TAMPA BAY — Jon Cooper can’t avoid the question.
Every time the Montreal Canadiens play his Tampa Bay Lightning, he knows it’s coming about Nick Suzuki. The Tampa coach, who will also head up Team Canada at the upcoming Olympics, has been consistently effusive in his praise of the Canadiens’ captain whenever he’s been asked about him over the last couple of years, and he’d have likely delivered another great clip had he been asked once more about Suzuki following Sunday’s game.
But Cooper was anything but surprised to be fielding a question about another Canadiens player whose name starts with “S” after his Lightning stole away the Atlantic Division lead in a shootout at Benchmark International Arena.
Even with the Canadian Olympic roster less than 72 hours from being revealed and Suzuki still battling for a spot to play for Cooper in Milan, the coach had the best vantage point to form an opinion on Juraj Slafkovsky — Sunday’s most dominant player.
“I saw it up close,” said Cooper, “he can really shoot it.”
It was after setting up a goal for Ivan Demidov that Slafkovsky answered one from the Lightning with the laser from the middle of the slot Cooper was referring to.
Cooper also watched the six-foot-three, 225-pound winger score the game-tying goal with less than four seconds to go to cap a period he completely took over, and he was marked by it.
We’re talking about a coach who’s overseen the development of some of the greatest talent in hockey over a generation, so that’s something.
“How old was (Slafkovsky) when he first played, 18? And how old is he now, 21? I feel like he’s been around forever and he’s just 21 years old,” said Cooper. “What he does have is the physical attributes to be a dominant power forward. But he’s also got a skillset…”
Without it, the Canadiens wouldn’t have gotten a point, let alone had a chance at two on Sunday.
Without Slafkovsky, who was drafted first overall in 2022 to become the exact player he is right now, the Canadiens wouldn’t be challenging the Lightning and Detroit Red Wings for first in the Atlantic. Without him, who knows how they’d have guaranteed themselves a winning record through a December that saw them play 13 games through the first 23 days.
It is Slafkovsky’s progression that has been most noteworthy of late.
Beforehand, Suzuki was on an island as the only true play driver for the Canadiens up front commanding special attention from the opposition. But Slafkovsky’s emergence in the role is now impossible to ignore.
“I think the game has slowed down for him, and that happens gradually, but sometimes it jumps a big, big, big step,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “I find the game has really slowed down for him; his reads are so much clearer, he’s using his body, using his shot more, and it’s a major evolution for him. It’s fun to see him play like that.”
It’s what the Canadiens need to see from Slafkovsky right now, with Suzuki and his linemates struggling a bit of late.
Sunday’s game was one of only eight in which the captain didn’t register a point since the start of the season. It came on the heels of some relatively ineffective performances — at least at five-on-five — from Suzuki’s line, with Cole Caufield and Zach Bolduc, which was disassembled after two rough periods in Tampa.
What they haven’t been managing well is exactly what Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov have managed particularly well.
“I feel there’s going to be less and less room out there as the season progresses,” said St. Louis. “The standings are so tight and you’re playing these games that are like playoff games. I think (the Suzuki line) has got to do a better job of playing in tight space and winning battles, because once they get the stuff in space, they’re elite at it. But it’s to create more instances. And it’s not just one guy; I think they can do a better job as a line of keeping pucks alive and probably winning some of these battles to extend the O-zone possession and now they get those pucks in space. I just feel they lack instances of that, and I feel they’re getting frustrated a bit. I lived it, it’s not fun, but the answers are everywhere, and we’ll find them.”
Demidov and Kapanen are buying them a bit of time, with Slafkovsky doing the heavy lifting to elevate the trio.
As Cooper said, “That kid line they have going there is pretty special, and you could tell he’s the leader of that group there.”
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It’s what Slafkovsky is determined to be in just his fourth season in the NHL.
It’s what he said he wants to be in his second Olympics with Slovakia.
In Slafkovsky’s first Games, in Beijing, he scored seven goals in seven contests as a 17-year-old.
“I was just a little kid when I went there the first time, and honestly, three out of the goals that went in there were just lucky shots,” the Kosice native said.
Now Slafkovsky is a man.
Check that…
Now Slafkovsky is the Man.
“I’m a more complete player,” he said.
“I feel like I just demand the puck more from the other guys, and I feel more comfortable with my touches and ability to create something and shoot and get goals,” Slafkovsky added. “I just want to drive and play with the puck more, and that game kind of suits me.”
Everyone’s taking notice.
Four of Slafkovsky’s 13 goals and four of his 15 assists on the season have been notched over his last four games, but his play for the better part of two months has popped to anyone watching.
If Slafkovsky keeps this up as Suzuki and Caufield rediscover their best selves, it’ll bode extremely well for the Canadiens.
It’s already made a big difference for them.
“There’s a reason Montreal’s knocking at the division lead,” said Cooper. “This isn’t a fluke. It’s a team that’s tasted the playoffs, and they’ve got young legs and skilled players.”
Slafkovsky, Demidov, Kapanen, Suzuki and Caufield are just some of them.
Jacob Fowler’s young legs have produced a 3-1-2 record through his first six games as a goaltender.
In front of him, fellow 21-year-old Lane Hutson notched his 31st assist of the season while 25-year-old Noah Dobson had a goal and an assist to bring his point total to 25 in his first 38 games with the Canadiens.
A lot of the big pieces are in place, but Slafkovsky is proving to be a huge one.
“I think first off, he’s a specimen, right? He’s massive, so strong on the puck, and then when you combine that with good vision and just the skillset to make plays, he’s tough to handle, I’m sure, for defencemen,” said Dobson. “Played against him a little; he’s no fun down low when he’s holding on to pucks, and those guys really work well off one another with Demi and Kappy, so he’s playing great hockey.”
It didn’t cost Cooper’s team an extra point, but he knew it earned the Canadiens one on this night.
