Leaving top line lights a fire for Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky

Any skepticism about the future of Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky has been silenced of late.

With each game, it’s becoming more apparent management made the correct choice when it selected the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Slovakian first overall in 2022.

Through 42 games, Slafkovsky has 15 goals and 32 points. While those numbers might not immediately jump out, it’s the way the 21-year-old has elevated his game since Nov. 17, when head coach Martin St. Louis took him off the Canadiens’ top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Since being teamed with rookie Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, Slafkovsky has become dominant and more of a leader. His physical presence is evident and he’s the driving force on the line. He went end-to-end in the third period last Thursday against Carolina to score and provide Montreal with a two-goal lead.

Slafkovsky has a team-leading 23 points since changing linemates. Heading into Wednesday’s return to the Bell Centre against the Calgary Flames (7:30 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM) he has four goals and seven points in his last five games.

He also has become more responsible defensively, with a plus-7 differential. Slafkovsky was minus-32 during his first two seasons with Montreal.

In his fourth season, Slafkovsky said he never doubted himself and trusted management’s development process. He believed with hard work results would come, although he admitted the slow starts that have dogged his career needed to cease.

“I just want to play hard and help the team win,” Slafkovsky said after Tuesday’s practice at the CN Sports Complex — the Canadiens’ first in Brossard in 2026 following their recent seven-game road trip. “Things are going good. I have good chemistry with my line. I just feel good all around.

“I feel like I’ve had more opportunity doing it with (Kapanen and Demidov),” he added. “It’s a different role. It depends what line you play on (and) who you play with. I feel like that has helped me. I can be a different player in a different role. Eventually, if you work hard enough and do all the stuff that brought other guys success, it’ll come. I can see it now.”

Slafkovsky might be far from a finished product, but he continues making his presence felt on the ice. He has become one of the Canadiens’ main catalysts as the team remains in the hunt for first place in the Atlantic Division. If Slafkovsky followed while playing with Suzuki and Caufield, he has taken the onus to lead by example with Kapanen and Demidov.

“I wanted to be the guy on the line that would push the guys,” Slafkovsky said. “Do everything to make the line successful. Suzuki and Cole, they’re already two great players. You can’t have all three of us carrying the puck up the ice every shift. They were trying to do that more. I was trying to use my body, win more battles, be in front of the net and create space for them.

“Every line … not just one guy … everyone wants to be a leader and make the guy next to him better,” he added. “Push them to be better. We’re all good players. I just want to make us better. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Meanwhile, defenceman Kaiden Guhle practised with the team and wore a full-contact sweater. He hasn’t played since suffering a torn adductor muscle on Oct. 16 that required surgery the following month. Guhle practised primarily with Adam Engstrom and is unlikely to play against Calgary.

With general manager Kent Hughes meeting the media after practice for his midseason availability, St. Louis took a rare day off. That means his starting goaltender won’t be disclosed until Wednesday morning. With three on the roster, it’s probably Jakub Dobes’s turn.

With the Canadiens about to play five games in seven days, Hughes said the situation won’t immediately change. And while it might not be ideal for any of the three, Samuel Montembeault said it does provide each with adequate rest due to the condensed schedule this season caused by February’s three-week Winter Olympics break.

“It’s not a competition,” said Montembeault, who has two wins since returning from a conditioning stint with the AHL’s Laval Rocket. “We’re all trying to help each other. Even with three goalies, I still played two games in the same week. You know your turn is coming pretty quick. With the crazy schedule, we don’t have much time to practise.”

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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