Slafkovsky Will Start NHL Season on Canadiens’ Main Roster

Montreal Canadiens’ recently-drafted prospect Juraj Slafkovsky has survived roster cuts before season opener of the 2022-23 NHL season and will play on the big club to start the season. How long his run with the Canadiens lasts has yet to be determined but that may be largely up to him. That said, he did note: “I texted my parents (back in Slovakia) right away that they can come now.” The hint here is that Slafkovsky is confident he’ll stick with the team long enough for his parents to see him play.

Guhle, Xhekaj, Harris and Slafkovsky were all called into a meeting and told together that they’ve made the Canadiens. They were also told there are many good players who could make staying hard, and that things could shift quickly.

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 10, 2022

Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, and Jordan Harris were also told they’d made the team.

Slafkovsky was the No. 1 overall pick at this year’s NHL draft. To some, he was a surprise selection, but as the draft neared, there was more and more buzz that the power forward with skill might have elevated his status among draft picks and that he was a potential option to replace Shane Wright, who at the point, had been the consensus No. 1.

The Canadiens announced on Monday — just hours ahead of the opening-night rosters needing to be finalized — that five players had been sent down to the AHL’s Laval Rocket: defencemen Justin Barron and Otto Leskinen, forwards Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylönen, and goalie Cayden Primeau. Slafkovsky’s name was not among the cuts.

The Canadiens might be interested in giving Slafkovsky a nine-game look before making a final decision. Should he play more than that he’ll burn a year off of his entry-level deal. When asked what he believes he’ll need to do to get more than the nine games, he responded, “Just play my best game every time I get the chance to play. I think if I give everything then I can stay here for a long time and that’s what I will try to do.”

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