"Gave him an awful lot too soon": Bruce Boudreau makes his feelings known about struggling $60,800,000 Montreal Canadiens forward

TSN Hockey analyst Bruce Boudreau shared his thoughts on Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky's recent struggles. Slafkovsky signed an eight-year, $60,800,000 contract extension on July 1, 2024. The deal starts in the 2025-26 season, with a cap hit of $7,600,000 per year. It keeps him with the team until the end of the 2032-33 season, when he will be 29.

Boudreau questioned the decision to give Slafkovsky such a large contract so early. He said (via TSN),

"They gave him an awful lot too soon, but I think they were basing it on the last half of last year."

He added that Montreal may have rushed to sign him, hoping to avoid paying more later. Despite the struggles, Boudreau advised patience:

"Let’s face it, he’s 20-21, I wouldn’t give up on him. He's struggling (while) playing 17 minutes a game."

In 18 games this season, Slafkovsky has one goal, 10 assists, and a -5 plus/minus rating. He averages 17:05 of ice time per game, with a production rate of 27:58. He is projected to finish the season approximately with four goals, 39 assists, and a -20 rating, per ESPN.

Boudreau believes Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis is trying different approaches to help Slafkovsky improve. He noted that St. Louis has used him on the first and second lines and adjusted his ice time. Boudreau suggested that limiting minutes might motivate him:

"It's a coach's job to find out what makes this guy tick. Maybe it’ll tick him off by playing 11 minutes, and you’ll understand, 'Hey, I gotta get going.'"

He also hinted that the large contract could be affecting the player's effort:

"$60 million makes a lot of guys a little bit lazy."

Slafkovsky is still young and developing. The Montreal Canadiens must find the right way to help him reach his potential.

Mikhail Sergachev scored overtime winner in Utah's 3-2 victory over Montreal Canadiens

Mikhail Sergachev scored with 27 seconds left in overtime, giving Utah a 3-2 win over Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. He finished Nick Schmaltz’s pass to secure the win.

Jayden Struble and Alex Newhook scored for Montreal. Sam Montembeault stopped 26 shots but couldn’t prevent the loss. Despite extended possession in overtime, Montreal struggled offensively and was outshot 29-13.

The Montreal Canadiens have now dropped two consecutive games and holds a 7-11-3 record. On Wednesday, they’ll face the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sit at 9-9-2, at 7:30 p.m. EST. Montreal has struggled on the road with a 2-6-1 record, while Columbus has been strong at home, posting a 7-3-0 mark.