Juraj Slafkovsky… at center?

Dose
Crédit: MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 16: Juraj Slafkovsky #20 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre on April 16, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

In the weeks leading up to his 2022 draft, Juraj Slafkovsky was asked by a few teams if he thought he could play center in the NHL.

You can bet $20 that members of the Habs management team were among those who broached the subject with him, as they eventually drafted him first overall.

Of course, it was out of the question for him to start his NHL career at 18 with a tryout at center, when in fact he had played very little at that position in the two or three years preceding his selection by the Habs.

But after a very conclusive second season in which he showed us that he could play with his head up, quickly spot his teammates, score his share of goals and play well defensively, trying him out at center might not be a bad idea.

If Slaf ‘s shoulder holds up and there’s nothing too serious with it, I’ll be giving it a try soon this season.

There’s no rush!

The first obvious reason could be this: the organization’s left-handed centers are very thin!

If we assume that D-Vo ‘s days in Montreal are coming to an end, that Newhook can’t hold that role for long in a top-6, and that Alex Barré-Boulet isn’t really a solution, then there are no other options for a left-handed center at the top of the lineup right now.

And even the most optimistic fans of Kapanen, Beck and Hage won’t be able to get them to switch sides: they’ll always be right-handed! At some point, it’s handy to have a (big) left-handed center capable of playing on your top-6!

Well, looking ahead, Demidov might be a candidate. Demidov has already played in this position in Russia and shows obvious qualities for playing center, but he’s not playing in this position again this year and I highly doubt he’ll start his career in Montreal as a pivot next year.

Who would have thought – except Grant McCagg! – that Oliver Kapanen would be piloting a second NHL line before the end of the decade?

And who would have thought that Lane Hutson would be tried out on the power play three weeks ago? And yet, the gifted Hutson immediately struck us as a highly effective defender in this situation: he’s got the brains for it!

Slaf, another gifted player in his own right, has shown us time and time again over the last 60 games that he almost always knows what he’s going to do with the puck before he even receives it. That makes him the fastest passer on the Canadiens, with an abnormally high number of touch passes, both five-on-five and on the powerplay.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Slaf, an excellent student and a player who wants to make a difference, has the sense of play and vision to play center.

A big left-handed center is worth its weight in gold!

We dreamed of this famous big left-handed center with Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi, didn’t we? But they were lighter models and far less gifted. So why not at least give Slaf a try?

In Slafkovsky, the Habs could be looking at a prototype more akin to the Kopitars, Barkovs and Hintzs of this world; physically very heavy and capable of playing against anyone in the NHL.

The 190-pound-and-under guys who play or have played center in all kinds of leagues will recognize what I’m talking about. Talent has a lot to do with it too, but winning a face-off against monsters of this calibre is almost a feat. They’re so heavy on their sticks that sometimes you feel it’s not even worth trying if you’re lighter and weaker than they are!

Not for nothing that on the 30 face-offs Slaf has been able to take so far in his young career, he shows a success percentage of 50%!

IMAGINE if he practiced with them!

It’s the same thing when these behemoths go to help their defenders behind or in front of the net in the defensive zone – it’s not restful! And it’s something Slafkovsky does VERY often anyway, as he’s regularly the first to help his defenders and the last to leave his territory on his line.

What, you’re “afraid it’ll mix it up”?

But the Habs don’t have the luxury of not trying everything.

They don’t have the luxury of not exploiting the full talent of a top-ranked player like Slafkovsky.

They don’t have the luxury OF NOT KNOWING that they may already have a 6’4, 230-pound left-handed center in their lineup!

It’s up to the Habs to try him out for a few games after his return to action.

This content was created with the help of AI.