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A year ago, David Savard was playing the final games of his career as the Canadiens were being dominated by the Capitals in the playoffs.
A year later, the Habs' defensive corps is nearly the same (with Noah Dobson sidelined by injury), but the Montrealers are no longer getting dominated at all. However, David Savard is no longer there to block shots and kill penalties; he is currently contributing as a special contributor to La Presse.
This morning, Savard talks a lot about Juraj Slafkovsky. The veteran Habs defenseman doesn't mince words; he saw the same things we did during Slafkovsky's early days in Montreal.
“Consistency can be an issue. Plus, even though he's a big guy, Slafkovsky was getting pushed around by opponents more often than we'd like.” – David Savard in La Presse
Savard admits it: everyone saw his potential, but Slafkovsky took a while to find his footing. How many times have we heard columnists and fans say that Slafkovsky was a bust, that he should have been traded for Alexis Lafrenière or Pierre-Luc Dubois, or that the Canadiens should have drafted Shane Wright or Logan Cooley?
Early in his career, Slafkovsky too often put himself in vulnerable positions and got roughed up by opponents. Then he started hitting everything that moved, but in a somewhat pointless way. His number of hits per season speaks for itself:
2022-23: 53 hits in 39 games
2023-24: 152 hits in 82 games
2024-25: 194 hits in 79 games
2025-26: 105 hits in 82 games
Slafkovsky has learned to stand his ground… and dish out hits when the time is right. This has allowed him to stay healthy, post better stats (both in goals and assists), and finish his seasons with a positive plus/minus rating. In short, he's started playing hockey in a smart and productive way. He uses his size to protect the puck and keep possession of it.
No one doubts it anymore: Juraj Slafkovsky is the best player drafted in 2022.
Slafkovsky has evolved from a young player finding his footing into a player who drives his line, no matter who he's playing with. The fact that he recorded 89 fewer hits in 2025-26 (compared to 2024-25) can certainly be explained—at least in part—by the fact that his line had the puck more often than in the past this season. It's harder to get hit when your team has the puck, hehe…
Slafkovsky stepped up in Game 1, and he almost always steps up when representing his country at the Olympics. Will he be the first player to lift both the Conn Smythe Trophy AND the Stanley Cup? That's a question worth asking now.
The Slovak forward is proof that you have to be patient with young players drafted by the organization.
The big question now: will the club's patience pay off with David Reinbacher as well?
If he can use his size and stay strong (and healthy), it's possible…
Extension
– I've been told that TVA Sports could announce, in late April or early May, that it has reached an agreement with the NHL (national French-language rights). From what I'm hearing, TVA Sports could broadcast around 30 games per season starting in September. We're waiting for confirmation.
– Gavino de Falco and I went over the latest news from CF Montréal and FC Supra. To learn everything about our two professional men's soccer clubs, I invite you to listen to the following podcast:
– Speaking of the Supra, I've been told that Frédéric Lord and Vincent Destouches will provide commentary and analysis for 13 of the 18 matches broadcast on TVA Sports. Gavino de Falco and Quentin Parisis may cover the remaining five games. Stay tuned.
