Let’s talk a little about forward Shane Wright, whom many fans really wanted to see in Montreal before Juraj Slafkovsky.

Kent Hughes isn’t perfect, nor is his team, but you absolutely can’t say they made a mistake with their first overall pick in the 2022 draft.

For now, Slafkovsky seems to have been the right choice.

Some might bring up Logan Cooley, a smaller center who is excellent, but it’s not as if the young Utah forward is far ahead of Slafkovsky either.

That said, let’s get back to Shane Wright, who was the popular choice in Montreal before the draft.

Shane Wright in Montreal, imagine the uproar

As the excellent Mathias Brunet mentions in his latest piece, which we highly recommend by the way, imagine the uproar in Montreal if Shane Wright had been our first overall pick in 2022.

Let’s agree that a first overall pick is extremely important for a franchise and for a rebuild.

It’s an opportunity that comes along very, very rarely, so it’s really important to capitalize and not miss the mark.

Shane Wright is struggling so much that he was outright scratched and sent to the press box by the Seattle Kraken in recent games. Ouch!

The 20-year-old forward has totaled:

2 points in 18 games this season (9 career points in the NHL).

Meanwhile, Juraj Slafkovsky already has:

71 career points in the NHL, and he’s recorded 11 points in 16 games this season. He’s far ahead of Wright.

Imagine the panic in Montreal if Shane Wright had been the first overall pick in 2022 and was now being scratched, with just 2 points in 18 games..

As for Logan Cooley, he’s posted:

56 career points in the NHL, and he’s recorded 12 points in 19 games this season. He, too, is far ahead of Wright.

It will be interesting to follow the development of these young players over the coming months. In your opinion, who was the right choice?