Free washer | Slafkovsky is neither Galchenyuk nor Kotkaniemi

The human brain will always have the reflex to make associations. The hockey fan is obviously not spared.

Because Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Alex Galchenyuk were very high draft picks, because they started their careers with the Canadiens in the NHL at 18 before seeing their performances decline, some fear that the same will happen. thing to Juraj Slafkovsky.

This is at least the argument often used by those who would prefer to see him join the Slovak national team in anticipation of the Junior World Championship. As if spending the winter in Montreal was going to give Slafkovsky the bad luck of the first two.

However, these are three human beings with very distinct personalities, sizes, playing styles, contexts and environments.

Alex Galchenyuk took advantage of the lockout to benefit from 33 additional games in the junior ranks in the fall of 2012. He also participated in the World Junior Championship with the Americans before joining the Canadian Michel Therrien, three weeks from his 19 years.

Could he have stayed in the junior ranks that season? Maybe, but he had a really good first year nonetheless, 27 points in 48 games, a full season production of 46 points.

After a third season of 20 goals and 46 points, at age 21, he had his first year of 30 goals, and 56 points, in his fourth season. In his first 418 career games, Galchenyuk had amassed 255 points, an average of 50 points per season.

At this stage of his career, at age 24, no player from the 2012 vintage had amassed more points than Galchenyuk.

But for a multitude of factors, including his inability to play center when we were sold as the “next” and professionalism concerns, Galchenyuk was traded to the Coyotes for Max Domi in 2018.

From there, his career plummeted: he changed teams six times and scored 99 points in 229 games. He has just been abandoned again, this time by the Colorado Avalanche, who preferred Charles Hudon to him.

Despite his setbacks, Galchenyuk remains fifth in scoring for his vintage behind Forsberg, Tomas Hertl, Morgan Rielly and Teuvo Teravainen. But that is not the point. His career is not turning into a disaster because he began his NHL career at 18, as evidenced by his 30 goals four years later, but because the machine went wrong around his sixth season, by a lack of understanding of the game, always flagrant, and a lack of seriousness.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi started his career at 18, for Claude Julien. He amassed 34 points in his first year, just three less than Andrei Svechnikov, second overall pick in 2018 ahead of him and also called up to play in the NHL at 18.

It is also seven points more than Jack Hughes, all things considered, in his first season, and six more than Kirby Dach.

The Finn redeemed a tougher second season by scoring four goals in ten playoff games in 2020. He was having a strong streak in 2021 and looked to be on a roll, with eight points, five goals, in 19 games, before losing. to be removed from the line-up in the final.

It was a time when rookies didn’t have a huge margin for error. Kotkaniemi and Cole Caufield had started the series in the stands, remember.

No doubt bitter towards the management of CH, Kotkaniemi finally accepted the qualifying offer of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021 and since then has had to live with the pressure of a young player who received 44.7 million for nine years without having made his proofs.

At 22, he is still trying to launch his career, still at the center of a second line, between Svechnikov and Teravainen, with a time of use of more than 15 minutes per game, but little offensive production with only six points in 27 matches.

Does Kotkaniemi disappoint because he started his career too early? Because it was poorly framed? Because he is not receptive to the teachings? Because his contract imposes too much pressure on him?

Cole Caufield came to the NHL at age 20. Would he still be this young counter in difficulty of only one goal in 30 games if the environment had not changed in Montreal?

Is it absolutely necessary to leave a young player in the junior ranks longer and, or, the American League, and loan him to his national junior team, to ensure success?

Jack Hughes, the first overall pick in 2019, was not loaned out to his national junior team. He had just 21 points in 64 games in his first year. He has 33 in 27 meetings today.

Another first choice, Rasmus Dahlin, was also not loaned by the Sabers. He had a tougher first few years defensively. He has now become the emulator of Victor Hedman.

Andrei Svechnikov also played in the NHL at 18 without participating in the World Junior Championship that year. He already has 104 career goals.

Nico Hischier, first overall pick in 2017, made the jump straight to 18 as well. No World Junior Championship after being drafted. At 23, he has 28 points in 26 games with the Devils.

Sixth choice overall in 2018, Barrett Hayton, he participated in this Championship after having even played an additional season in the junior ranks at 18 years old. He was loaned to the Canadian team at age 19 after starting the NHL season with the Coyotes. He dominated there with 12 points in 7 games. Since ? Running out of gas. Three assists in 26 games this season, 24 points in 60 games the year before.

Kirby Dach had also been loaned to Canada in his second season with the pros, at 19 years old. He was injured in a preseason game, did not participate in the World Junior Championship and his injury lost him almost a year, before being traded to the Canadian.

The loan in 2021 seems to have been beneficial to Dylan Cozens, seventh overall pick in 2019, whose career has been on the rise ever since.

We are not looking for THE recipe. There are a thousand. Let the CH manage Juraj Slafkovsky. The new administration does not seem to be doing too badly with the young people.

The choice of the Panthers becomes even more interesting…

With another loss on Sunday, against Seattle, its ninth in 13 games, the choice of the Florida Panthers obtained for Ben Chiarot becomes more and more interesting. If the repechage took place today, the CH would fish at 11^e rank with this pick of the Panthers and at 12^e rank with his. The choice of Florida is also in an interesting area, since it would allow the Canadian to choose first if he wins the lottery. The odds would remain at just 3%, but a club can now only advance ten ranks if it wins the jackpot. Right now, Montreal could at best draft second should they win the lottery with their pick.

Montreal also got Ty Smilanic, a disappointing young man this winter, and a fourth-round pick (Cédrick Guidon, surprising in the junior ranks with 36 points in 29 games).

Panthers GM Bill Zito has his fingers crossed. He must hope to win not only in the hope of participating in the playoffs, but also not to run the risk of bearing the odiousness of having offered Connor Bedard to the Canadian for Ben Chiarot…