After being selected first overall back in July by the Montreal Canadiens, it wasn’t a lock that Juraj Slafkovsky was going to make the Habs’ opening night roster. He had a very subpar training camp which led many people to believe he would start the year with Laval of the AHL. Evidently, he would go on to make the Habs roster after the pre-season concluded. So far this season, Slafkovsky has appeared in ten games in the NHL, scoring three goals in that span. He has yet to register an assist at the NHL level.
Last night the Habs were in Detroit to take on the Red Wings at Little Cesar’s Arena. The Habs would go on to win the game by a score of 3-2 in a shootout. However, that wasn’t the biggest thing to happen in this game, as Juraj Slafkovsky would find himself in some hot water. With just over five minutes remaining in regulation, the Canadiens rookie made the unfortunate decision to hit Red Wings forward Matt Luff head-first into the boards from behind. To say this was a bonehead decision from the Habs rookie would be an incredible understatement. Slafkovsky would be given a minute major and a game misconduct on the play.
We learned earlier today that Slafkovsky also received a two-game suspension from the department of players safety as a result of the play as well. This is the first time in Slafkovsky’s very young career that he’s been suspended. Slafkovsky will be eligible to return to play on Tuesday, November 15th, when the Montreal Canadiens host the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
