Overseas experts revealed what they expect from Juraj Slafkovski in his second season in the NHL. See how many points they predict for him

In Montreal, Juraj Slafkovský has to fight not only with his own expectations, but also with enormous pressure from the fans and the media. However, he gradually gets used to it, adapts to life overseas and improves even on the ice. In preparation, he was given space on the wing of the second attack and he sat well with the center Kirby Dach, next to whom he should start the season.

The 19-year-old attacker scored two goals, added one assist and showed many good moments in the preparation. Of course, he still has work to do. But there is no need to push the saw unnecessarily, physically bigger forwards in the NHL mature later and Slafkovský has enough time for his development. What do overseas experts specializing in the happenings in the Montreal Canadiens organization expect from last year’s draft unit in the upcoming season? Slovak expert Tomáš Prokop from Denník Śport approached them and their opinions almost coincide: Slafkovský can realistically reach 30-40 points.

“Slafkovski played most of camp in a formation with Kirby Dach and Rafael Harvey-Pinard. I believe that if he stays healthy, he will make a significant improvement from his rookie season. I do not expect any crazy statistics, but progress in the right direction at the level of sixteen goals and a total of thirty points could come ,” predicts Jean Francois Chaumont of the Journal de Montreal.

Alexis Belanger-Champagne from the Canadian Press agency sees it similarly. “I hope that Slafkovský will show progress in his game. He is still learning at the NHL level. He has all the prerequisites to succeed. He hasn’t quite clicked offensively yet. It would help him a lot in terms of self-confidence if he scored a few goals at the beginning of the season goals. In terms of overall productivity, I also see realistically that he could get to 30-35 points.”

Canadian journalist of Czech origin Zdeněj Matějovský from RDS television has an even more optimistic view of the upcoming season presented by Juraj Slafkovský. “I would say that Juraj can easily reach 40 points. If Kirby Dach plays for him as he did in the preparatory period, he should not have any problems reaching the aforementioned goal.”

According to the renowned expert from The Athletic, Arpon Basu, the Slovakian representative could reach around 40 points. “I hope that we will see an increase in Juraj’s self-confidence and understanding of the strength and strengths of his game. He needs to use them on a daily basis. He needs to play more aggressively in the offensive zone and not be so afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes happen, but I am convinced that the coaches will survive them , if his aggressiveness leads to positive results. It would be a successful season for him if he reached 40-45 points.”

We believe that Slafkovsky can not only fulfill these forecasts, but also surpass them. He definitely has the quality and skills for it.