The 2022 NHL Draft had plenty of drama. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Montreal Canadiens would take Shane Wright with the first-overall pick. However, as the international tournaments played out over the year and Juraj Slafkovsky emerged as a potential stud, the narrative changed. It culminated in the Canadiens picking Slafkovsky, Wright falling to fourth, and a staredown heard around the world at the Canadiens draft table.
As the years passed since the draft, the Canadiens felt good about their selection. It took some time for Slafkovsky to get going, but the front office left him in Montreal to figure it out. Meanwhile, Wright played just 16 NHL games over the first two seasons post-draft, as Ron Francis opted to develop him in the OHL and AHL instead.
Wright had a good season in Coachella Valley in 2023-24, recording 22 goals and 25 assists in 59 games. Once Dan Bylsma and his staff got the call to coach in Seattle, it seemed like an easy transition for some of the young players to come with them to the big club. Wright was the most obvious choice to get the promotion, and after some struggles early in the season, he is becoming the player everyone expected him to be.
Unfortunately for the Canadiens, as Wright begins to look like the player everyone expected him to be, questions arise about Slafkovsky. Slafkovsky has been playing some of the most disengaged hockey of his career and is on pace to finish with fewer points than last season. It seems like his development chart is starting to point down as Wright's goes through the roof.
Slafkovsky had one of his worst games in awhile on Saturday, recording one shot and no hits in 17:49 of ice-time. Martin St. Louis is trying to do right by his 20-year-old, but the ice time may soon need to take a cut. Meanwhile, Wright helped the Kraken rally back from a 2-0 deficit in the third period with a goal and an assist to send the game to overtime.
The assist on the tying goal was Wright's tenth point in the last ten games. He has four goals and six assists over that span, failing to record a point in just two of the ten games. Wright posts those stats in 5-8 fewer minutes per game than Slafkovsky, adding questions about the Habs' development plan.
Should they have taken a more cautious approach like the Kraken did with Wright? The proof is in the pudding, as Wright is outperforming Slafkovsky in his first full season, while Slafkovsky is in his third season with over 17 minutes per game. Sometimes, more of something isn't always better, and we may see the proof of that statement if Wright and Slafkovsky's careers go in opposite directions.