Can the Canadiens send Juraj Slofkovsky to AHL?
Montreal Canadiens are back on Earth, after a surprise start to the 2022-23 NHL Season.
The Canadiens have a record of 11-10-1 in the first half of the campaign. They are now a mere 4-11-2 since Dec. 1 and a paltry 1-8-1 in the last 10. They’ve let 46 goals in that time and scored only one goal.
Many — if not everyone — expected this team to be amongst the worst in the league this season, and it seems the Habs are finally living Down to expectations.
One of the few bright spots has been Nick Suzuki’s top line, Cole Caufield, and Kirby Dach, who have combined for 86 points. Sean Monahan, an offseason acquisition, has been solid with 17 points in 25 matches (although he’s currently hurt), and Kaiden Guhle, a rookie defenseman has seemed comfortable playing long minutes on a battered blueline.
The rest of the squad, however, has had unremarkable or poor seasons. I predicted Montreal would be too talented To finish last in the NHL, you have the best chance of winning the draft lottery. I was right to start early. The Habs are now firmly established despite a weak roster and a host of injuries. joined the tanking efforts underway to be selected as the elite prospect Connor Bedard.
The way forward looks pretty straightforward. This includes buying valuable trade deadline assets and stocking-up on prospects and picks along the route. While Kent Hughes, the general manager, and Monahan assess the trade value of Josh Anderson, Joel Edmundson, and Josh Anderson, the front office has another option. Should they send Juraj Slafkovsky, the 2022 first-overall, to the AHL?
Slafkovsky, like many teenagers, had a slow start to his NHL career. He registered four goals, 10 points, and earned 31 penalty minutes. In 33 games, he also received a minus-6 rating. Slafkovsky is not making much impact due to his usage, rather than his own efforts.
Slafkovsky has seen 13 different lines this season and has settled on the wing more often than Jake Evans or Michael Pezzetta. The 6-foot-3, 238-pound forward is averaging about 12 minutes of ice time per game — not enough to give him the reps he needs to develop at the highest level of the sport.
Martin St-Louis, the head coach, may not trust him enough to allow him to play more. Or he feels that more experienced players are better for him to win. It’s fair enough. But in a lost year — as this one is shaping out to be — the main focus should be the development of your future core.
Slafkovsky will undoubtedly be a Canadien for some time to come. But, it’s likely that he’d be most comfortable with a stint at the AHL Laval Rocket, where he’d be given a massive boost in minutes.
Shane Wright, a fellow 2022 lottery selection, is an excellent example. After a slow start to his NHL season, Wright was assigned to the minors. Wright scored four goals in five games while playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. After being recalled to Seattle Kraken, Wright became captain of Canada’s gold medal winning team at the 2023 World Juniors. Although I don’t expect Slafkovsky will play more than four AHL games, he could definitely benefit from more production and confidence in an important role.
This decision will be made by the Canadiens very quickly, as they are just two games shy of the 40-game mark. Slafkovsky would receive a year of unrestricted agency.
Per Puck Pedia, an UFA in Group 3 “becomes a Unrestricted free agent (UFA), if their current contract expires after 7 Accrued seasons or they turn 27 years old by June 30, or both. An Accrued season is a calendar year in which a NHL skater plays at least 40 games (goalie games count as one). If a player is on the NHL team’s roster but injured, the team’s games count towards the 40-game minimum.”)
Why keep the team’s prized prospect — and lose a year of control in the process — riding the bench when he could be thriving at a level just below the NHL as this group tumbles towards another lottery pick? It seems that the solution is obvious.
Similar can be said for some young, promising Habs players. Justin Barron and Jordan Harris could use some time in the minors to develop their defensive skills. Arber Xhekaj was a strong player in the first season and would certainly benefit from some Rocket time. His transition to the big-league has been smoother than his peers.
Some of the inexperienced Habs players have been forced into larger roles sooner than expected by the Habs defense corps, which has been battered and bruised this season. Joel Edmundson, Mike Matheson and David Savard all missed this season due to injury, and Kaiden Guhle, a promising rookie was sidelined Friday by a lower body injury that will keep him out for at least eight more weeks. Harris, Barron, Xhekaj and Joel Edmundson will undoubtedly be called on to fill in the gap Matheson or Guhle left. This could delay a possible assignment with the AHL.
Connor Bedard just carried Canada to world junior gold With a historic tournament, it looks like the next NHL star. If you are not in a position to compete for a playoff spot, it is time to give up and focus on the future.
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