According to Bob McKenzie’s 2022 NHL Draft Rankings for TSN, Juraj Slafkovsky is now the No. 1-rated prospect in this year’s NHL Entry Draft. He has overtaken Shane Wright for the top spot according to recent polls with NHL scouts and that could make for a very interesting day in Montreal as the Canadiens are set to pick first in this year’s draft.
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While Shane Wright appears to be the steady, more well-rounded selection, Slafkovsky has climbed the rankings quickly over the past few weeks. He is a skilled, 6’4″ winger who won tournament MVP at the Olympics and scored nine points in eight games at the World Championships. He was dominant for TPS in the Liiga playoffs and there are many scouts who believe his ceiling is much higher than Wright’s, who didn’t impress as much coming down the stretch.
There is some recency bias with Slafkovsky and that makes the selection choice a tough one.
Considering the Montreal Canadiens weren’t sure who they wanted to take with the top selection, this will either make their decision much more difficult (if they were leaning towards Wright), or much easier if they were thinking Slafkovsky might be their guy. Fans in Montreal will be on the edge of their seats as the team will be hosting this year’s draft and the arena will be filled with mostly Habs fans. When asked why the Canadiens should take him with the top pick, Slafkovsky responded, “I was reading something that [Nick] Suzuki and [Cole] Caufield need a left wing. I am sitting here…if they want.”
It will be intriguing to see how, if at all, this changes trade talk around the draft. The New Jersey Devils are pegged to select at pick No. 2, but there’s also chatter they may have made that pick available in trade. If Shane Wright appears to be the guy who falls to them, does that change their odds of trading the pick? Will more teams show interest if they still believe Wright is the best player available?
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As for who will fill out the top four, Slafkovsky and Wright seem to have the top two spots locked down. Logan Cooley appears to be the consensus No. 3 selection, but Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports notes that the Arizona Coyotes, slotted to pick third, might like Simon Nemec.
