The Montreal Canadiens are starting to see their long-term vision come to life - and Juraj Slafkovsky is right at the heart of it.
When Montreal made the bold decision to select Slafkovsky with the No. 1 overall pick in 2022, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Most of the hockey world expected Shane Wright to go first. In fact, the moment Wright dropped to fourth and gave the Canadiens' draft table what looked like a death stare went viral for a reason - it was unexpected, dramatic, and, at the time, controversial.
But fast forward three and a half years, and the Canadiens’ front office - led by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes - looks like it made the right call.
Slafkovsky has emerged as a legitimate top-six forward, showing the kind of development curve you want to see from a first-overall pick. After a modest rookie campaign where he posted just 10 points, the Slovak winger has steadily found his footing in the NHL. Over the next two seasons, he racked up 38 goals and 63 assists across 161 games - solid production for a young forward still rounding out his game.
And this season? He’s taken another step.
Through 50 games, Slafkovsky has already tallied 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points, putting him on pace to set a new career high. He’s not just contributing - he’s helping drive the offense.
He’s one of five Canadiens with 40 or more points this season, and he’s doing it without playing second fiddle to Nick Suzuki or Cole Caufield. He’s part of the engine that’s made Montreal the third-highest scoring team in the league at 3.40 goals per game.
Meanwhile, things haven’t gone quite as smoothly for Wright in Seattle.
Wright’s NHL career got off to a rocky start. He played just 16 games across his first two seasons, bouncing between the NHL and the minors as the Kraken tried to find the right developmental path.
To his credit, he showed signs of breaking through last season, posting 19 goals and 25 assists over 79 games. It looked like he might be finding his stride.
But this season has been another step back. Through 49 games, Wright has just seven goals and 10 assists.
A coaching change - with Dan Bylsma out and Lane Lambert in - hasn’t helped stabilize his role. And now, with the Kraken clinging to the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference at 22-18-9, the front office appears ready to make a move.
According to reports, Seattle is open to trading Wright in hopes of landing a top-six forward to bolster their playoff push. It’s a tough pill to swallow for a player once projected to be the face of a franchise, but it might also be the fresh start Wright needs to unlock his full potential.
Still, when you line up the resumes, Slafkovsky’s trajectory stands out. He’s producing, he’s growing, and he’s doing it as a key piece of one of the NHL’s most exciting young cores. And while there’s still room for him to develop - which is a scary thought for opposing defenses - what we’ve seen so far suggests the Canadiens made the right call.
The draft is always a gamble. But three-plus years later, Montreal’s bet on Slafkovsky is paying off - and then some.