An error during the 2022 draft is already making the Canadiens look very bad
Almost a year later, the overall assessment of the Canadiens' 2022 draft seems very promising.
Even though he didn't have the best expected first professional season, Juraj Slafkovsky demonstrated beautiful skills that quite clearly indicate he will become a big piece of the Tricolore's attack in the coming years.
In the second round, the Habs set their sights on two high-quality prospects in Owen Beck, but especially Lane Hutson, who turned heads this season. We can add the excellent selection of defenseman Adam Engstrom in the third round, who surprised many by becoming, at 19, a cornerstone of his organization in the best European league, the SHL.
However, what has caught attention since this draft is the club's selection with its 26th pick, which was obtained in the Tyler Toffoli trade a few months earlier.
The Tricolore opted for another Slovak, a small-sized forward in Filip Mesar, rather than the consensus choice at this rank, who seemed to already become a steal this late in the draft, and here I'm talking about Jiri Kulich. The latter was finally chosen at the 28th rank by the Buffalo Sabres.
A season later from this draft, it must be said that this decision of the Canadiens is already aging very poorly.
While Mesar has not been able to establish himself well in the OHL, collecting only 51 points, including 17 goals in 52 games, in addition to a deficient playoff production of four points in nine games, it's quite the opposite for Kulich, who makes the Habs look very bad.
With a strong first professional season in the AHL, the Czech forward had a significant impact by scoring 24 goals and obtaining 46 points in 62 games. This is outright exceptional offensive production for an 18-year-old player.
However, Kulich did not stop there, as he has stepped up his game since the start of the playoffs. He has scored four goals and obtained five points in four games. He is even on a streak of four goals in as many games.
Let's hope for the Canadiens that Mesar steps up for the next campaign, because for the moment, the management seems to have totally missed their shot by passing over Kulich.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe the Canadiens made the right choice at the 26th spot in 2022, by selecting Filip Mesar? | ||
| Yes | 123 | 39.9 % |
| No | 57 | 18.5 % |
| Too early to tell | 128 | 41.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
