The Montreal Canadiens' future looks incredibly bright. It's a testament to the work of the front office, led by president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes. They have a surplus of young talent that look to be franchise cornerstones, from Cole Caufield to Jeff Hutson to Ivan Demidov. One name that looks to be coming into their own is Juraj Slafkovsky, the former 2022 first-overall pick.
There was plenty of controversy surrounding the selection. The longstanding belief was that Shane Wright would be the first overall pick, but Slafkovsky gained steam late into the process. Wright fell to fourth overall to the Seattle Kraken. Wright appeared to stare down the Canadiens draft table in a viral moment.
Flash forward to over three years later, and it appears the Canadiens made the right selection.
According to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, the Kraken are open to trading away Wright to bring in a "top six forward."
Canadiens proven right as Shane Wright is placed on trade block by Kraken
And just like that, the Canadiens have been proven that taking Slafkovsky over Wright was the correct call.
Wright had a tumultuous start to his NHL career, where he only played in 16 games in his first two seasons in the NHL. But in the 2024-25 season, Wright seemed to have turned the corner in a positive direction. Through 79 games, Wright scored 19 goals and recorded 25 assists. The hope was that Wright could improve his production for years to come.
That hasn't happened this season. Through 49 games, Wright scored seven goals and 10 assists. It certainly didn't help that there was a coaching change, as Dan Blysma was fired and replaced by Lane Lambert.
The Kraken are in playoff position, sitting in the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference the morning of Jan. 22., as they are 22-18-9 through 49 games. It's not surprising they are looking for a top forward, as it would certainly help them clinch a playoff spot. To do this, they sound willing to move on from Wright. It's entirely possible that a change in scenery could work to the young forward's benefit.
Meanwhile Slafkovsky is slotting in as a consistent producer in the Canadiens' lineup. After posting just 10 points in his rookie season, Slafkovsky really stepped up his production the following two seasons, posting 38 goals and 63 assists through 161 games. This season, Slafkovsky is on pace to surpsass his 50+ point totals the last two seasons, as he has 40 points through 50 games (19 goals, 21 assists).
He is one of five players on the Canadiens who has 40 or more points this season. He's not taking a backseat to Nick Suzuki or Caufield. He's part of the reason why they are the third-best scoring team in the league (3.40 goals scored per game).
There is still room for Slafkovsky to grow, which means he will only get better. Based on their first four years in the league together, it looks like Slafkovsky is in line to have a brighter future. Maybe Wright can turn things around on another team that can unlock his full potential.