December 9, 2024 | 4:39pm ET
By David Calabretta, TheFourthPeriod.com
HABS NEED MORE FROM DACH, SLAFKOVSKY
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Juraj Slafkovsky, forward
MONTREAL, QC — The city is vibrating with the return of Patrik Laine and his two goals in his first two games at the Bell Centre. The expectation that better days await in Montreal is relived with Laine’s return, as the Habs look to squeak back into the mix.
But even with a light schedule ahead before the Christmas holidays, the Canadiens will need a lot more out of Laine’s linemates Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach.
Now 27 games into the season, and the Habs have not gotten enough out of their two top-six forwards, Slafkovsky and Dach, who, production aside, have been struggling with their overall game.
It’s a game of confidence, sometimes, and this is a déjà vu for the 2022 first-overall pick Slafkovsky, who had seven points at this time around last year, where he only found his game in the second half of the season. However, time is ticking, he knows it, and so does General Manager Kent Hughes, who reportedly had a meeting with the young Slovakian about a week ago after his poor performances as of late, according to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu.
“Uhhh, how do I say it? Well, I got s--t yesterday from someone in the organization, I kind of had to wake up,” Slafkovsky said. “I had to wake up.
“Sometimes it’s good to have meetings where you face the truth. I feel like it’s only going to get better from now if I do what I did today, get more touches, get more shots, and hopefully get some points.”
Slafkovsky inked an eight-year extension on July 1, 2024 worth $60.8 million; pressure will continue to rise if the performances don’t seem to improve. In the second half of last season, Slafkovsky tallied 37 points in his final 42 games, and the hope is that he continues that trajectory as the Habs enter the new year, however consistency needs to occur as of Game 1/82.
Injuries are tough, and suffering a tear in one of your knee ligaments is no picnic, but it’s safe to say Dach expected a better start to his returning season after missing a year of action.
Whether it was his last-minute penalty against the New York Rangers last weekend, or his failure to produce consistently, the 2019 third-overall pick is struggling; he knows it, and so does head coach Martin St. Louis, who sent a message demoting him on line four before the return of Laine.
“Your mind has to be stronger than your emotions. That’s what we're talking about. [He is emotional], so his mind has to be strong,” St. Louis said at the end of November, as translated here.
“His puck touches aren’t as sharp as they used to be. It's partly a confidence issue. Sometimes, a player just needs the puck to bounce in his favour.
“The work ethic is there. He’ll be the first to tell you his puck touches aren’t as good.”
The Canadiens host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night, and then will play one playoff team out of their next seven games, a chance for the Habs to find themselves back near a wildcard position, in which they currently sit six points off.
The Habs have won two out of their last three games, blowing a 2-0 lead to the first-place Capitals on Saturday night thanks to Tom Wilson’s two goal thriller at the Bell Centre.
With the bottom-six of Montreal currently producing, with Jake Evans leading the way with 14 points, along with Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson and Joel Armia all starting the season strong, all eyes go on Dach and Slafkovsky to return and produce as the top-six forwards that they are, and Montreal can have themselves set on the right track as they approach the holidays and a tough stretch to end the New Year with Florida, Tampa and Vegas on the horizon.