Juraj Slafkovsky has realized that he can be more selfish.

Marc-Olivier Cook
Juraj Slafkovsky has realized that he can be more selfish.
Credit: Kelly Smiley/NHLI via Getty Images

When Juraj Slafkovsky decides to take control of a game, he's impressive to watch.

I'm thinking of his game last Saturday against the Kings, for example. Slaf was all over the ice, which allowed him to score three points (including two goals) in his team's victory.

It was clearly his best game in a Canadiens uniform since returning from the Olympics.

The big forward has been rolling since he regained his spot on the first line, by the way.

Slaf has six points in his last three games… and he's realized that he can be a little more selfish with the puck even when playing alongside talented players like Caufield and Suzuki.
And that can make all the difference in the end. This quote (NHL.com) sums it up perfectly:

In the past, I sometimes tried too hard to find Nick or Cole. Now, I can be a little more selfish. – Juraj Slafkovsky

It can take a while for a young player to understand these little details of the game.

But I feel like seeing Slaf play on the second line helped him understand certain things. He was tasked with carrying the puck when he played with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, and he had a more important role on his line.

And that carried over to the Olympics… where we saw him become one of the best forwards in the tournament because he wanted to create things with the puck.

Unbeknownst to most, the 21-year-old has now racked up 52 points in 62 games this season. He's on track for a 30-goal, 65-point campaign… which, in fact, is really excellent for a player who also excels at forechecking.

He's really blossoming before our eyes, to put it another way. And if he can be even more selfish to take advantage of certain opportunities on the ice, it could make him even better pretty quickly.


In a nutshell

– Sick!

— What's your pick?

– To be continued.

— Good article.

– Yeah, that's normal!

– Big W.

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