Bob Hartley issues an important warning to the Canadiens regarding Juraj Slafkovsky

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Jeff Drouin
September 1, 2022 (4:31 PM)

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Increasingly present in the media to the delight of his fans, the excellent Bob Hartley has just issued an important warning to the Montreal Canadiens concerning young Juraj Slafkovsky.

On BPM Sports during his appearance on Jean-Charles Lajoie's mic, Hartley warned CH officials that he doesn't think they should make a decision for the young Slovak.

It is Slafkovsky who must force their hand, not the other way around. Hartley even gives an example to support his words:

"We will spy on Slafkovsky, of all his every move, advances the former coach. I have already counted the history of Sven Baertschi. We knew we were going to lose (Jarome) Iginla and (Miikka) Kiprusoff. And then, even before the first day of camp, to take the pressure off him and to give him confidence, we told the kid, "Get an apartment. You start the season with the Flames, you're a Flames." But he wasn't ready!"

"It's not up to the organization to decide what Slafkovsky is going to do, it's the kid that's going to dictate to them if he's ready and then we make the findings."

- Bob Hartley

The former coach even adds that he hopes to have the chance to apologize, one day, to Baertschi. He truly feels that this decision has greatly hurt the youngster.

Rushing a kid who doesn't prove he's 100 percent ready, especially during a rebuild, is never a good idea.

So Hartley's advice to Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton and Martin St. Louis is to simply let things go, watch Slafkovsky closely in training camp, let him prove he's NHL ready before making their decision.

The CH needs to take their time with a young first overall pick like Slafkovsky, even if he already has the physicality for the job. It wouldn't be a disaster if he played a few months with the Laval Rocket.

Do you agree?

Credit: GoHabsGo.com

Source and full review by Bob Hartley: BPM Sports