It is a shock wave that rocked Quebec hockey on Friday evening.
Live on TVA Sports, Antoine Roussel launched what could become the most explosive rumor of summer: to get their hands on a real monster in the center, a giant like Tage Thompson, the Montreal Canadian will have to sacrifice Juraj Slafkovsky.
And suddenly, her summer has become darker. The shadow of Buffalo, she spread over the future of the young attacker.
“There is something that always brought me back to Buffalo. Something that I really like, which is about 6 and 6, then there is a beautiful 230 pounds … it would do my business, “launched Roussel, a smirk, but very serious in intention.
The message is clear: Tagus Thompson is the dream target for CH. A 6 -foot 6 -inch colossus, capable of scoring 40 goals, to dominate physically, to play in the center or to the wing, and above all, to perfectly complete an explosive duo with Ivan Demidov.
The kind of room that Kent Hughes absolutely wants to add to his puzzle.
But at what price?
“You would have to get rid of a young man … and listen … It would probably be Slafkovsky. »»
Boom.
Slafkovsky against Thompson. Monster for monster.
A sentence that strikes hard. A transaction that seems unthinkable at first glance, but which takes on its full meaning when you look at the whole portrait.
Slafkovsky has certainly experienced an progression this season. He had a good end of regular calendar. But he still hasn’t found his identity.
This is the brutal observation of Roussel:
“He tries, he would like that, but it’s one thing to do it for one or two games … It’s another to do it for 82 games. »»
This vague identity around Slaf is worrying. At his age, Tage Thompson was still lost in Saint-Louis. But since his explosion in Buffalo, he has become a safe bet. Solid land. A real number 1 center which has just scored 44 goals and amassed 72 points in 76 games after having raised 29, 47 and 38 goals in the previous three seasons.
Can we say so much Slafkovsky, even after two years?
“I still walk patience, but all the options are on the table,” said Roussel.
And there lies the real bomb.
Because this declaration, it comes from Chicoutimi, but it resonates to Buffalo. She sends a clear signal to the League: the Canadian is ready to do anything to move forward. Even to exchange the one that we still nicknamed a year ago “our Tkachuk to us”.
Except that Slafkovsky, it’s not Tkachuk. And it’s not Thompson either.
In fact, it may be a bit of all that … or none of that. And this is the problem. It is still under construction, while Tage Thompson is already a reinforced concrete tower.
A player who, despite a slightly sawing of saw, keeps a constant production, a lightning shot, a superior Hockey.
And above all, a contract already signed in the long term at $ 7.14 million per year until 2030. For a player of this caliber, it is a boon.
Cheaper … than Juraj Slafovsky and its $ 7.6 million …
But the sabers have no time to waste. They want to win now. And they want a monster in return. Slafkovsky checks all the boxes. Young, first choice in total, immense potential … and an international aura.
But does this potential want it? Does he have sacred fire?
Because in such a large, risky transaction, it is motivation that tips the scales. And in Buffalo, we are too used to being robbed. This is why we want Slafkovsky at least in a transaction for Thompson.
Buffalo is the hopes cemetery that bounce elsewhere. It is the city where great talents are lost. Where dreams become monotonous. Where smiles fade in endless winters. Slafkovsky would do nightmares in Buffalo.
And yet, that may be the price to pay to win.
Tage Thompson in Montreal, it’s a symbol. It’s anti-Slafkovsky. Less smiling, more mean. Less arrogant, more sharp. A player who alone could transform the top 6 of CH into a nightmare for the opposing defenses.
“Do you want to go ahead?” You have to hire players who are good right away, ”decided Roussel.
And he is not wrong.
CH has no time to waste. With Suzuki, Demidov, Hutson, Guhle, Caufield, Reinbacher if his knee holds, the window begins to open.
Tage Thompson can be this player.
But the question is cruel, brutal, and it is not unanimous: Slafkovsky is worth waiting? Or is it better to strike now?
Antoine Roussel opened the Pandora’s box. At Kent Hughes to decide.
And to Juraj Slafkovsky to sleep on it… if it gets there. Because the nights in Buffalo are long, cold, and sometimes very, very silent.
