We don’t talk about it… But Slaf is five goals away from Caufield.

There are some great stories about the Habs this season. Not many, but still.

I’m thinking of the blossoming of Cayden Primeau and Samuel Montembeault, the fine season of Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson…

But I’m thinking above all of Juraj Slafkovsky’s progress. And if you’ve watched every game since the start of the current campaign, you’ll agree with me.

Slaf still has things to learn, and that’s normal because he’s 19.

But there are far more positives than negatives in the Slovak’s game, which was far from the case in his first NHL season.

Again, that’s to be expected.

Slafkovsky has 35 points in 66 games this season, which is good. He’s showcasing his passing skills, he’s more confident on the ice…

And he’s showing that he’s capable of scoring goals.

The proof?

We don’t talk about it… But Slaf is five goals away from Caufield this season:

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Caufield (19 goals) has fired 252 shots on goal this season.

Slaf (14 goals), on the other hand, has a total of 109 shots in 2023-2024…

The Slovak needs to use his shot more because he can put the puck in the back of the net.

That will come with time.

Caufield is having an ordinary season in terms of goals, and that’s true. But the parallel between Caufield and Slaf is still interesting to draw because we’re not talking about the same style of player.

That said, it puts even more emphasis on the progression of a 19-year-old like Juraj Slafkovsky.

He’s been getting a lot of plaudits since December… and quite rightly so.

After all, it’s hard not to get excited about the next few years when you see where he’s been lately.