Canadiens top-line winger excited to team up with Laine

Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky. Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Canadiens top-line winger excited to team up with Patrik Laine

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated Aug 21, 2024 4:59 PM ET

You can count Juraj Slafkovsky as one of the players on the Montreal Canadiens who can't wait to play alongside Patrik Laine.

The No. 1 pick from the 2022 NHL Draft detailed his excitement about the Laine acquisition this week in an interview Wednesday during the NHL European Player Media Tour.

"It’s funny, during the summer you wonder how things are going to be throughout the year and who you’re going to play with and what your role is going to be, and I pretty much can’t wait to be there already and play," Slafkovsky said, via NHL.com's Derek Van Diest.

"I wish we would could skip training camp and just start the season, because I’m excited to play games that mean something."

Slafkovsky on Laine trade:

The 2022 first overall pick is excited to team up with the 2016 second overall pick.

(via: @nhl) pic.twitter.com/T4qqgAy7ls
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 21, 2024

Montreal acquired Laine, who was drafted second overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2016, in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Jordan Harris and a 2026 second-round pick, via ESPN.

The Finnish forward has 388 points (204 goals, 184 assists) in 480 NHL games and 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.

"In 2016, I was probably 13 or 14 at that time, and I was a big fan of his, waiting to see whether he or [Auston] Matthews would go first," Slafkovsky said of the draft, "so I was a fan of his back in the day."

The Habs kick off their 2024-25 season against Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs in Montreal on Oct. 9.

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