When we last wrote about Juraj Slafkovský, he had only two points in 13 games to his name. The doubters pounced on his results, voicing their concerns about the Montréal Canadiens winger's development and using it as an opportunity to relitigate his selection at first overall in 2022.

Since then, Slafkovský's picked up the pace. He put up his first multi-point game on Nov. 18, a goal and an assist against the Boston Bruins. And then, the dam broke, to the tune of 22 points in his next 25 games, all while playing close to 19 minutes a night on average.

So, what changed? It all started with a promotion to the Canadiens' first line.

It's fitting since the first half of my last column on Slafkovský focused primarily on his environment. The Habs spent the early weeks of the season playing him on a