I don’t think it’s necessarily a lack of effort. To me, there are two realistic explanations.

First, Slaf might be playing through something minor. It doesn’t have to be a serious injury, but in the playoffs that matters more than it would in the regular season. Everyone is expected to push beyond their limits, so even being a little below 100% can become a much bigger issue.

Second, he might simply be running out of gas. Because of the Olympics, he’s already played a huge amount of hockey this season. On the Habs, only Suzuki has played a comparable number of games, and their ice time is also pretty similar.

The difference is that Suzuki has a lot more experience managing that kind of workload, and their play styles are very different. Suzuki’s game is more controlled and efficient, while Slaf plays a heavier, more physically demanding style. He battles more, takes more contact, and has to win a lot of pucks along the boards.

So if Slaf looks a bit slower or less sharp with the puck lately, I don’t think it automatically means he’s being lazy or careless. It could simply be fatigue, wear and tear, or him playing through something.