Prospect Info: [2022 - 1st OA] Juraj Slafkovsky (LW) Part 2

[Estimated_Prophet]

The most interesting thing is the fans’ reaction to Slafkovsky. Every time he touches the puck you can hear their excitement and anticipation. When’s the last time we had a player like that? Kovalev? Richer? This kid has enormous potential. Will he achieve it? That’s the question. But I always go with players with the highest upside. They’re the ones that win you championships.

Try 2020 with Ilya Kovalchuk.....

Kovalev, Subban and early Koivu are other obvious examples and an argument could be made for Radulov even though it was more cycle based than rush based.

I would also argue that the Slafkovsky reaction has more to do with being a #1 overall selection than anything that he has done on the ice as of yet. With this in mind it isn't fair to even ask "when's the last time we had a player like that?" as he has not shown what kind of player he even is at this level yet.

Fans need to slow the hyperbole train down as well as the hyper critical narrative. We knew this was going to take time and time is what we should accept before jumping to any conclusions or hyperbolic predictions.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Well, at least three teams disagreed with your assessment of Wright’s relative upside.

The selections that these teams made isn't necessarily based on upside in a purely hockey focused lens. There were clearly off ice questions that these teams did not feel comfortable with and that Shane was either unable to quell or exasperated during interviews and background research.

We should really just stop comparing the two for now as the choice to select Slafkovsky was clearly about alot more than we can ascertain by watching hockey games and will always be subject to wildly subjective speculation. Perhaps in 5 years we will know if we made the right choice but for now there are just too many possible developmental scenarios to try and navigate through.

All Hab fans should be pulling for Juraj to be great regardless of what Shane does or does not do.

 

[SnapVirus]

I really hope he'll become one of the greatest of all times who wore the Habs Jersey.

But I have difficulties finding him high end qualities. I dont believe he'll be more than a 50-60pts winger. Its not bad, its good. But nothing to be "crazy" about. I dont believe he will ever be a PPG player or a superstar.

He's not NHL ready and should go back in junior (OHL) or Ahl to work on his game. I hope I'm wrong and he becomes a 80pts winger with size and attitude ala Tkachuk.

 

[SlafySZN]

I really hope he'll become one of the greatest of all times who wore the Habs Jersey.

But I have difficulties finding him high end qualities. I dont believe he'll be more than a 50-60pts winger. Its not bad, its good. But nothing to be "crazy" about. I dont believe he will ever be a PPG player or a superstar.

He's not NHL ready and should go back in junior (OHL) or Ahl to work on his game. I hope I'm wrong and he becomes a 80pts winger with size and attitude ala Tkachuk.

Depends on who surround’s him im a few years. He won’t do 80 points + by himself. I don’t think Rantanen would be the same stats wise without having those Avs players around him.

 

[HuGort]

Oh boy, is he raw. I think first line minutes in Laval better than bottom 6 in Montreal. Keep his rights a year longer and use the roster spot to grab waiver claim. A few former first round picks I have a hunch teams may try to slide through. Slaf not ready. Habs wouldn't get much out of him anyway until mid season and he will face untold pressure everyday in Montreal.

 

[Gainesvillain]

Not seeing any reason to believe Slaf will be dominant this year in the AHL let alone NHL.

Send him to the OHL and pray that he lights up that league offensively, 'cause I'm not so sure he's even capable of that.

 

[morhilane]

Oh boy, is he raw. I think first line minutes in Laval better than bottom 6 in Montreal. Keep his rights a year longer and use the roster spot to grab waiver claim. A few former first round picks I have a hunch teams may try to slide through. Slaf not ready. Habs wouldn't get much out of him anyway until mid season and he will face untold pressure everyday in Montreal.

There is no roster spot for Slaf or any prospects or waiver claims for forwards. Habs have to trade/waive two forwards by October 6th.

 

[RealityHurts]

Darn.. If he can't even score in prospect challenges and pre-season, it's not looking good. The competition will only get tougher with NHL competition as the gap given by d-men at NHL level tightens.

I sure hope it's only because his linemates suck.

I'm not raising the panic button just yet and won't for a while, but it's really not a good look for a 1st OA. Seems lost at times too

 

[le_sean]

Depends on who surround’s him im a few years. He won’t do 80 points + by himself. I don’t think Rantanen would be the same stats wise without having those Avs players around him.

MacKinnon didn’t breakout offensive until Rantanen was a full time player. He might not be “Art Ross” good away from the Avs, but he’s one heck of a player.

 

[Matthew McConaughay]

Wasn't impress with Slaf tonight.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Draisaitl looked slow as molasse and a bust in his first season in the NHL. What you see now is not the final product, he is still learning.

 

[TheYardMachine]

He needs to play a lot of minutes in all situations to adapt and develop his tools.

Please dont keep him on a 4th line and feed him with icetime in the ahl

 

[Whitesnake]

I don't know why people keep saying...FOR A 1ST OVERALL. Years are different. Yakupov was the consensus 1st overall. So was Crosby. You don't see how years can be different???? You really need more proofs?

He wasn't my pick. I always hate when teams uses small tournaments to form an opinoin on a player. But we did. And frankly, in the end, so be it 'cause I don't believe we missed a generational player. But It will take more time. And he will need to be surrounded heavily.

 

[FF de Mars]

It's good news, management would have been forced to give him a spot on the team had he excelled. Now they have a good reason to send him down, where he can develop properly. Much better than Slaf acing preseason, making the team and dissapearing during the season ala Latendresse.

 

[Bombshell11]

There is no roster spot for Slaf or any prospects or waiver claims for forwards. Habs have to trade/waive two forwards by October 6th.

Wrong MSL said they will have at least one junior play in the NHL this year

 

[Skip Bayless]

I think he needs to go back to Finland where he can develop his game with less attention put onto him.

 

[Mrb1p]

Draisaitl looked slow as molasse and a bust in his first season in the NHL. What you see now is not the final product, he is still learning.

Drasaitl was a 4th overall pick, theres a pretty big discrepancy in value between a 1oa and a 4oa, no matter what year you think about.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Needs to earn a spot on the Habs and not gifted one. Should be in the AHL this season.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Drasaitl was a 4th overall pick, theres a pretty big discrepancy in value between a 1oa and a 4oa, no matter what year you think about.

I disagree. This is all media/hype nothing to do with the only important thing: The final product. I could not care if a player is drafted 10th overall or 1st overall what is important is that he eventually become a key player for us.

And for the record Draisaitl was 3rd overall.

 

[Mrb1p]

I don't know why people keep saying...FOR A 1ST OVERALL. Years are different. Yakupov was the consensus 1st overall. So was Crosby. You don't see how years can be different???? You really need more proofs?

He wasn't my pick. I always hate when teams uses small tournaments to form an opinoin on a player. But we did. And frankly, in the end, so be it 'cause I don't believe we missed a generational player. But It will take more time. And he will need to be surrounded heavily.

1. It sucks that the first first overall the Habs get in 40 years is probably in the bottom 10 of all those drafts.
2. The first overall selection still holds the most value in a draft, there was no point in selecting him first, trade down if you wanted him.
3. He sucks for a top 15 pick so far.
4. Yakupov looked good in his first year.

 

[BergevinBurner]

On the bright side, if he plays in Laval this season then he can start building some chemistry with Mesar.

 

[Mrb1p]

I disagree. This is all media/hype nothing to do with the only important thing: The final product. I could not care if a player is drafted 10th overall or 1st overall what is important is that he eventually become a key player for us.

Key player, sure. Personally Id hope hes the best player in his draft but I guess with the last few decades of development a key player is progress...

 

[Legend123]

Slafkovsky SUCKS!!!

we should have drafted Mesar with the 1OA pick and then MAYBE draft Slaf with 26 if hes still there!

 

[stanley25]

Slaf did not look good tonight, apart from his obvious need to improve his skating. What really stood out to me is his lack of positioning, seemed like everytime he went one way the puck went another and he had a very hard time getting to open areas. Really not good for a 1st overall as skating is fixable IQ is not.

I hope he goes back to Finland because doesn't even seem ready for the AHL at this moment. Hope he proves me wrong in the next few games tho.

Imo. Nemec becomes the best player of the 22 draft, I would have taken him at 1st.

 

[hardcorehabs]

Fluke Olympics against ECHL level goaltending where everything that he threw at the net went in. It really f***ed us, as Bobrov and Gorton couldn’t resist.

Was shocked we didn’t pick Wright. Time will tell but Slaf doesn’t even look like a Top 5 pick, nevermind 1OV.