Surprising statement from Juraj Slafkovsky related to the draft, and it could have really escalated
Let's not kid ourselves, Juraj Slafkovsky's first season in the NHL was a rather difficult one.
The Canadiens' first pick in the last draft only collected 10 points, including four goals in 39 games, and his season came to an abrupt end at the beginning of last January due to a knee injury.
That being said, expectations for him from the Canadiens management will be very high next year, and they hope that the young Slovak forward will return in top shape for the opening of the Canadiens' next training camp in September.
But why am I talking about Slafkovsky here? It's not because of his performance, but rather because of a statement he made in recent days on the Raw Knuckles podcast, hosted by former CH enforcer Chris Nilan.
During his appearance on the podcast, Slafkovsky reflected on the various interviews he had with other NHL teams in the days leading up to his first overall selection by the Canadiens. Interestingly, with the exception of the CH, few teams that drafted in the top 10 seemed to have any interest in him.
He was worried:
He mentions that, had he not been chosen by the CH in the first round, things could have escalated for him, and he could have slipped further than expected.
Number 20 even jokingly said that he wondered if he would be drafted at all, given how uninterested the teams seemed to be in him.
It's worth noting that, according to several sources, the Canadiens' management was very impressed by the young man's maturity, and he had had excellent performances on the international stage before the draft, particularly at the senior world championship with Slovakia.
Despite everything, he didn't seem too worried about it all, as he had a big smile on his face when he recounted the anecdote.
It will be interesting to see his progress during the summer, but especially to see what mindset he'll bring to Montreal at the opening of training camp.
| POLL | ||
Where would Slafkovsky be drafted in 2023, in your opinion? | ||
| Top-5 overall pick | 95 | 19.2 % |
| Between 5th and 10th overall | 207 | 41.7 % |
| Between 10th and 20th overall | 145 | 29.2 % |
| Beyond 20th overall | 49 | 9.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
