When Juraj Slafkovsky wrapped up the 2023-24 season by netting his 20th goal, Montreal Canadiens fans generally felt that the first overall selection from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft had made significant progress in a vital area for becoming a successful forward.
It’s crucial to remember that Slafkovsky was never primarily viewed as a goalscorer; his playmaking is his standout trait. Nonetheless, the fact that he has managed just one goal in 16 games this season is disappointing. If the Canadiens aim to establish a successful streak of wins, Slafkovsky needs to contribute more in the goal-scoring department. To understand better what’s going on with the team’s youngest player, we need to examine his individual performance metrics.
**Juraj Slafkovsky Statistics (2024-25, 5v5)**
Hockey’s complexity, with its multitude of variables, makes it challenging to identify specific issues compared to many other sports. However, one statistic frequently influences overall performance.
As the 21st-century poet Lil Jon famously stated, “Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots.” While it’s not simply about shooting from any position, generally, increased shot attempts correlate with success in the NHL. Unfortunately, Slafkovsky has struggled with this since joining the league, to the extent that his mother even texted him to encourage him to shoot more.
Last season, Slafkovsky improved somewhat, going from 5 shots per 60 minutes at 5v5 during his rookie season to 5.6 shots per 60 in his second year. This progress, though not ideal, was a positive development.
Now, however, Slafkovsky is averaging 3.97 shots per 60, a noticeable decline that has adversely affected his scoring ability. Among the forwards regularly used in the lineup, only Jake Evans has a lower shot rate at 5v5 (3.96 S/60). In comparison, defensemen like Jayden Struble (6.16 S/60), Logan Mailloux (5.47 S/60), Justin Barron (5.2 S/60), and Kaiden Guhle (4.29 S/60) have all outshot him based on their ice time, while Mike Matheson (3.54 S/60) and Arber Xhekaj (3.23 S/60) are close behind.
Even when excluding defensemen, Slafkovsky’s low rate of shot attempts remains evident.
**Addressing the Juraj Slafkovsky Situation**
When assessing Slafkovsky’s performance, it’s clear that his playmaking abilities have significantly improved. In his rookie season, he recorded 0.14 primary assists per 60 minutes, which rose to 0.5 in his second year and has now surged to 1.13 in his third season. This translates to nearly 2 points per 60 minutes when including secondary assists, placing him third on the team behind Suzuki (2.72 P/60) and Caufield (2.2 P/60), which is quite impressive.
Given the decrease in consistency in his usage this season, it’s encouraging that he’s still able to keep pace with Caufield despite his goal drought. A look at his underlying metrics shows that while his individual high-danger chances have dipped slightly since last year, it isn’t substantial enough to explain the drop in his goal total.
If the main issue is the lack of shots, the solution is straightforward: Slafkovsky must seize every shooting opportunity presented to him. However, as is well-known, generating shots in the NHL can be challenging. Shot production relies on various factors, including usage patterns and the most significant intangible—confidence.
All of Juraj Slafkovsky’s and Montreal Canadiens’ statistics referenced are at 5v5 unless otherwise indicated, via Natural Stat Trick.
