Juraj Slafkovsky confirms that he was 100% after the preliminaries

Michaël Petit
Juraj Slafkovsky confirms that he was 100% after the preliminaries
Credit: Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images

Juraj Slafkovsky had a great season in 2025-26, scoring 30 goals and 73 points.

The Slovak played an important role on both the first line and the second line alongside Ivan Demidov.

He also played well in the playoffs, despite often being hit hard (and losing a fight).

Starting with the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, fans doubted he was at 100%, and it's understandable why they would think that.

However, in an interview with a Slovak media outlet, Slaf mentioned that he was 100% at the end of the playoffs. In fact, he just needed to get the “stamp” confirming that he was 100%.

It's pretty surprising that he said that, because he really didn't seem to be at his best.

He explained that at the end of the playoffs, before the players could officially go on vacation, they had to undergo a medical exam to ensure they were healthy.

Slaf mentioned that in his case, it was just a formality. Maybe he just wanted to keep the injury list under wraps without announcing anything.

In addition, the #20 took the opportunity to set a timeline for winning the Stanley Cup and bringing it back to Slovakia. The last Slovak player to bring the Stanley Cup back to Slovakia was Erik Cernak, in 2020–21

In short, when asked when he hoped to bring Lord Stanley to Košice (his hometown), he replied, of course, “as soon as possible.” However, he still took the time to provide a timeline for doing so, and, as far as he's concerned, it would take three years at most.

If he can win a ring as early as next year, that would certainly be the best-case scenario, but he's giving the Habs three years to make it happen.

Honestly, that's pretty realistic, since the Habs are already close to their goal. They mainly need a little more depth in the top-6 on offense, and the young players need to continue developing if they're to truly contend for the Stanley Cup.


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