Pis, Slafkovsky, or Cooley?

You could criticize him for not being able to carry his line in Suzuki's absence. Fair enough.

But when he was drafted, Slaf saw himself first and foremost as THE ideal complement to Suzuki and Caufield—not necessarily as a powerhouse, though that might come one day—and as he showed us a bit last year on the second line.

During his pre-draft interviews with the Habs, he already knew that the “first line” would need a big guy to create space, and the Habs' management really bought into his pitch.

In their minds, he was the most crucial piece of the puzzle to add for the future, and for them, the future—at that time—was going to start in… 5 years!

Yet, 5 years later, without their big guy, Suzuki and Caufield really wouldn't be nearly as effective.

These three form a true trio.

A big first-line winger… or a top-tier center?

At the end of their evaluation process, I don't think Shane Wright was seriously considered by the Habs' front office, but I believe they still held Logan Cooley in fairly high regard.

Obviously, with L.J. Mooney's cousin on the roster, the Habs would already have their top two centers, but they might not yet have landed a talented, big first-line winger—a rarity in the NHL.

In short, the Habs wouldn't have gone wrong with Cooley… and they didn't go wrong with Slaf either.

If we exclude Slafkovsky's 18-year-old season, their points-per-game averages are actually quite similar:

Slafkovsky: 186 points in 259 games (0.72 ppg)
Cooley: 173 points in 228 games (0.76 ppg)

However, Cooley is more dynamic and explosive offensively than the big Slovak and will likely finish his career with a few more points.

But what matters most to the Canadiens is that after a season with 30 goals and 73 points at age 21, Slafkovsky—if we stop getting “worked up” for two seconds over the few bad games he's played lately—is well on his way to becoming the player his bosses thought they'd drafted.

In that sense, he's ensuring that their “plan” is still holding up very well.

Not at all behind his linemates

At 22, the big #20 is clearly not a perfect player, nor is he a fully matured player. He's still a bit too inconsistent—we can all agree on that.

But not only has he lived up to his draft position, he's also right on par with Caufield and Suzuki at the same age.

Far from it.

And let's not forget that Suzuki and Caufield both didn't make it to the NHL until they were 20, not 18.

Yet Slaf is receiving much harsher media treatment than his linemates did a few years ago.

At ages 21–22, Suzuki was still going through 10–15-game slumps midway through the season and making far more defensive mistakes than his “reputation” as a future Patrice Bergeron would suggest…

In 2021–2022, at age 22—on a lousy team, it must be said—he recorded 61 points in 82 games with a plus-minus of -29.

In 2022–2023, at age 23, he showed slight improvement: 26 goals, 66 points, and a plus-minus of -13.

His “big Super Écran breakthrough” came at age 24—following the arrival of a certain Lane Hutson and a 19-year-old Slaf who had 50 points on his wing—with 33 goals and 77 points, though he still finished at -14.

He then reached his peak at ages 25 and 26 with seasons of 89 and 101 points, respectively, winning a Selke Trophy along the way.

For his part, at age 22, Caufield was already racking up a significant number of goals (28) and points (65). He was also starting to play better defensively (-4). But he wasn't as well-rounded or consistent as he is today. It's also worth noting that he was considered somewhat “immature” off the ice at that time. Cole used to “stay up late”…

It's fair to say that it wasn't until he was 23–24 that Caufield had his first truly great season (37 goals, 70 points, +9), and that it wasn't until he was 24–25 that he had his first breakout season worthy of a superstar: 51 goals, 88 points, +29.

So, even though many were left gasping for breath after Slaf failed to cover Kyle Connor during the Jets' historic comeback last Tuesday—and even though he's being criticized for yet another “slow start to the season”—the Big Guy still has 12 points in 16 games, clearly his best career start statistically speaking.

He had 9 last year after 16 games (6 goals, 3 assists)…

And now, who would be surprised if he finished his 22-year-old season averaging one point per game?

In short, maybe because he was an overall first-round pick, maybe because he's already in his fifth season, maybe because expectations are higher for the team today, or maybe because people tend to be harsher on “big” players than on “small” ones, Slafkovsky has had a slightly tougher time with the media than his linemates did at the same age.

But the facts are hard to ignore.

Just like Slaf, really.