Reporter Claims Canadiens Made a Mistake in 2022 Despite Drafting Hutson and Slafkovsky
A journalist has just shared his picks if he could redo the 2022 NHL Draft as of today.
In his rankings, he reveals that Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens management made a mistake that night, which was held at the Bell Centre.
In 2022, the Montreal Canadiens organization had a very busy two days at the NHL Draft, which took place in the beautiful province of Quebec.
Kent Hughes made a trade that brought Kirby Dach to the team in a three-way deal. In return, he sent defenseman Alexander Romanov to the New York Islanders.
With the first overall pick in the class, management decided to go with the big Slovak, Juraj Slafkovsky.
Then the club selected Filip Mesar (26th), Owen Beck (33rd), Lane Hutson (62nd), Vinzenz Rohrer (75th), Adam Engstrom (92nd), Cédrick Guindon (127th), Jared Davidson (130th), Emmett Croteau (162nd), Petteri Nurmi (194th), and Miguel Tourigny (216th).
Since his NHL debut, Juraj Slafkovsky is the top scorer of the draft class with a total of 42 goals and 111 points. At 6'3", 238 lbs, the left winger is certainly not a disappointment and has shown great promise.
Moreover, Slafkovsky displays a great attitude and wants to keep working hard to improve. He even spent the past few days on the ice at the Brossard training complex practicing with his teammates-in the middle of July.
Of course, the Canadiens made the biggest steal of the 2022 Draft by grabbing Lane Hutson in the second round. The young defenseman needs no introduction and was sensational in 2024-25, winning the prestigious Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.
A journalist claims Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens did not make the right choice with the first overall pick
Scott Wheeler, a well-known and respected journalist in the hockey world, still believes the Canadiens did not select the right player with the first pick. - Scott Wheeler
"There was a time in his draft year when I debated ranking him No. 1, and in hindsight, I wish I leaned into it. I had a five-player tier at the top of the 2022 class, which is the biggest I've had in coming up on 13 years of doing this work. That group was four players for most teams and should have been for me (we'll get to the fifth player in a little bit), but I think Cooley stands atop it now."
While several experts rank Juraj Slafkovsky or his teammate Lane Hutson at number one, Wheeler leans toward Logan Cooley, who was originally selected third overall by the Arizona Coyotes.
Needless to say, the criticisms came quickly, with many online users promptly stating that Lane Hutson is by far the best player of the draft class. What do you think?
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JUILLET 28 | 144 ANSWERS Reporter Claims Canadiens Made a Mistake in 2022 Despite Drafting Hutson and Slafkovsky Who would be the first overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft if it were held again today? | ||
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