Prospect Info: 2022 - 1st OA] Juraj Slafkovsky (LW) Part 4

[KevSkillz4]

Just a little recap of this forum.

Optimists:
- he should be playing more TOI, let him play top 6 minutes
- he is much better than the crap we have in all our vets excl. Mony
- his potential is 100 points per season

Realists:
- he is doing fine for 18y old rookie
- keeps improving
- needs time to adapt however his awareness starts to be concern

Pesimists:
- he is totally lost without the puck
- the dumbest player on and off the ice
- skillwise Slafkovsky= Dach / 101

I'm really optimist about Slaf and I don't see him put 100 point. But certainly 70-80 points per season, he have high offensive talent with potential to become a really good two-way player.

If he put 80-90 points, that's because his chemistry with Suzuki and Caufield are going to be insane one day.

I'm expect a career like Rick Nash // Andrei Svechnikov for Slafkovsky, I think it's a realistic projection for a 1st overall pick. Nash and Svechnikov are not McDavid type of players, but they are really solid.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Dach's actually more than 3 years older than Slaf. The irony is the same naysaying experts were up in arms all summer that we traded a mid-1st for Dach!

It is somewhat understandable. We've seen the previous GM acquire a guy by trade or as UFA with some question marks in his game and immediately double down and give him a long and big contract that mostly did not age well.

Examples:
Andrew Shaw 4/10?
Jonathan Drouin 2/10?
Josh Anderson 5/10?
Mike Hoffman 3/10?
Karl Alzner 1/10?

Still, we can't be afraid to invest intelligently in guys the pro scouting staff think have real talent and the right attitude to progress. I guess the lesson is we stuck too long with the old talent evaluators, all the way up to the GM, but we are living a new day now!

 

[BaseballCoach]

I'm really optimist about Slaf and I don't see him put 100 point. But certainly 70-80 points per season, he have high offensive talent with potential to become a really good two-way player.

If he put 80-90 points, that's because his chemistry with Suzuki and Caufield are going to be insane one day.

I also could see a combination of Slaf-Dach anchoring a second top line to go with Suzy-Cole-xxx. Depends who we might find for Suzuki's line.

 

[Andy]

Am I reading this right, are people saying that Slaf lacks skill?

He's 18, still adjusting to the smaller ice surface, and I've already seen him dangle defensemen in transition, stick handle in tight spaces along the boards, and make some pretty strong cross ice passes through the narrowist of lanes.

He's not far away from producing at a .5ppg pace as an 18 year old. He's been getting better every game. He has a lot to learn and he has been learning. Folks need to chill a little.

 

[Benstheman]

Yeah I don’t understand people being pessimistic right now. Everybody knew there wasn’t a generational talent in 2022 draft.

He is doing pretty good. He has his warts and it’s normal. He has the work ethic to overcome theses quite rapidly.

If he becomes a regular top 6 forward by the age of 20-21 (ala Dach), that will be pretty good. If he becomes a top line player during his career, that will be pretty good.

He probably won’t become a ppg superstar player but I think with the proper center and system, he will be one of the most important player on the team.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yeah I don’t understand people being pessimistic right now. Everybody knew there wasn’t a generational talent in 2022 draft.

He is doing pretty good. He has his warts and it’s normal. He has the work ethic to overcome theses quite rapidly.

If he becomes a regular top 6 forward by the age of 20-21 (ala Dach), that will be pretty good. If he becomes a top line player during his career, that will be pretty good.

He probably won’t become a ppg superstar player but I think with the proper center and system, he will be one of the most important player on the team.

Agreed. However, it's what we do. We dwell on both highs and lows and we like to play GM and coach and development manager.

I'll get a little more harder on his development track next season when he has one full season and he's one year older at 19 next year. One full season under his belt and a offseason to train and refocus energy into areas he wants to improve.

For now, enjoy the show. He's on a gradual uphill trajectory but it includes a waive of up/down movement from game to game.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Interesting to look at as a whole. Ice time, shifts, PP points, Goals/assists, and Shots.

3 pts in the last 4 games but only 2 shots.

A good season from him is producing more and more the deeper the season gets and closing the production gap on Berniers and others ahead of him for Rookies. Finishing top 5 in production is possible.

 

[417]

Interesting to look at as a whole. Ice time, shifts, PP points, Goals/assists, and Shots.

3 pts in the last 4 games but only 2 shots.

A good season from him is producing more and more the deeper the season gets and closing the production gap on Berniers and others ahead of him for Rookies. Finishing top 5 in production is possible.

I'm not saying this is what you're doing, I realize you're just providing the info.

But we have to stop measuring his development exclusively against production.

Especially given his current role.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

Clean hit if is was the 90's. This was a blind side hit which they are trying to get rid of. Slaf needs to learn how to keep his head up yes but this is a blind side hit. Lets not confuse the two

stop the hit was 100% clean its Slafs job to keep hes head up if he doesnt wanna retire early

 

[Habs Halifax]

stop the hit was 100% clean its Slafs job to keep hes head up if he doesnt wanna retire early

Nope. I think it was a border line blind side hit.

 

[Paddyjack]

Nope. I think it was a border line blind side hit.

It's not blind sided, however I qualify this hit as predatory. It was clean because Schenn did a great job of targetting the chest but any hit that comes from the other side of the net while the player is going around is dangerous. With the net and the goalie blocking the view there is a possibility the player won't see the defender coming. When you look at the replay Schenn was preparing for that hit even before Slaf started in that direction. And Slaf was already battling the puck with another defender so no wonder he did not see him.

 

[Habs Halifax]

It's not blind sided, however I qualify this hit as predatory. It was clean because Schenn did a great job of targetting the chest but any hit that comes from the other side of the net while the player is going around is dangerous. With the net and the goalie blocking the view there is a possibility the player won't see the defender coming. When you look at the replay Schenn was preparing for that hit even before Slaf started in that direction. And Slaf was already battling the puck with another defender so no wonder he did not see him.

Yes, Schenn came from the other side of the net where Slaf was already dealing with another defender from behind the net. Predatory may be the better word of choice and it did come from his blind side.

You see it like I do. Slaf does need to adapt to keeping his head up more yes but that doesn't take away from Schenn coming to hit him from a blind side while Slaf is dealing with another defender. Slaf likely seen it coming in the last moment but it was too late and point of contact does not necessary mean it was not predatory from the blind side.

It was a penalty with no suspension. I'm OK with that. Those who think it was not a blind side hit are saying it should not have been a penalty?

 

[ReHabs]

It's not blind sided, however I qualify this hit as predatory. It was clean because Schenn did a great job of targetting the chest but any hit that comes from the other side of the net while the player is going around is dangerous. With the net and the goalie blocking the view there is a possibility the player won't see the defender coming. When you look at the replay Schenn was preparing for that hit even before Slaf started in that direction. And Slaf was already battling the puck with another defender so no wonder he did not see him.

Was Schenn meant to not hit a puck carrier driving around Schenn's goale's net? Really, is this where you want to take this discussion?

Do you want to propose a rule amendment perhaps? Habs rookies rushed into the NHL are not eligible to be hit. Maybe that'll fix the issue.

Yes, Schenn came from the other side of the net where Slaf was already dealing with another defender from behind the net. Predatory may be the better word of choice and it did come from his blind side.

You see it like I do.

Schenn should've politely waited until Slaf was done his engagement and then offered his hand for a waltz, or perhaps a bolero.

 

[Deebs]

Slaffy's space awareness is low. He's young so hopefully that develops but his head is always down. I expect him to keep getting blasted as the year goes on

 

[Habs Halifax]

Was Schenn meant to not hit a puck carrier driving around Schenn's goale's net? Really, is this where you want to take this discussion?

Do you want to propose a rule amendment perhaps? Habs rookies rushed into the NHL are not eligible to be hit. Maybe that'll fix the issue.


Schenn should've politely waited until Slaf was done his engagement and then offered his hand for a waltz, or perhaps a bolero.

Called a penalty on the ice right? I wonder why? Interference was the call if I remember. Not a clean hit and it came from the blind side while Slaf was dealing with another defender. I agree Slaf needs to learn to keep his head up more but I don't agree that it was a clean hit.

Slaffy's space awareness is low. He's young so hopefully that develops but his head is always down. I expect him to keep getting blasted as the year goes on

He's a big player that is use to playing against players smaller than him and also on a bigger ice surface in Europe.

Combine his size, smaller ice, and NHL men and what you see is what you get. NHL players like Schenn will hit him more than others IMO. I have confidence he is smart enough to adjust over time.

 

[Paddyjack]

Was Schenn meant to not hit a puck carrier driving around Schenn's goale's net? Really, is this where you want to take this discussion?

Do you want to propose a rule amendment perhaps? Habs rookies rushed into the NHL are not eligible to be hit. Maybe that'll fix the issue.


Schenn should've politely waited until Slaf was done his engagement and then offered his hand for a waltz, or perhaps a bolero.

Just out of curiosity, what was your take on Scheiffle hit on Evans? Puck carrier going around the goal, player trying to prevent an empty net goal.... perfect!

 

[Adam Michaels]

Slaf has 5 pts in his last 10 games, with 3 pts in his last 4 games.

He's now on pace for 30 pts in 77 GP.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Just out of curiosity, what was your take on Scheiffle hit on Evans? Puck carrier going around the goal, player trying to prevent an empty net goal.... perfect!

Probably thinks it was a clean hit cause he got him in the chest. Totally ignoring things like charging and interference cause it's zoomed in on where he hit him type focus. .

It's not the 90's anymore

 

[Habs Halifax]

Slaf has 5 pts in his last 10 games, with 3 pts in his last 4 games.

He's now on pace for 30 pts in 77 GP.

I think it's possible for him to finish around .5 pts/game at this stage. It's clearly looking like a small gradual uphill trajectory with up/down movement depending on the game.

30-40 pts and 15 goals would be a good season but yeah, the true evaluation is not just about points. Ability to carry the puck, manage the puck, and gel with other line-mates, as well as keeping his head up is important areas.

50% corsi for with pretty close to 50/50 zone starts at the moment. I really like how MSL is managing him.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I think it's possible for him to finish around .5 pts/game at this stage. It's clearly looking like a small gradual uphill trajectory with up/down movement depending on the game.

30-40 pts and 15 goals would be a good season but yeah, the true evaluation is not just about points. Ability to carry the puck, manage the puck, and gel with other line-mates, as well as keeping his head up is important areas.

50% corsi for with pretty close to 50/50 zone starts at the moment. I really like how MSL is managing him.

100% agreed. It's not just about the points.

I noticed that he wins board battles more often now than he did before. Many times, he goes in the corner and is the one coming out with the puck. 21 games into his NHL career and he's already improved in that area.

 

[ReHabs]

Just out of curiosity, what was your take on Scheiffle hit on Evans? Puck carrier going around the goal, player trying to prevent an empty net goal.... perfect!

It was a late hit and a dirty one and a charge I believe.

Go on and blame everything and everyone for Slaf’s setbacks, shortcomings, and struggles. That is surely the right path forward for his development.

It’s not like we can all root for his success while being allowed to be critical of how he’s coming along. He could’ve easily gotten injured last night and then all of you would’ve said that it was a filthy predatory hit and there was nothing wrong with rushing Slaf to the NHL. I know - it’s typical Habs fans. The Habs organization is never wrong.

 

[Andy]

Slaffy's space awareness is low. He's young so hopefully that develops but his head is always down. I expect him to keep getting blasted as the year goes on

I'm not sure I agree with this.

He's shown a good understanding of the ice, open areas, and the ability to recognize space to make plays.

It's very common for rookies to get rocked as they are not used to the speed of the nhl and take things for granted. Getting rocked as an 18 year old =/= lack of spatial awareness.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Am I reading this right, are people saying that Slaf lacks skill?

He's 18, still adjusting to the smaller ice surface, and I've already seen him dangle defensemen in transition, stick handle in tight spaces along the boards, and make some pretty strong cross ice passes through the narrowist of lanes.

He's not far away from producing at a .5ppg pace as an 18 year old. He's been getting better every game. He has a lot to learn and he has been learning. Folks need to chill a little.

I remain concerned about his lack of ice and ability to keep his head up. Apart from that he’s looked pretty good. I’m cautiously optimistic but I still think he should have spent a year in the minors.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

He’s doing pretty good all things considered.

You see he has the potential to be the best player on the team in 5 years.

Patience people.

 

[Andy]

I remain concerned about his lack of ice and ability to keep his head up. Apart from that he’s looked pretty good. I’m cautiously optimistic but I still think he should have spent a year in the minors.

LG, we've been watching rookies in the line up for a while. It's not abnormal that 18 years get rocked on more than one occassion while they learn the speed of the game.