The Montreal Canadiens have four players participating in the 2026 Olympic Games in Milano, Italy: Nick Suzuki (Canada), Alexandre Texier (France), Oliver Kapanen (Finland) and Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia). The rest of the roster will have three weeks off.Â
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Some see the Olympics as a negative, as NHLers might get injured or burned out before a stretch run to the playoffs. But participating in the Olympics is a positive for the Canadiens’ young players, especially Slafkovsky, who was a standout at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Canadiens’ Entering Olympic Break
The timing of the Olympic break is perfect, even after the Canadiens’ convincing 7-3 win over the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night and three more games to play. Last February, Montreal looked sluggish and limped into the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. But the team returned healthy, refocused and more structured, and led by Suzuki, they went on a hot streak to clinch the final wild-card playoff spot.
Despite losing in the first round to the Washington Capitals, last season was considered a major success overall and a step forward in their rebuild – it demonstrated that the core was capable of taking over games and playing at a high level for a long stretch.Â
This season, fans consider the Olympic break another good chance to rest, especially for key players like Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson, who were snubbed by Team USA despite having star-calibre seasons. The silver lining is that they have time to heal and reset mentally. Most, if not all, players suffering from injuries should be back by the end of the break and ready to play, marking the first time all season that head coach Martin St Louis will have a full roster at his disposal.Â
Canadiens and THE Power ForwardÂ
That said, Slafkovsky will only benefit from the Olympic tournament. This season, he has truly come of age at 21. He is in his fourth full NHL season and has shown significant signs of progress in each campaign, but especially in 2025-26. In 54 games, he has already reached his career-high in goals with 20 and has reached the 43-point mark, just five points off his career high, putting him on pace for a 30-goal and 65-point season.Â
According to a study on how the Olympics can impact a player’s scoring by RG.org, players who go to the Olympics in secondary roles often use the tournament as a boost for the stretch run. Among players scoring 0.5 to 0.75 points per game before the Games, about where Slafkovsky is, Olympians saw an average decline of just 1.63%, compared to 10.05% for non-Olympians. That could put him on pace for close to 38 goals and 60 points this season, and a giant step forward before his 22nd birthday at the end of March.Â
How will the Olympics help translate to increased NHL production? Right now, Slafkovsky is driving Montreal’s second line. On Team Slovakia, he will be the offensive focal point, where the pressure to generate offence should reinforce his confidence with the puck when he returns to Montreal.
He will also be in a best-on-best tournament, so the matchups will be against the world’s best defenders, which could help him improve his decision-making, forcing him into quicker reads and to be more deliberate and decisive with his puck touches. These are aspects of his game that he has been improving on since his rookie season.Â
Being on Slovakia’s top line, top power play and possibly even on the penalty kill will mean more puck touches and more opportunities. These repetitions could help develop his instincts and reinforce his offensive-zone habits. The Olympic format encourages direct play, which is his bread and butter. It can help reduce overthinking and hesitation that sometimes creeps into his NHL game.Â
The rink size issue in Milano might also be a boost to the 6-foot-3, 225-pound winger as international tournaments often emphasize puck protection and board strength, and the smaller ice surface will force quicker decision-making and place a higher value on possession and protection skills, especially since he will be Slovakia’s biggest weapon.
While he won’t have the benefit of a full mental reset like his teammates who are not participating, just stepping out of the NHL grind might help him reset, especially if he returns with some positive momentum and confidence.
He has grown as a leader this season, moving to the second line with two rookies, Kapanen (second in goals among rookies) and Ivan Demidov (rookie points leader). His role will be bigger with Slovakia, where he will be leaned on in big moments. That confidence often shows up offensively through quicker shots, stronger puck drives, and more assertive positioning, which will improve his NHL play.Â
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The Olympics should be a confidence boost for Slafkovsky, reinforcing his identity as a power-driving, offensive winger and accelerating his decision-making, assertiveness, and net-front presence that directly translate into sustainable, nightly NHL production when games begin to matter more – in the playoffs.Â
