Everyone knows that every move of a Montreal Canadiens player is scrutinized daily and analyzed from every possible angle, whether on or off the ice. And it’s been like that since the dawn of time.
Obviously, a first-round choice of the club, the first overall of an auction moreover, does not escape this reality.
Since his selection last July, the case of the Slovak Juraj Slafkovsky has been debated on all platforms. Should he start the season in Montreal? Does he have what it takes? Should CH have bet on another player?
And these questions, as numerous as they already were, have only multiplied since the start of the Habs’ training camp, a camp during which Slafkovsky, let’s be honest, showed himself to be average. In other words, the pressure is already strong on the shoulders of the young man of 18 years.
This is the reason why former CH coach Michel Therrien believes that Kent Hughes may have made a mistake last week, saying he was disappointed with the performance of his hope during a visit to the microphone of the Ray and Dregs Podcast.
“These comments after a week… I think he has just discovered the Montreal market! I think you put that in your experience book, because it’s hard to make judgments after just two preseason games.
“You have to understand that all eyes, everywhere across the NHL, are already on Slafkovsky. This is a top pick overall! He is already under pressure and the GM’s comments add to it. In a market like Montreal, you have to be careful about that.”
See Therrien’s full intervention in the main video.