Montreal Canadiens sign Juraj Slafkovsky to eight-year, $60.8 million extension

The Montreal Canadiens have locked up a big piece of their core as the team announced Monday they have extended forward Juraj Slafkovsky for another eight seasons. The $60.8 million extension carries an average annual value of $7.6 million.

As Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli points out, Slafkovsky’s deal is very top heavy:

Slafkovsky becomes the third highest paid Canadiens forward behind Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. With all three locked up long term, the team will continue to build around the young trio up front.

Slafkovsky, 20, is a native of Kosice, Slovakia and is entering the final season of his entry-level contract in 2024-25, were he’s set to earn $950,000 before his new deal kicks in. The former first-overall pick enjoyed a breakout season with the Canadiens in 2023-24, recording 20 goals and 50 points in 82 games, all career highs.

A developing power forward, the 6-foot-3, 230 lb winger finished third on the Canadiens last season for points, and third among forwards, landing 152 hits. His strong two-way game continues to take strides and Montreal is excited about what the future holds for their one-time top prospect.

After his breakout season, Slafkovsky would go on to represent Slovakia at the 2024 IIHF World Championships, and was among one of the Slovaks’ best forwards, recording eight assists in eight tournament games.

In 121 career NHL games, Slafkovsky has scored 24 goals and added 36 assists. It’s obvious the Canadiens are banking on their young winger to continue developing into a prolific offensive talent.

With Slafkovsky’s extension complete, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes can turn his attention back to this off-season’s free-agent class as Hughes has a projected $10.1 million in cap space to work with. For the most part the Canadiens have been very quiet and appear to be more concerned with their internal business before looking externally for ways to upgrade their roster.