Juraj Slafkovsky is supposed to embody the future of the team. Six feet three inches, 230 pounds, an impressive physical presence… and yet, last night against the Chicago Blackhawks, it looked like he had left his talent and his fighting spirit on the plane.
An evening to forget, for him and for his teammates, but above all a life lesson: Martin St-Louis will not let this kind of performance pass without flinching. And he has every reason to be furious.
Back to the match. Normally, Slafkovsky is supposed to use his size to dominate along the boards and create space for his teammates.
But against Chicago, he made numerous errors worthy of a poorly awakened pee-wee. One scene sums it all up: Mike Matheson sends him a perfect pass at the blue line, and what does Juraj do?
He stands there, static, as if waiting for a divine miracle to turn the puck into an automatic net. Result: turnaround, counterattack by the Hawks, and goal by Nick Foligno.
Yes, the same one that Slafkovsky was supposed to cover in defensive withdrawal. A blanket? What coverage?
Slafkovsky trailed behind, adrift, while Foligno stabbed a dagger into the Canadian’s morale.
If it was an isolated mistake, we could have moved on. But no, this match was a long series of blunders.
Whether it was his sluggishness along the boards or his inability to win a single one-on-one battle, everything seemed to point to a player who was totally disconnected.
Slafkovsky, on the top line with Suzuki and Caulfield, was supposed to be a driving force. Instead, he was a drag.
And there, we’re not even talking about his body language. On the ice, he sometimes gives the impression of an arrogant player, who acts as if he has already proven something. Spoiler alert: this is not the case.
And Martin St-Louis in all this? Imagine how he must feel.
He, a guy who built his career on overcoming expectations and working harder than everyone else, now has to deal with a player who sometimes seems to believe that his first-choice status is enough to justify his place on the team.
It’s not like Slafkovsky didn’t have his chance.
Since his arrival in Montreal, he has benefited from generous ice time, an important role, and even a certain leniency when things were bad. But there, patience has its limits.
It’s time for the kid to wake up.
And we can bet that in private, the tone was much less polite. “If you don’t want to win your battles, you won’t play”he must have told her.
Because that’s the reality of the NHL: no matter your potential or your status, you have to deliver the goods.
And the teammates in all this? If you are Nick Suzuki or Cole Caulfield, how do you react?
You work hard, you do everything to give your team a chance, and there, your winger shows up on the ice with the energy of a Monday morning after a too-drunk weekend.
Clearly, Cole Caulfield’s celebration the day before (he, at least, scored his 20th goal of the season) did not leave everyone in the same state.
Slafkovsky played like someone who would have preferred to stay in bed.
The question now is: what do we do with him?
Should Martin St-Louis demote him to a less important trio? Give him less ice time? Maybe even send him into the stands?
The Canadian invested heavily in Slafkovsky, offering him a substantial $61M luxury contract and a prime spot in the lineup.
But if his performances continue on this path, it is clear that changes will have to be made.
And let’s talk about attitude. Slafkovsky has everything to succeed. He has the physique, he has the potential, and he has already shown flashes of genius.
But all this is for nothing if effort and consistency do not follow. He must understand that in the NHL, nothing is given. Every match is an audition, and every mistake is costly.
In conclusion, Martin St-Louis is right to be furious.
Last night, Juraj Slafkovsky showed everything a professional player shouldn’t be: lackadaisical, ineffective and disconnected.
But he also showed everything he could be if he finally decided to wake up.
Because let’s be honest, the Canadian needs him. But for now, it’s him who has to show that he really wants to be there.
Misery …
