2022 NHL Draft redraft: Would the Canadiens still pick Juraj Slafkovsky first?

When the Montreal Canadiens won the 2022 NHL Lottery Draft, all the talk was about who they would select: Juraj Slafkovsky or Shane Wright. It is rare to enter draft day with analysts still speculating on who the first overall pick will be. Ultimately, the Canadiens chose Slafkovsky, a raw prospect with higher upside.

Three years later, the Canadiens look to have made the right call between the two players projected to go first overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. Slafkovsky has not been a generational first overall pick, but he was not viewed as one at the time of the draft. However, Slafkovsky has shown flashes of the raw potential that made him the first overall pick, and has improved his numbers every season of his career so far. The thing is, even though Slafkovsky is first in his class in games played (200), points (111), assists (69), and second in goals (42), if we were to redraft the 2022 NHL Draft today, he may not be the first overall selection.

Logan Cooley, who was originally selected third overall, was an offensive force for the newly named Utah Mammoth last season, scoring 65 points in 75 games, after having a 20-goal, 44-point rookie campaign. Even though Cooley has been outstanding so far in his short career, he, too, may not go first overall if we were to do the redraft today. Lane Hutson put the hockey world on notice last season with a record-breaking rookie campaign. A campaign that saw him score 66 points in 82 games, taking home the Calder Trophy. Slafkovsky, Cooley, and Hutson all have a case to go first overall in the redraft, but if it were done today, who would the Canadiens select?

Candidates

Juraj Slafkovsky

Slafkovsky's case is an interesting one because his numbers are not as good as Cooley's, who has two fewer points in 43 fewer games, or Hutson, who set the Canadiens franchise record for assists (60) and points (66) by a rookie defenceman. With Slafkovsky, it is more about what he can become. The potential is there, but it has only been in flashes. He has yet to put all the pieces together for the entire season, but he will, and when he does, he will be a force.

After a challenging rookie season that was cut short by injury, he returned in 2023-24 and showed the potential the Canadiens saw in him to select him first overall. Slafkovsky scored 20 goals and added 30 assists to finish with 50 points, which were significant improvements from his rookie season. He followed that up with a 51-point campaign last season, but struggled at times with inconsistency. Some of that coincides with the team’s struggle in the middle of the season, but as the team started playing better, so did Slafkovsky. He has all the tools to be a very good player; he just needs to be able to showcase them throughout an entire season.

Logan Cooley

Instead of playing in the NHL following his draft year, Cooley took a different route and went on to play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the NCAA. In his lone season with the Gophers, Cooley dominated, finishing the year with 22 goals and 60 points in 39 games, finishing as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. After stating that he wanted to return to college, he changed his mind and decided to sign his entry-level contract with the then-Arizona Coyotes.

Cooley’s rookie season was up and down, which is normal for a player trying to get adjusted to the speed of the NHL, finishing with 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games. However, it did not take long for Cooley to adjust to the NHL. In his second season, his numbers skyrocketed, tallying 25 goals and 65 points. Playing alongside Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther, they formed one of the more young, exciting lines in the NHL. Cooley may have the highest offensive upside of all the players in the draft, and could be a consistent point-per-game player throughout his career.

Lane Hutson

Hutson does not have the same game experience as the two other players, but what he has shown in one season was nothing less than spectacular. He spent the first two seasons following his draft year playing for the Boston University Terriers, where he posted impressive numbers. In 77 games across two seasons, Hutson put up 30 goals and 97 points, creating a lot of buzz about his NHL potential. The hockey world got a small sample of what to expect from Hutson following his collegiate career, as he signed his entry-level contract and was immediately called up into the Canadiens' lineup for the final two games of the 2023-24 season. Hutson looked like he belonged in the small sample size, finishing with two assists in two games, creating a lot of hype on what he could produce over a full season.

The small-statured defenceman came into this past season with high expectations, and it is safe to say he exceeded them. In 82 games, Hutson had 60 assists and 66 points, matching the NHL record for assists by a rookie defenceman and setting the Canadiens franchise record for assists and points by a rookie defenceman. His record-breaking rookie season did not go unnoticed, as he took home the Calder Trophy with 165 out of a possible 191 first-place votes. Hutson has the potential to be the best offensive defenseman in the NHL and has Norris Trophy-calibre potential.

Who do the Canadiens take first overall?

Pick: Lane Hutson

Slafkovsky has the untapped potential, and Cooley offers high offensive upside, but Hutson is an offensive gamebreaker on the blueline. Both forwards have the potential to be very good players for a long time, but I doubt they will ever be considered the best in their position or in a single aspect. Hutson can. While he may not reach Cale Makar’s all-around level, Hutson could be one of the league’s best offensive defensemen. Luckily for the Canadiens, they do not have to worry about deciding which one they want, as they have both Slafkovsky and Hutson, potentially having walked away with the two best players in the 2022 NHL Draft.