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Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky happily pays his part of rookie dinner

"It was tasty and expensive," he says with a smile about Friday night's dinner in Chicago with the bill split between team's five rookies.

"It’s been all right," the Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky says about his NHL rookie season so far. "Nothing special, nothing way too bad. It’s just like average. I have to step up.”
"It’s been all right," the Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky says about his NHL rookie season so far. "Nothing special, nothing way too bad. It’s just like average. I have to step up.” Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

The five rookies on the Canadiens came home from Chicago on the weekend a little — or maybe a lot — lighter in their wallets.

The team held its annual rookie dinner Friday night in Chicago after beating the Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout during the afternoon. The NHL rookie dinner tradition consists of the team going out to eat together at a very nice restaurant and running up the bill before giving it to the rookies for them to pay.

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“It was tasty and expensive,” rookie Juraj Slafkovsky said with a big smile about the dinner after the Canadiens practised Monday morning in Brossard. “Nothing else I can say about that. It’s good … we have five rookies, so it wasn’t maybe that much. Still, it’s good. It’s fun and it’s part of entering the league. It’s nice … I like it.”

Slafkovsky, the No. 1 overall pick at this year’s NHL draft, split the bill with fellow rookies Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic.

Slafkovsky was happy to take part in the dinner after leaving Friday’s game following a big hit from the Blackhawks’ Jason Dickinson after crossing the blue line just over six minutes into the third period. Slafkovsky returned to the bench before the end of the game, but didn’t get back on the ice. he finished the game with only 7:53 of ice time.

“With my body and with me, I shouldn’t be receiving those hits, but sometimes that happens,” said the 6-foot-3, 238-pound Slafkovsky, who seemed to get caught by surprise with the hit. “Maybe I should read the situation better. But it happened quick. I don’t care now.”

In the 16 games he has played this season, the 18-year-old Slafkovsky has 3-2-5 totals and is minus-2, while averaging 10:58 of ice time. The only Canadiens player averaging less ice time is fellow forward Michael Pezzetta with 8:43 in the eight games he has played.

“It’s been all right,” Slafkovsky said when asked to rate his season so far. “Nothing special, nothing way too bad. It’s just like average. I have to step up. I’m trying to learn every game. I feel like ups and downs.

“First 16 games after last year I was playing in junior in Finland,” he added. “It’s a big jump, but I’m happy that I can learn how to play in this league in this league and don’t have to go through minors and stuff. I feel great that I can be here and trying to do my best to improve every day.”

Slafkovsky will be in the lineup Tuesday when the Canadiens play the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). Centre Sean Monahan didn’t practise with his teammates Monday, taking a maintenance day instead. Head coach Martin St. Louis said he didn’t know if Monahan would be OK to play against the Sharks.

After Tuesday’s game the Canadiens will head out on a four-game road trip with stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Seattle.

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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