The Canadiens could send Juraj Slafkovsky to the AHL eventually
TSN: Darren Dreger on Insider Trading said that the 2022 number one overall pick, Juraj Slafkovsky is a work in progress for the Montreal Canadiens, that he seems to be analyzed on a shift-by-shift basis, and that he could end up in the AHL eventually.
“It’s believed it’s likely that Juraj Slafkovsky will be sent to the AHL but first they want him to develop an NHL identity. What that means is they want to see him play more North-South, they want him to use that big body, be physical, they want a better awareness of what he does when he’s away from the puck so those are the qualities they’re trying to instill at this point.
Don’t be surprised if they put him in the press box for a game or two and let him watch – sometimes you grow into the pace of the game by doing that and they also have decisions looming because they have a lot of forwards up front but he’ll get sent down eventually. ”
Canadian teams in the market for defensemen
TSN: Chris Johnston notes that Jakob Chychrun will be joining the Arizona Coyotes this week as he works his way back from a wrist injury. Teams want to see him play and be healthy before making a trade for him.
Darren adds that the number of Canadian teams that could be in the market for a defenseman is growing.
“Look, there’s a growing list of Canadian teams that are in the market for a defenceman – you know, Chychrun is high-rent and the ask is tremendous, so we’ll see whether the likes of Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton or Vancouver are going to buckle and pay that price or they’ll look elsewhere. But I can tell you those are the teams that are in the market.
If you look at Montreal, they’re definitely looking for a right-handed shot; look at Toronto, yes, absolutely they’re looking for a right-handed shot. Pierre-Olivier Joseph, of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is out there, I’m not attaching him to Montreal, or Toronto, or any of the Canadian teams, but Pittsburgh has nine defencemen. He’s a young player, a first-round draft pick, so he might be a fit with one of those clubs. ”
