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Dans les coulisses

Logan Cooley is eating Juraj Slafkovsky this year

After a great game against the Golden Knights in Vegas, the Canadiens flew to Arizona, where the Coyotes will be on the menu tomorrow night.

The game will once again be presented at 10 p.m., which is sure to please Flanelle fans… #Sarcasm

It’s going to be late, but we can take comfort in the fact that Logan Cooley, who’s off to a good start in his NHL debut, will be there to watch.

The American has six points in eight games, but beyond his offensive production, he looks like a guy who’s ready to dominate the National League.

Boring, but the same can’t be said of Juraj Slafkovsky, who was selected two spots ahead of the American in the 2022 draft…

The difference between the two players seems to be enormous at the moment. The Coyotes have been patient with Cooley, letting him play one season in the NCAA before making the jump to the pros, and that seems to have helped him since the start of the season. Why is that?

Because he arrived in the NHL full of confidence after scoring 60 points (22 goals) in 39 games last year with the University of Minnesota.

It’s far too early to play the comparison game, and in any case, it’s hard to compare the two players because they really don’t have the same style of play.

But in the end, the conclusion remains the same: the third overall pick in the 2022 draft is clearly ahead of the player who was chosen first overall in the same draft.

That’s why there’s a lot of talk about sending Slafkovsky to Laval to improve his skills:

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Szymon Szemberg wrote on Twitter earlier today that Slaf should be sent back to Europe to help his progression because the NHL isn’t a development league.

He’s right, by the way.

If we push the note a little further… We realize that the Kraken took the same approach as the Coyotes did with Shane Wright.

They didn’t want to rush things in his case, so he was sent back to junior last season.

Wright is currently playing for the Kraken’s training club and has done well since the start of the season (four points in five games) because it was made clear to him that he must take the time he needs before becoming an impact player in the big league.

Listen to this. Juraj Slafkovsky is not a flop and NOBODY said that either. It’s way, way too early to be thinking about things like this.

But when you compare the Coyotes’ and Kraken’s development strategy to the Habs’… there’s a pretty big difference.

Anyways.

In closing, it’s interesting to note that Logan Cooley came very close to becoming a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers met with him just before the start of the draft and tried to move up a few levels to get their hands on the American, but the deal fell through.

That doesn’t take anything away from the young man’s talent, who is on track to score around 60 points if he keeps up the pace he’s currently setting:

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– It sure helps.