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Filip Mesar still thinks he could be effective in a line with Juraj Slafkovsky

 Emily Smith
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Filip Mesar still thinks he could be effective in a line with Juraj Slafkovsky
Credit: Getty Images
When the Montreal Canadiens drafted Filip Mesar late in the first round of the 2022 draft, the general reaction from fans and analysts was positive.

The Habs had acquired a talented young player with a proven track record in the men’s game in Slovakia, while adding one of the best friends of their first overall pick, Juraj Slafkovsky.

Obviously, at the time, we could all see a future in which the two good friends would play on the same line.

However, here we are a little over two years later, and that possibility seems to have completely disappeared, given the difficulties Mesar has experienced since being drafted.

The young Slovakian didn’t break anything in junior with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, which is pretty disappointing for a young player who played against men in Slovakia.

In short, given Mesar’s difficult development, the idea of one day seeing him play on the same line as his compatriot Juraj Slafkosky no longer seemed very realistic.

However, Filip Mesar, the main man involved, said yesterday that he still believes that one day he could be effective on a line with his good friend Juraj.

In short, unlike Habs fans and analysts, the 20-year-old Slovak still seems to believe in the possibility of playing with his compatriot in the NHL one day.

It’s good to see that despite the last two difficult seasons, Mesar hasn’t totally lost his confidence.

He’s lost a lot of feathers in the eyes of Habs fans since he was drafted, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to believe in himself and his abilities.

It’s audacious of him to continue to believe that he’ll one day play with Slafkovsky, and especially that he’ll be effective on a line with the Habs’ number 20.

Of course, when you really think about it, the chances of seeing Mesar on Slaf’s line in the next few years are very low, if not virtually non-existent, given the number of talented players already ahead of Mesar on the organizational chart.

But in itself, while Mesar certainly won’t tamp down Nick Suzuki or Cole Caufield, it’s clear that Mesar’s style of play could be interesting and effective alongside Slaf.

In short, I like to see Mesar in a confident frame of mind right now, especially considering that this will be a very big season for him this year, when he’ll most likely be playing with the Laval Rocket.

He’s having a good camp so far, and he’ll really have to find a way to stand out in Laval to get top-6 time under Pascals Vincent.

The young Slovak will be one to watch.


Overtime

– Good news as far as Habs prospects are concerned.

– It’s understandable.

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