Confirmed Signing with Link: [MTL] F Juraj Slafkovsky signs extension with the Canadiens (8 years, $7.6M AAV; begins 2025-26)

[Kimota]

Every contract like this is a calculated gamble.

I hope you're right. I'm a Slaf fan but we can never know for sure. GMs tend to give those like candies nowadays. I think I would be more conservative. lol

 

[byrath]

To make the playoffs as a wildcard team, talent is a lot more important than experience.
The young players on that team are not regular players, we're talking about high-end prospects. The talent Demidov, Slafkovsky, Hutson, Reinbacher, Mailloux, etc. bring far out trumps their lack of experience.

The team has a much better chance of making the playoffs by having those inexperienced, but highly talented prospects than by having average, but experienced players.

The leafs finished last in the league in 2015-2016, then made the playoffs the following year on the back of 3 rookies (Matthews, Nylander, and Marner).

I like the Habs chances to be in the playoff mix next year but I don't think I agree with your premise. It seems more common for young talented teams to keep failing when people think they should be ready vs. young teams getting into the playoffs before most think they're ready. See Buffalo, Ottawa, Detroit currently.

 

[Saku K]

I expected (wanted) the stutzle treatment for slafkovsky. I expected 8M per year and he got 7.6 so I'm pretty happy about that. Some seems to forgot Slaf still has one year left on his ELC.

He wasn't featured much offensively on the first 1/3 of the season and turned the corner in december. I don't expect less than 65-70 pts IF he stays healthy next season. 7.6M is about the salary of a 75 pts player if we go by the old rule of 1 pts = 100K.

I don't think he will have a hard time surpassing the 75 points mark several times during the time of his deal as the team around him improves as well as himself as a player.

 

[waitin425]

Slaf is a special player and this is a steal of a contract. We will all find out this coming season, prior to the start of this deal, just how good this is going forward.