Should Canadiens' Slafkovsky Spend Time in Laval?

In the fall of 2022, a hotly-debated topic in Montreal was whether Juraj Slafkovsky should start his professional career in the NHL or not. What about this year?

With NHL training camps winding down this week, it's crunch time for roster decisions. The big question mark when it comes to Montreal's forwards is definitely which of Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Emil Heineman, or Jesse Ylonen will stick with the big club. But I believe there's another big debate simmering just beneath that: whether Juraj Slafkovsky should start the season in the AHL or remain in the NHL.

My quick answer? Slafkovsky should spend some time in Laval. I'll explain why in this article. I should also note that I've not been shy to say this publicly many times over the summer, and even on last week's episode of The Press Zone podcast.

In that September 26th show, parts of my monologue stated, "I still think that Juraj Slafkovsky would be well-served to play some time in the AHL, based off of what we've seen so far...I think that there's just places that Slafkovsky needs to get much more confident. And I think the best way for him to do that would be going down to Laval." (Click the link in the paragraph above to hear my full statement on the podcast.)

In fact, Nick Kypreos commented on this topic on Sportsnet's second intermission panel discussion during Monday night's Canadiens vs Leafs broadcast, saying, "You do have a sense that this guy is not ready for the NHL." He went on to analyze a bad read by Slafkovsky which led to an Auston Matthews goal, and summarized his analysis by stating, "This is the stuff that tells me that this guy should start in the American Hockey League."

So it seems as if the argument for Slafkovsky to get some AHL experience is gaining a bit more traction again. Let's take a moment to remember how things played out last year.

It was a date marked on every Habs fan's calendar: July 7, 2022. After suffering through a demoralizing season where the Montreal Canadiens finished last in the NHL, a proverbial silver lining lay just ahead. The pain of the 2021-22 season meant the Canadiens would ultimately reap the reward of a first-overall selection at the 2022 NHL draft.

Fast forward past the anticipation of draft night and the shock of Montreal passing over the long-expected pick of Shane Wright, to the surprise of them instead choosing to draft six-foot-three winger Juraj Slafkovsky. With his lighthearted nature, quick sense of humor, large frame, and commanding potential skillset, it didn't take long for Montreal's faithful to warm up to the young Slovakian.

Then came the natural next question: should he go straight to the NHL? Should he return to Europe to gain more experience? Or should he start his North American career in the AHL and be assigned to the Laval Rocket?

While many clamored for him to stick with the Canadiens, more measured and objective analyses concluded that a better choice would be to give him some time outside the harsh spotlight of Montreal to hone his skills. For complete transparency, I was one of those people who repeatedly affirmed that I believed the best course for Slafkovsky would be to send him to Laval in September 2022, just like I still believe that's the best thing for him now.

I realize that plenty of readers will balk at the concept of sending Slafkovsky to the AHL, particularly when you look at the draft results from the past decade and see that the overwhelming majority of first-overall picks have immediately started the next season in the NHL:

But a first-round selection doesn't (and shouldn't) guarantee an automatic ticket to the NHL. The prospect has to be ready to make that jump. Owen Power headed to the NCAA in the fall of 2021, and many would argue that a season spent playing college hockey was the right course of action for him.

A year later, we now know that the choice was made to keep him in Montreal. Perhaps some of that excitement about the possibilities a number-one overall draft pick could bring to a team skewed the decision. Maybe there was some sort of sense of urgency regarding the organization's rebuild.

Whatever the reason, young Slafkovsky was indeed kept in the NHL and had a big rookie year ahead of him. Unfortunately, that first professional season didn't turn out so well for the 19-year-old. Granted, a knee injury ended his season quite early, but in the 39 games he played, Slafkovsky generated just four goals and six assists.

That's roughly a quarter of a point per game, and nowhere close to what's expected of a first-overall draft pick. But he was 18, playing in the NHL for the first time, and patience needed to be practiced then, as it does now. Slafkovsky is still young, he's still going to make mistakes, he's still going to have lessons to learn, but he does need to take a step forward this season.

After a summer of work, his performance in training camp has been better, but not by leaps and bounds. There are many times he still looks a bit unsure of himself, and he has difficulty winning puck battles. The quick decision-making skills needed in the pace of an NHL game also still need work.

It's not too late to put his development course on the right path. Sending a top prospect to the AHL isn't a bad thing, or something for the player to feel ashamed of. The American League is a development tool for reasons just like this. But the key to making it a successful transition comes down to how coaches and management deliver the message. No one wants to see a top prospect "demoted" and not given the right support to help him stay positive and motivated.

Have a sincere, honest conversation with the kid, explaining that they want him to play freely and build his game into something formidable, without the pressures and speed of NHL gameplay. Explain that it won't be for the whole season. In fact, my suggestion is to send him down for a month (or less), and let him simply play his game. Give the Laval coaching staff explicit instructions on how to deploy him and what areas to work on with him, and he'll likely start mastering the AHL in short order.

When that happens, his confidence will increase mightily, making him start to feel a bit invincible. Things will become so second-nature, he won't overthink or be unsure about decisions. He'll just play. Then he'll start feeling comfortable enough to take more risks and make bigger plays. When he begins dominating the opposition night after night in the AHL, that's when you recall him to the Bell Centre. Chances are, he'll suddenly look like a brand new hockey player, because he won't be trying to prove he belongs there, he'll simply be executing what he's been perfecting in the AHL.

It's a courageous choice for any leadership group to change course after such a substantial decision has been made. However, the Canadiens' coaches and management staff have a legitimate opportunity to help Slafkovsky develop properly, in the short term, before he spends more time struggling in the NHL. Sure, they made a different choice last year. So what? This year is supposed to be about development, and Slafkovsky's future as part of the young core of Montreal forwards might just depend on someone making a bold move to help him achieve long-term success.

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