CGY doesn’t consider. They’re gonna want Holtz also. All the other trades are bad for Devils

Alright so I'll preface this by saying that all this talk around the Habs possibly taking Slaf first is just not going to happen. They will almost certainly take Wright. Yes I know, I saw McKenzie's final rankings but just 3 years ago he barely had Hughes over Kakko in his final rankings too. End of the day Jersey was 100% taking the center. The same thing will happen here, Montreal has had center issues since prime Plekanec, and event then they were only just fine. Suzuki has been good but you can't run just 1 top 6 center, they need someone else and waiting a year to potentially loose the lottery and not get Bedard is not a good bet. Slafkovski can provide a decent replacement for Josh Anderson if moved but so can someone like Morgan Geekie. It's also important to account for the the playstyle and strengths of each player. Slaf has a more physical power forward type game whereas Wright is a much better skater and much more well rounded. I think the Skating plays a big part here, Suzuki is a fairly small is below average skater but has great hockey IQ. Wright provides them with a fast and smart 1-2 punch down the middle and even though Slaf is bigger Wright is still a respectable 6'1.

Now for the trades:
- Calgary definitely declines, Wright is very tempting but another big piece would need to be added
- I think Arizona is very content with Logan Cooley, he isn't joining the team right away and instead going to play in NCAA for 2 years. This gives them more time to do a proper rebuild as bringing in a star player early on can often give your team a boost in the standings
- Last 2 trades are just bad deals, Driedger is going to miss nearly the entire season due to injury and Tippet should not be the gap between 5 and 2. You are looking more at someone like Laine for that

PHI accepts that, and would gladly throw in JVR

In 2019, Hughes was the wire-to-wire, unanimous #1 pick. There was never really any doubt. Yes, Kakko closed the gap...but it was always Hughes #1, Kakko #2.

In 2022, Wright has been passed by Slafkovsky on a number of lists (McKenzie, Pronman, Hockey Prospect) and by Cooley on a couple of lists. Its probably more like 60/40 that MTL takes Wright. Some reporters (like Renauld Lavoie) have even gone so far as to say Slafkovsky is the more likely MTL pick.

For a historical comp, 2022 is probably more like 2017 when Hischier passed Nolan Patrick late.

Or maybe 2011 when most people had RNH #1, but there were plenty that had others at #1 (Larsson, Landeskog, Couturier early on).

I think Montreal takes Wright...BUT, since 2009, every player Bob McKenzie has had #1 is his final rankings ended being drafted #1 as well. That's 13 years in a row and it could be more, i just didnt search prior to '09.