Montreal Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky gets 100% real about closing in on playoff berth

Juraj Slafkovsky and the Montreal Canadiens are in the driver's seat to secure the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

What was once a wild race involving five teams has been broken open by the Canadiens' recent five-game winning streak. With a 38-30-8 record and 85 points, Montreal holds a six-point cushion on Detroit and New York as the season winds down to a close.

The Habs haven't made the playoffs since the 2020-21 campaign; however, for fans in Montreal and some of its young players, it's felt much longer. First overall pick from the 2022 draft, Juraj Slafkovsky, has never been this close to making the postseason, and he's making sure they never look back.

Priyanta Emrith posted what Slafkovsky had to say during his media availability on Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter).

"It sucks to suck and we don’t want to suck. This is a great spot we’re in right now and we just have to use it to our advantage and prove ourselves that we’re where we want to be and that we belong there… we want to be winners not losers," Slafkovsky said.

Juraj Slafkovsky is in the final season of his three-year, $2,850,000 entry-level contract this year. His eight-year, $60,800,000 contract extension signed with the Canadiens this summer kicks in to start the 2025-26 season. Montreal hopes that his $7.6 million average annual salary will look like a bargain as the salary cap continues to increase moving forward.

Juraj Slafkovsky is developing into an elite power forward

After a very difficult rookie season, Juraj Slafkovsky has shown major improvements in his game over the last two years in the NHL.

Despite a slow start to the year, the 21-year-old is on pace for a career-best season, with 48 points (17 goals, 31 assists) through 74 games thus far. Slafkovsky has also begun to use his 6'3, 225-pound frame to his advantage, delivering 184 hits on the season.

After watching the 4 Nations Face-Off he mentioned in an interview that to have success in the league, he must play like Brady Tkachuk. While he's not there yet, Juraj Slafkovsky is well on his way to becoming one of the better power forwards in hockey and still has plenty of room to grow.

Slafkovsky and the Canadiens are back in action for another crucial game on Tuesday night as they host the Detroit Red Wings. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at the Bell Centre.