Montreal Canadiens: Juraj Slafkovsky aiming for NHL but it may take time

The Montreal Canadiens selected Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. It was not the pick that many expected; it was a bit of a shock, even for Habs fans, to leave Shane Wright on the draft board. But the Habs faithful gave the Slovakian forward a standing ovation, and since then, he has embraced his new home.

While the expectation with a first overall pick tends to be that they can slot into the everyday lineup immediately, it may not be the case for Juraj Slafkovsky and the Montreal Canadiens. His route to the NHL may be more along the lines of Owen Power, except in Power’s case, he returned to college at the University of Michigan.

For Slafkovsky, he will head to the Laval Rocket roster and look to settle in and probably earn a call-up eventually. This seems the most likely of the two options for the top prospect during the 2022-23 season, but who knows?

That being said, let’s explore the two options for Slafkovsky and what the Habs have to consider ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Montreal Canadiens prospect Juraj Slafkovsky may not be NHL-ready.

While Slafkovsky has a lot to like about him, the Canadiens have to be smart. In a year where they want the youth to shine, there may be an urge to see what he can do with the NHL club. However, sending him to the minors to start the season might boost his confidence.

For Slafkovsky, his size or frame is not the issue. He’s 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, so the frame is not a reason for concern. But he has not posted Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews-like numbers on his road to draft day.

He’s had some good performances but has not emerged as some superstar. Slafkovsky is coming off of 42 games between TPS and TPS U20, where he scored 11 goals and tallied 17 assists for 28 total points.

Besides that, he played in 19 international games, scoring ten goals and adding eight assists for 18 total points. He also tallied four goals and seven assists for 11 total points over six games with the Slovakian U18 team.

He uses his size to his advantage and can be a problem in the offensive zone. There’s an upside here as a winger with the ceiling of being a big-bodied winger who scores goals. For the Canadiens, helping him adjust to the NHL by starting with Laval is a decent idea.

There’s a world where he also makes the team out of camp. Getting him right into the NHL pace of play and NHL game is a real possibility. He could very well end up appearing in the middle-six forwards for the Habs this season; time will tell.

If he does have a strong camp, he may be able to break camp with the Canadiens and go into the season with a chance to prove himself and acclimate to the NHL level. While the hope is that he can break camp with the team, he might benefit from a slower and smoother transition.