The Canadiens have signed 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky to an eight-year extension, the team announced. The deal, which begins with the 2025-26 season, carries a $7.6MM cap hit.
This is an outcome that wouldn’t have seemed possible just a few months ago. The 2022 first-overall pick struggled considerably in his rookie season, recording just ten points in 39 games before missing the rest of the season due to injury. Then, he struggled even more out of the gate last season, picking up only one goal and one assist in his first 15 outings.
While many felt that a trip to AHL Laval would be the best course of action, Montreal basically took the exact opposite route. Instead of sending him down to play a bigger role with the Rocket, they moved him up to the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. It didn’t take long for Slafkovsky to find his footing and he wound up finishing the year with 20 goals and 30 assists in 82 games.
Clearly, his performance in the second half of the season was enough to convince management to commit to a max-term agreement, one that buys out Slafkovsky’s four remaining RFA years while adding four more seasons of club control. The deal is likely to carry some form of trade protection in those final four seasons; he’s ineligible for trade protection in any of his RFA years.
Notably, this price tag comes in below Suzuki’s $7.875MM cost, keeping their internal cap in place for skaters as no one yet is set to make more than the captain (aside from Carey Price’s LTIR contract). It also keeps Montreal’s top line under contract through at least the 2028-29 season with all three players making below $8MM.
As is often the case with these types of early extensions off an entry-level deal, the price is likely to be on the high side early on in the deal. However, if Slafkovsky is able to progress and live up to his first-overall billing, the hope for the Canadiens is that this agreement will become a team-friendly one in the end.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cheering for a new team. Embarrassing
That would be nice. Spew your garbage somewhere else.
How is this garbage? Like this contract
After one 20-goal season?!? Funny money is flying all over the place today!
If he repeats his 5-fold improvement YoY, you’re looking at 250 points. If anything, it’s a drastic underpay.
This will be a steal. Great teams hit on contracts based on projection
Potential superstar in the making. 3 years from now it will be a historical steal for the Habs.
I mean what did Leon do to deserve a 8.5 7 years ago
Very good move. That extension only kicks in the 25-26 season. If he continues where he left off, it will be a bargain
He became dominant in the second half of the season, this is a nice gamble by the Habs. He might be a bargain early in this deal, he also has a very good attitude for a young player
I like this approach. Devils did it with Hughes and it’s going great. Reckon MTL is going to make out ok with this. In 7 years, 7.5 will be middle 6 money
I’m stuck between the views of paying your future star forward & locking him up long term, and what the frig has he done to deserve this? No stopping NHL general managers if they want to spend $$$
Obviously you don’t understand contracts