Canadiens hand out massive $60 million contract to Slafkovsky
The Montreal Canadiens have handed out a massive $60 million contract to former first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky.
On the opening day of free agency, it appears that Habs GM Kent Hughes wanted to get a piece of in-house work done early as the team has signed Slafkovsky to an eight-year contract extension worth an AAV of $7.6 million.
The Slovakian forward is coming off a breakout 20-goal and 50-point campaign with the Canadiens last season.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension with forward Juraj Slafkovsky.
News release ↓ #GoHabsGo https://t.co/pm5Ht1q1KP
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 1, 2024
This is not where things were expected to go with Slafkovsky just a season ago. Despite being the first overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, Slafkovsky did not have an easy transition to the NHL in his rookie season.
After having put up just 10 points in Finland’s SM-Liiga during his draft-eligible season, Slafkovksy jumped directly into the NHL in 2022-23 and managed to score just four goals and 10 points in 39 games in his rookie season with the Habs. It was far too early to determine his trajectory but whispers about him being a bust were already starting to form.
The 20-year-old managed to silence some of those critics this past season as he broke out as one of the team’s most productive forwards and cemented a spot inside the Canadiens’ top six. His 50 points this past season ranked fourth on the team behind Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Mike Matheson.
This new deal is set to go into effect at the beginning of the 2025-26 season and once it does, it will be the third-highest cap hit behind Suzuki ($7.875 million) and Caufield ($7.85 million).
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