Canadiens Top Prospect Reveals That Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton Screwed Him Over: a Promise Made to Filip Mesar Last Year Has Been Broken, but Luckily Everything Worked Out for the Best

The Montreal Canadiens' management reportedly acted behind the 19-year-old's back by sending him to the OHL instead of keeping him in Laval.

From the Slovak forward himself:

However, following his first reassignment in October 2022, things did not go as planned.

Mesar had a very difficult time adapting offensively. He failed to establish himself in his post-draft year, being limited to 51 points in 52 games, including only 17 goals. For a player whose offensive prowess is touted, this was a performance far below expectations.

Even Kent Hughes, at the time of sending him to juniors, had mentioned that the expectation was for him to dominate there, even daring to put a number on a potential output, with a season of around 80 points. Ultimately, they fell well short of that mark.

A year later, following a disappointing training camp in Montreal, but also in Laval, the CH decided that the plan and promises made to Mesar were no longer valid, and they sent him back to the minors again.

The Tricolore decided to rethink their strategy for the benefit of the promising prospect's development, it should be noted.

A decision that seems extremely profitable so far, as Mesar is on fire with the Kitchener Rangers. In 14 games, he has already tallied 10 goals and 25 points.

The Canadiens' first-round pick in 2022 asserts that he was not affected by his reassignment, using it instead as motivation.

He even reveals the aspect of his game that he must absolutely work on there to progress and establish himself at the next level.

In addition to being an important cog for his team, which is one of the strongest in the league, Mesar will also have the opportunity to play a leading role at the upcoming World Junior Championship with Slovakia, which will take place in a few weeks.

It will be very interesting to analyze his progression with the best young players of his age, especially since the Slovak team is expected to be surprising again this year.