The Habs have an important decision to make on Slafkovski. It also concerns Slovakia
Time is running out and the Montreal Canadiens will decide what to do with Juraj Slafkovský during the holiday season.
This period is accompanied every year by the Junior World Championships, in which Slovakia also participates. And it was in his jersey that the last draft unit could get a chance.
Marco D’Amico of MTL Hockey Now claims that the 18-year-old native of Košice had some good flashes in his rookie season, but still can’t break away from the fourth formation. Therefore, it might be tempting to cancel him representing his country in the tournament of the best juniors.
According to the expert, Slafkovski’s participation in the tournament would have a potential benefit arising from three key reasons:
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1. It would be a good measure of development – there’s no better way to measure a player’s progress than to let them loose against their peers. The Canadiens would get a better idea of what he has improved and what still needs improvement. There will be no shortage of quality at the World Championship, as I expect all the highest drafted players from this year’s draft to play there. Plus, Halifax and Moncton aren’t far from Montreal, so traveling and the time change wouldn’t negatively affect Slafkovski. He could gain the necessary confidence in his game there.
2. The Canadiens will be away from home – D’Ami fell for the fact that Slafkovský played in the attack at home, but away already the second to the fourth formation. Martin St. Louis tries not to expose the opponent’s best player when the Canadiens don’t have a last substitution. At home, from December 17 to January 7 (the period when he could be at the tournament), the “Habs” will play only two games. He could start 20 or more per game in the tournament, which would be better if he went under 100 in the NHL over the entire holiday season.
3. Ideal situation – at the tournament, Slafkovský would probably be one of the most used players in every possible offensive situation. It would make it possible to restore the dominant attack from the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, in which Filip Mešár and Dalibor Dvorský would complement him. That could help Slovakia become a medal contender, which would be a less favorable challenge for Slafkovský than playing a few NHL games in the fourth attack.