This season, Juraj Slafkovsky has really stepped up his game, despite the point totals not necessarily reflecting that so far. One area where he has shown significant improvement is his overall defensive game. He is playing a much smarter game, which is leading to fewer chances against the Habs when he’s on the ice as opposed to when he’s not out there. With that being said, it may be time to give Slafkovsky some ice time while shorthanded to help a struggling penalty kill.
Montreal’s 5v5 defense with Slafkovsky has been so good, and yet he does not play the penalty kill. Can someone explain why?#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/nvimdvsJNa
— The Analytic Hab (@TheAnalyticHab) November 22, 2025
Analytically, Slafkovsky is the best defensive forward at even strength for the Habs this season, allowing just 52.09 shot attempts per 60 minutes of play this season, which narrowly beats out captain Nick Suzuki, who has 52.63 shots against per 60 minutes. The difference isn’t much between those two players, but when looking at the rest of the forwards, the number of shots against goes up drastically compared to Slafkovsky, Suzuki, and their linemate, Cole Caufield.
The top line is showing that they are not only good offensively but also defensively, as they dominate the Habs’ forwards in all categories across the board at even strength. However, it seems like Slafkovsky is the biggest proponent of why that is this season, as the advanced stats go down for Caufield and Suzuki when Slafkovsky is on a separate line from them.
One factor is obviously that the other player, Zack Bolduc, who has played with them, is not as close to the power forward that Slafkovsky is, which is even more evident when examining the defensive areas for that line. This is also why Slafkovsky would make for a good penalty killer, as he’s able to improve his line so much defensively.
Slafkovsky the shot blocking machine! #GoHabsGo
— The Curfew Boys: A Montreal Canadiens Podcast (@TheCurfewBoys) October 24, 2025
One of the major individual statistics that demonstrates why Slafkovsky belongs on the power play is the amount of shot blocking he does when playing in the defensive zone. Nearly every game this season, the Slovakian forward can be seen blocking a shot. Before the 2025-26 season, this wasn’t a regular part of his game, but now it’s one of his best skills this season. So far this season, Slafkovsky leads all Habs forwards in shots blocked at even strength by a good amount with 25, while Suzuki is 2nd with 19. He is also tied for the most blocks per game with Kirby Dach at 0.9.
A major part of penalty killing is being able to effectively block shots, which is something Slafkovsky can do very well. To add to that, he is also one of the most physical players on the team when it comes to using his big body to throw hits. Slafkovsky is currently tied for 2nd with Josh Anderson in 5-on-5 hits with 52 thus far. This is something he can use to his advantage to help get the attacking players off the puck on the power play, much like Anderson.
Finally, Slafkovsky can skate the puck out of the defensive zone very well, which is another great aspect of his game that would make him a great penalty killer. He seems to have all the skills to be a very effective penalty killer as he continues to evolve into the 2nd coming of one of his hockey heroes, Marian Hossa. As Slafkovsky continues to grow as a player, the more he resembles Hossa’s game as a big, dominant two-way winger.
With the Canadiens’ penalty kill ranked 26th in the NHL at 77.2%, the team could benefit by shaking up or adding some personnel out there, and the first player that should be considered for a new opportunity in doing so is Slafkovsky.
Would you like to see Slafkovsky get an opportunity on the penalty kill?
