Canadiens hope to see Slafkovsky, young core ‘take the next step,’ GM says

EDMONTON -- Juraj Slafkovsky has the potential to be a star player in the NHL, and the Montreal Canadiens are willing to be patient with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The 20-year-old forward signed an eight-year, $60.8 million contract ($7.6 million average annual value) July 1, which begins in 2025-26. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is confident about the investment.

“I don’t know that development is always linear; along the way, there’s bumps and he’s had to manage the No. 1 overall label and try to live up to what that means and what people expect of him, and now he’s got a big contract to go with it,” Hughes said Wednesday while attending the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup at Rogers Place. “We have to be mindful of how we manage him and the messaging that we provide him, and we provide externally too.

“We don’t need him to score 40 or 50 goals or it’s a failure; it’s about continuing to progress as a hockey player and to be the best version of himself, because we’re confident the best version of Juraj is going to give us a good chance to compete and win.”

Slafkovsky had 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) in 82 games last season, his second in the NHL. He was limited to 39 games as a rookie in 2022-23 (four goals, six assists), missing the final three months of that season because of a lower-body injury.

He is expected to take another step in his progression this season and is part of young core that also features forwards Nick Suzuki, 24, Cole Caufield, 23, Kirby Dach, 23, Alex Newhook, 23, Joshua Roy, 21, and defensemen Kaiden Guhle, 22, Jayden Struble, 22, Justin Barron, 22, and Arber Xhekaj, 23.

Hughes hopes by the time Slafkovsky reaches the end of the term of his new contract, it will be considered one of great value.

“Typically, those long-term deals, on the back end of them, they should be underpaid because effectively they are making more money on the front end then they would if they signed short term,” Hughes said. “So, I think on the back end of those deals, at least the cap number, should be favorable and if it’s not, then you made the bet on the wrong horse.”

Slafkovsky is the latest young forward to be locked up long term by the Canadiens. He joins Suzuki, who signed an eight-year contract ($7.875 million AAV) Oct. 21, 2021, and Caufield, who signed an eight-year deal ($7.85 million AAV) June 5, 2023.

Montreal also signed Guhle to a six-year contract ($5.55 million AAV) on July 31, one day after signing Xhekaj ($1.3 million AAV) and Barron ($1.15 million) to two-year deals.

“I think to have Juraj and Kaiden signed, along with Nick and Cole, it’s important for us,” Hughes said. “We can’t give everybody long-term deals, but the young players that we’ve chosen to do and are willing to commit on their end, I think it’s great.”

Montreal’s young core also includes Dach, who has two seasons remaining on a four-year contract ($3.3625 AAV). He missed the majority of last season with a knee injury sustained in his second game but will return this season, according to Hughes.

Dach had 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 58 games in 2022-23, his first season with the Canadiens after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks.

“There’s no question as an athlete when you have these injuries, I think at some point and time it can be demoralizing, it can be hard mentally,” Hughes said. “I think Kirby in particular did a good job knowing his season was over and the coaching staff tried to keep him involved, and our sense was that Kirby cared. He was watching games and he was upset when we didn’t play well and he would come back and have his own thoughts about our team and would share them with our coaching staff.

“By all accounts, medically speaking, he’s doing great and he feels great. We’re hopeful that he took the time above (in the press box) to learn things about the game that you don’t see when you’re on the ice all the time. I think he did that, and we’re excited to see him hit the ground running where he left off last year.”

Montreal (30-36-16) finished last in the eight-team Atlantic Division last season. It has not reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs since reaching the Cup Final in 2021, when it lost the best-of-7 series to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.

But Hughes is confident the core is in place to see some progression this season.

“We’re excited to see that growth of who we have right now, and we certainly hope the injury bug stays away, but we also have veteran players that have been with us for a long time,” Hughes said. “If it’s all about tomorrow, then it’s got to be really hard for that group. That’s the coaching staff’s challenge, that’s our challenge. We’re excited about this group, and we want to see them take the next step.”