Sidney Crosby spoke up on Thursday about Juraj Slafkovsky, and it was a good time for the Montreal Canadiens player to hear it.
“He seems like a really grown-up person. His team is fantastic and has his back. He has a lot of good support around him.” That’s what the future Hall of Famer said about a 22-year-old.
Crosby added something else important. “He’s doing a great job himself. ” This means that the player is working hard and not just benefiting from good conditions.
Slafkovsky is currently in the playoffs, which is making fans have mixed feelings. In 14 games, he scored 4 goals, made 5 assists, totaling 9 points, but he has a rating of minus-8 that gets mentioned a lot.
His regular season stats tell a different tale. He played 82 games, scoring 30 goals and getting 43 assists, making 73 points, with a plus-9 rating. It was his best year while costing the team 7.6 million dollars.
So, when the top player from the last two decades speaks positively about the young player, fans in Montreal take notice, especially since the team is doing well in the Eastern Conference Final.
Crosby’s comments come at a time when Slafkovsky is trying to find his playoff rhythm. The situation on the ice has been a bit rocky. In his last five games, he’s scored 1 goal, made 4 assists, and has a minus-3 rating.
In his last ten games, he also has 1 goal and 5 assists. The points are there, but the defensive numbers keep getting highlighted in the game reports.
That’s why Crosby felt the need to step in. A young forward is working hard during a tough playoff run and is hearing some criticism, so it’s nice for him to get support from someone well-respected in the sport.
The video of Crosby’s comments was shared by @HabsOnReddit. He picked his words thoughtfully, as he always does, and made sure to mention how the Montreal team environment helps the player.
Coach Martin St-Louis has kept Slafkovsky in the top six players throughout the Tampa series and the Buffalo series. He’s still playing in Round 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
15 goals scored during power plays in the regular season shows his importance. He stands in the way, redirects shots, and gets in front of the goalie. If you replace him with someone shorter, the advantage of the extra player goes down.
Four power-play goals during the playoffs support this strategy. He continues to get chances during special plays even when the team isn’t performing well in regular situations.
Crosby supporting him publicly doesn’t affect how he plays on Saturday night in Carolina. But it does change how people talk about him in Montreal.
The 22-year-old has the support of the bench. He has the coach’s backing. Now, he has Sid’s approval. The next decision is up to him.
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