Montreal Canadiens: The Argument For Keeping Juraj Slafkovky Out Of NHL Next Season

The Montreal Canadiens selected Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Usually, that player steps right into the NHL lineup the following season, and begins helping his new team right away.

But not every team does that. At least, the Buffalo Sabres didn’t do it with Owen Power last season. The enormous two-way defender had the tools to succeed at the NHL level right away, but elected to return to Michigan and play a second college season before beginning his pro career.

Power certainly didn’t need to go back and build muscle to get ready for the next level. He stands at 6’6″ and 213 pounds so he was prepared physically to handle the toughest competition in the world. But, another year of NCAA allowed him to develop his two-way game, actually dominate at that level for a year after having a good, but not exceptional freshman season, and also compete for a national title with the Wolverines.

They ultimately fell short of their goal of national glory, but Michigan had a tremendous season. Power scored 32 points in 33 games, improved his all-around game in relative obscurity and was able to make his NHL debut late in the season after his college season ended.

A lot of the same arguments could be made for Slafkovsky. He is big enough, strong enough and physically mature enough to play in the NHL. He is 6’4″ and 218 pounds so he isn’t about to be pushed around by other players just because they are older than him. But, like Power, Slafkovsky hasn’t really dominated at lower levels and shown the only real competition for him is in the NHL.

Power went back to play a second season of college after scoring 16 points in 26 games and then being picked first overall. Slafkovsky scored five goals and ten points in 31 games in Finland’s best league, showing he may not be ready to produce a lot of offence at the NHL level.

With the Canadiens entering a transitional year, or a pure rebuilding year, or a Such-Hard-for Bedard year, do they really need their first overall pick at the NHL level?

Now, I’m not suggesting he should go play in the Juniors, because he has already played pro hockey last season and mentally that was just feel like a step backwards. However, there is a strong argument to keep Slafkovsky in the AHL all of next season.

First of all, he would still be playing with and against the best players he has been on the ice with over a full season. He would be taking a step forward in the competition he is facing, but avoiding the spotlight that is the Montreal Canadiens.

He could then suit up at the World Juniors in December and get to represent his country on a big stage once again. He could even end up on an elite line with fellow Habs prospect Filip Mesar and centre Dalibor Dvorksy who should be a top five pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Slovakia wouldn’t be a medal favourite, but that line would do plenty of damage and the many Canadiens fans in Atlantic Canada would fill the rinks in Halifax and New Brunswick to watch their first round picks play.

The Canadiens meanwhile, aren’t expected to be a competitive team in 2022-23 anyway. They could allow wingers like Jonathan Drouin, Paul Byron and Evgeni Dadonov to play out the final year of their contracts and a roster spot would open up naturally for Slafkovsky in 2023-24.

This would also mean his entry-level contract would slide ahead one season. If Slafkovsky plays less than 10 NHL games next season, his contract with the Canadiens doesn’t start until the 2023-24 campaign. That would mean he is signed at a very modest cap hit until the end of the 2025-26 season.

The 18 year old winger could play in the top six for the Laval Rocket next season, with players like Jan Mysak and Jesse Ylonen and build a little chemistry with some future Habs players. This would help him acclimatize to the North American game that he has little experience with, and do so in Laval where he wouldn’t disappear from the public eye, but he would be under a lot less pressure than if he is playing on the Canadiens.

The Canadiens have gotten into trouble before by rushing players to the NHL, like Alex Galchenyuk, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Guillaume Latendresse. They can’t make the same mistake with their first overall pick.

The 2022-23 season isn’t one that fans are expecting to be wowed by anyway. Let the veteran wingers play out their contracts, let the kids develop at their own pace in the minors, and let Slafkovsky learn how to dominate physically at a level where he isn’t being scrutinized with every turnover or lost battle.

Patience with prospects rarely is the wrong choice. The Canadiens would be wise to show a lot of patience with their big first overall pick and make sure he is more than ready for the NHL when he arrives.

Want your voice heard? Join the A Winning Habit team!

Write for us!