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

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Play him with good players.

Still wouldn't really leave him up. Let him go dummy the A

 

[Kennerback]

I think he would progress much more with Monahan and Anderson than Richard and Ylonen playing against Dauphin and trying to beat Fucale and Tokarski.

The AHL game is much slower, mediocre NHL skaters look like they’re flying in the AHL. Slaf would have too much time to react to plays and would still need to adjust when coming back. Laval is playing at a historically bad level. I don’t know the point unless they cut his minutes deeper in the NHL.

 

[CHfan1]

He wasn’t too good for Liiga so the obvious first choice would’ve been to send him back there to finish learning how to play pro hockey.

Rushing him to the NHL was never going to help develop his playmaking ability if he wasn’t going to get the necessary ice time.

It’s better to have him in North America, imo, developing his game with the Habs organization on the smaller ice. Learning from coaches like MSL.

He’s not getting the ice time right now and his linemates are not very good but his game has gotten better game by game, which is, obviously, a positive sign.

 

[ReHabs]

Liiga was destroyed by Kappo Kakko at 17 years old. Now four years later he can’t buy a point playing on the #1 line with Zibanejad and Kreider. It’s a different game , it values different abilities. That ship has sailed.

That’s true, it is a different game. But Slaf hadn’t destroyed Liiga so it’s impossible to say he would’ve been too good to go back. He wasn’t particularly good in rookie or training camp and hasn’t been particularly good so far in the NHL either.

He’s supposed to be the world’s most promising player of his age cohort and he can’t get top6 minutes on a tanking Habs. This is not his niveau and it doesn’t look like he is developing his game or improving what he needs to improve IE he’s been rushed.

At this point he needs more ice time no matter what.

 

[BaseballCoach]

The AHL game is much slower, mediocre NHL skaters look like they’re flying in the AHL. Slaf would have too much time to react to plays and would still need to adjust when coming back. Laval is playing at a historically bad level. I don’t know the point unless they cut his minutes deeper in the NHL.

He's getting some PP time at least.

 

[ReHabs]

It’s better to have him in North America, imo, developing his game with the Habs organization on the smaller ice. Learning from coaches like MSL.

He’s not getting the ice time right now and his linemates are not very good but his game has gotten better game by game, which is, obviously, a positive sign.

He’s adapting to NHL speeds but is he not improving the most important aspect of his game — playmaking. It’s like we’re trying to develop a Bottom6er right now, instead of doing everything possible to make him a serious first line driver.

 

[BaseballCoach]

He’s adapting to NHL speeds but is he not improving the most important aspect of his game — playmaking. It’s like we’re trying to develop a Bottom6er right now, instead of doing everything possible to make him a serious first line driver.

Not much opportunity to make plays for Pezzetta and Evans this year. He will develop some of that on the PP, and more when he graduates to a middle six line.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Or you're just a boring broken record playing the victim card.

Or he’s speaking the truth and the usual cheer leaders don’t know how to deal with it. I’m thinking this is more likely.

 

[Sorinth]

I'm generally ok with the slow approach however my expectation is that more responsibility gets added as time passes. We saw that already with him starting with no PP time and now getting fairly regular 2nd wave minutes but we are getting to the point where we need to see that next increase in role/ice time. Although I'd love to see him given an extended time alongside Monahan, if he simply gets 3rd line minutes that would be good enough for now, with an expected bump again later in the season when we sell or finally stop giving good minutes to bad vets.

Although there's some merit to the criticism that we are doing the same as we did in the past where we brought guys in and played them on the 4th line, I'm pretty confident things are different. Our issues with Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi weren't that they came in at 18 and played on the 3rd line as rookies, it's that as the season went on, and in the next season they weren't really given a chance to be more. It's that stagnation of ice time/responsibility that was the problem. We do need to avoid that with Slaf, but at 20 games in it's still early to say that it is going to be a problem, it is something we need to watch for over the next 20 because if 40 games in he's still getting 10-11 minutes on the 4th line that's starting to be a problem.

 

[Kennerback]

That’s true, it is a different game. But Slaf hadn’t destroyed Liiga so it’s impossible to say he would’ve been too good to go back. He wasn’t particularly good in rookie or training camp and hasn’t been particularly good so far in the NHL either.

He’s supposed to be the world’s most promising player of his age cohort and he can’t get top6 minutes on a tanking Habs. This is not his niveau and it doesn’t look like he is developing his game or improving what he needs to improve IE he’s been rushed.

At this point he needs more ice time no matter what.

Can’t get Top-6 minutes? We’re obviously not dealing with a pure meritocracy when comparing Dadonov, Armia and Slaf’s production. There’s something else at play.

 

[admiralcadillac]

There are no anti-Slaf posters, but the handling of him has been abysmal, but because it’s Marty we act like it’s sone mast plan. There is no good reason to play him ~10 mins in the prime development years. It’s what you’d expect you from Dinosaurs like Therrien and Julien, if they were doing it, we’d be all over them.

At this stage in Slaf’s development, playing is the most important thing. He should be thrown ice time at every opportunity. Never should he be playing 10 mins a night, there is literally no upside to this approach. None.

Are you referring to the game where he left and didn’t play after getting hit? That would explain the ice time no?

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Are you referring to the game where he left and didn’t play after getting hit? That would explain the ice time no?

I’m referring to the entire season.

 

[CHfan1]

Looking at his ice time they are playing him more at home when they have last change. At home he’s playing 11:48 minutes per game, on the road it’s a minute and a half less at 10:18 minutes.

 

[rve24]

He’s adapting to NHL speeds but is he not improving the most important aspect of his game — playmaking. It’s like we’re trying to develop a Bottom6er right now, instead of doing everything possible to make him a serious first line driver.

It's been 2 months, give it time.
Saying he hasn't improved your percieved most important aspect of his future game.....Look at linemates n situations, and the fact all knew it was a project n not a finished project.
If he puts in the work, has the oassion n competitiveness to improve he can do it with the big club.
Dropping to a lower league can also stiffle development

 

[rahad]

The AHL game is much slower, mediocre NHL skaters look like they’re flying in the AHL. Slaf would have too much time to react to plays and would still need to adjust when coming back. Laval is playing at a historically bad level. I don’t know the point unless they cut his minutes deeper in the NHL.

I just saw the standing... Ouff. They are at the bottom 5 right now.

Crazy that both of Boston team (NHL and AHL) are in the top 5. Yet our AHL is in the bottom.

TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League

theahl.com

 

[calder candidate]

Looking at his ice time they are playing him more at home when they have last change. At home he’s playing 11:48 minutes per game, on the road it’s a minute and a half less at 10:18 minutes.

Playing at home might help but also that the only game where he played over 12min (14min) were at home and most of that time was garbage in 6-2 win or 7-2 loss…
He is playing 10min a game, there no way it can be the optimal for anyone in any circumstances…

 

[Habs]

at least he doesn't have a hockey card collection put out in his name, like old lemon head Lafreniere. Didn't they learn anything from Daigle?

 

[MarkovsKnee]

That Dickerson hit was more than suspect…

It was an elbow. Slafkovsky will have to learn to protect himself, and start dishing it. He's taken some cheap shots and big hits. Team is standing up for him though.

Xhekaj was looking to kill Dickerson. Lmao

 

[MarkovsKnee]

So were shrugging off concussions now? It can literally ruin a player. 2nd or 3rd dangerous hit hes taken in not even 20 games. Hes too green.

I mean we sent KK to AHL. 10 games later he takes a huge, dirty hit that injures his spleen. He's out rest of season. AHL is hardly safer. He'd still be a target, and a big one at that.

Plus, the coach sucks & the team sucks.

I'd rather him up here coached by MSL and in daily contact with our development team.

 

[Chr1s97]

Maybe I’m wrong, but I dont understand why everybody’s mad that an 18yrs old rookie, playing for the “first time” on a nhl rink size is playing around 10min a game on the bottom 6…. He still have alot to learn, I trust MSL & I dont think that his place is on the top 6, getting the 1st pp playing 16-18 min per game & playing against shutdown line…. he’ll get there eventually….

 

[26Mats]

Maybe I’m wrong, but I dont understand why everybody’s mad that an 18yrs old rookie, playing for the “first time” on a nhl rink size is playing around 10min a game on the bottom 6…. He still have alot to learn, I trust MSL & I dont think that his place is on the top 6, getting the 1st pp playing 16-18 min per game & playing against shutdown line…. he’ll get there eventually….

Yes I still like MSL. But I think Slaf would benefit from playing with Monahan, and Monahan would benefit from playing with him. The Pez-Slaf opposite wings duo doesn't work well, imo.

I like Pez. But with Slaf on the 4th line, I'd rather see Pitlick - Evans - Slaf.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yes I still like MSL. But I think Slaf would benefit from playing with Monahan, and Monahan would benefit from playing with him. The Pez-Slaf opposite wings duo doesn't work well, imo.

I like Pez. But with Slaf on the 4th line, I'd rather see Pitlick - Evans - Slaf.

If we're going to keep him up, I'd play him on the 2nd with Monahan as well. Honestly, apart from the first line there's no more important player on our club for the future than Slaf. Spend the time developing him now.

I don't understand the usage. If you're not going to play him, send him down. This one's a head scratcher for me. I love what MSL has done so far but I'm not thrilled with what we're doing with Slaf. I get that they may not want him to be burdened with too much responsibility but if they're that worried about it, why not just send him down?

 

[salbutera]

There are no anti-Slaf posters, but the handling of him has been abysmal, but because it’s Marty we act like it’s sone mast plan. There is no good reason to play him ~10 mins in the prime development years. It’s what you’d expect you from Dinosaurs like Therrien and Julien, if they were doing it, we’d be all over them.

At this stage in Slaf’s development, playing is the most important thing. He should be thrown ice time at every opportunity. Never should he be playing 10 mins a night, there is literally no upside to this approach. None.

It’s 20GP into his rookie “prime development years”. An NHL season is a marathon not a sprint, intensity is going to really start ramping up over next few weeks. Slaf is already starting to get blindsided with hits he isn’t expecting, the org can’t irresponsibly increase probability of injury just so their crown jewel gets TOI.

Slaf will slowly be brought along this season, if Habs are out of it & purge at deadline, he’ll likely see significant jump in post deadline TOI, otherwise it’ll be a continuous ramp up till seasons end

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

He wasn’t too good for Liiga so the obvious first choice would’ve been to send him back there to finish learning how to play pro hockey.

Rushing him to the NHL was never going to help develop his playmaking ability if he wasn’t going to get the necessary ice time.

It's pointless to argue. I never liked the pick to begin with when it happened , I said back then they better play him in the AHL and not pull another KK or Galchy and yet another dissapointment from Hugues to let him rot on a 4th line when the kid is not NHL ready which is beyond obvious.

Anyone in this thread who thinks Slaf can play in a top 6 at this moment are completely out on this one. He should have been sent down after 9 games and let him progess here.

Literally when ''he will be NHL ready'' minus the Suzuki line most of the forwards will be gone minus except Gallagher and Evans.


I guess I enter in the ''Anti-Slaf'' guy who the way MSL is using right now is god damn atrocious and even more of a joke to play f***ing Dadonov over him.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

It’s 20GP into his rookie “prime development years”. An NHL season is a marathon not a sprint, intensity is going to really start ramping up over next few weeks. Slaf is already starting to get blindsided with hits he isn’t expecting, the org can’t irresponsibly increase probability of injury just so their crown jewel gets TOI.

Slaf will slowly be brought along this season, if Habs are out of it & purge at deadline, he’ll likely see significant jump in post deadline TOI, otherwise it’ll be a continuous ramp up till seasons end

What a hypocritical post. They are increasing his probability of getting injured by playing minimum minutes in a league he’s not ready for already, that’s the entire point. He should be playing 18-20 mins in the AHL if this is the path he is on.

There is no benefit from a kid playing 10 mins a night. If Julien or Ducharme were doing it, a good portion of this board would call them out.

The usual suspects that support every decision management made under MB are the same ppl that support every decision under HuGo, their critical thinking skills amount to appeals to authority.