he wasn’t playing as the organization desired.

Since Hughes’s remarks two weeks ago, Slafkovsky has four points (in seven games) and has found his footing.

He is playing with more intensity, going to the dangerous areas, and is much more involved on the ice.

This is the Slaf we want to see… But in every game:

Juraj Slafkovsky is 20 years old, and we shouldn’t forget that.

He is becoming more mature over time, and at some point, he will understand that he has to play this way consistently to achieve more success.

But it’s still good news to see that things have been improving for him lately. One thing at a time…


In Brief

– I didn’t have this on my bingo card!

– Wow… 😅

– To be continued.

– Oh!

– I can’t wait to see him next season.

More Content