Juraj Slafkovsky Named Molson Cup Recipient For January

Slafkovsky has arguably been the Habs’ most consistent forward, as he seems to be making a difference on the ice even when he’s not producing offensively. As a power forward, the former 1st overall pick has really developed into a winger that can do a little bit of everything. He has become the type of player that can score a big goal, create plays for his linemates, and hit and block shots, which is exactly why he deserves the honour of being the recipient of the Molson Cup.

He was named the 1st star of the game on two occasions (January 1st and January 4th), the 2nd star 3 times (January 7th, January 12th, and January 17th), and finally, the 3rd star once (January 29th). He was named a star of a game more than anyone else despite not leading the Canadiens in points throughout the month.

Surprisingly, the Habs left-winger was only 4th in points behind Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson, all of whom were above a point per game. In reality, as great as Slafkovsky was during January, especially at the beginning, there is probably someone who most fans would have thought got more star points for the number of times that player received the first star of the game.

Throughout the month of January, Caufield put up a ridiculous 13 goals in 16 games, which is the most a Habs player has scored in a month since Guy Lafleur scored 13 back in January of 1979. With that being said, Slafkovsky actually edged out Caufield in terms of the star points criteria (1st star = 5 points, 2nd star = 3 points, and 3rd star = 1 point). While Caufield was named the first star 3 times (January 17th, January 31st), he only had one time he was named the 2nd star (January 24th), which totals out to 18 points, whereas all the stars that Slafkovsky got led him to have 20 points, earning him the Molson Cup recipient for the first time in his NHL career.

On the surface, it seemed as if the Canadiens wanted to reward someone other than Caufield, who was named the recipient in all 3 months before January, but it seems like Slafkovsky’s consistency was the real key to being named January’s Molson Cup winner.

Slafkovsky may have had a rough patch offensively for a few games towards the end of the month, but the fact that he was still noticeable by doing the little stuff right made a difference for the Slovak. He also finished the month scoring in back-to-back games, which certainly helps his case as well.  He may not have been the best producer, but at the end of the day he is being rewarded for his consistency.

Are you shocked that Slafkovsky was named January’s Molson Cup recipient?