Filip Mesar: Where Others Have Succeeded, He May Stumble

Deep breath!

Don’t even get me started on the Habs’ history of late first-round picks. I’ve got David Wilkie-level trauma every time the Canadiens select past 15th overall. And like many of you, I still carry a healthy dose of hope for Michael Hage, this year’s pick. The photos of him in his Michigan jersey stirred fond memories of watching Mike Komisarek begin his collegiate journey. I can only hope Hage emerges from this phase more accomplished and mature than he already seems, avoiding the fate of Danny Kristo’s frostbitten toes (I know, I know—he was a second-rounder, I’ll give you that one, Trevor).

Late-round picks haven’t exactly been the Canadiens’ strong suit, but this season, all eyes are on Filip Mesar. The 26th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Mesar, a Slovakian forward, ended last season under a bit of controversy. He hinted that his struggles were partly due to his teammates not being able to keep up with him.

Oh Boy …

Mesar is a mercurial talent—some compare him to the Canes’ star forward Seth Jarvis (Alex Chauvancy from The Hockey Writers has a solid write-up on him)—but he’s become something of an enigma. His comments stand in stark contrast to the culture of self-accountability that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have emphasized during their tenure with the Canadiens. Imagine Martin St. Louis accepting excuses like that.

I’ve dug into what Slovakian hockey fans and reporters are saying about Mesar’s upcoming season, and the consensus is clear: Mesar needs a wake-up call. He seems frustrated that another Slovakian winger on the Habs is receiving most of the attention. It reminds me of players like Rutger McGroarty, where a player’s vision for himself doesn’t always align with the path the organization sees for him.

Mesar seems Laval-bound this season, and it’s clear that for some in the Habs’ brass, the 200-foot game fellow 2022 draftee Owen Beck brings is a surer bet for an NHL call-up than anything Mesar currently offers. Throw in the arrival of gritty forwards like Florian Xhekaj in Laval, and Mesar’s path to the Bell Centre down the 440, by 2024-25 seems increasingly cluttered.

Until then, my advice to Mesar is to take a good, hard look at Joshua Roy. Roy, once an afterthought due to a turbulent junior career, has found his mindset with the Habs and Laval. Only time will tell if Mesar can learn those same lessons.