Former NHLer Buries First Overall Pick Juraj Slafkovsky
Being the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL comes with plenty of pressure, and while some players like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and others can overcome even the highest of expectations, that's not the case for everyone.
A slow start
At just 18-years of age, Slafkovsky was drafted and made his debut for one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports with the Montreal Canadiens, a very tough situation.
In his rookie campaign, Slafkovsky showed flashes of greatness, but ultimately struggled, posting just 4 goals and 10 points through 39 games, and now the pressure is seemingly on for him to develop.
Plenty of critics
His 2023-24 season hasn't started red-hot either, with just one assist through the teams first 10 games, and now, a prominent former NHLer has taken a shot at him on social media.
I watched Juraj Slafkovsky play last night at Mullet Arena. And even dating back to the 2021-22 season in the Finnish Pro League where I played against this kid. Not much has changed with his game. At the time I remember thinking.. He's built like a Ford F250 for his age, he doesn't really understand time & space (he would get lit up like he does in the National), and he has absolute blinders for vision. While only 17-18 at the time, there was a disconnect from his computer aka his brain and what his frame was. I'm not saying I'm Scotty William Bowman by any means but it seems like MTL at the time got so horny over a decent showing in an Olympics that featured no NHL players. Hindsight is always 20/20 but even a few years ago #1 overall seemed rather steep for this type of player. Be interesting to see how it pans out. Last night confirmed to my eyes what he needs, and the best thing for this young player is a jungle stint with no set timeline on it.
It's hard to argue with Schmaltz' assessment here, as Slafkovsky still has the physical gifts to be a star in the NHL, but he looks behind and overmatched on the ice in every other phase, and until he can turn it around, the Canadiens will be regretting their top pick.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 4 | 69 ANSWERS Former NHLer Buries First Overall Pick Juraj Slafkovsky Will Slafkovsky ever live up to the billing as a No. 1 overall pick? | ||
| Yes | 21 | 30.4 % |
| No | 48 | 69.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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