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

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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.
I genuinely don't think he will finish this season with 30 points. Which can be fine in the big picture but clearly indicates he wasn't NHL ready as a top6 player. Top6 players shouldn't only get 30 points and should get the requisite playing time and reps. Slaf is meant to be the best 18 year old in the world. 1OA fwds often come into the NHL to play a scoring line role.

If after 20 games he cannot earn playing time over our not-so-good depth players then what the hell are the Habs planning with him?

Do you think it is another case of play-it-by-ear prospect development? God I hope not.
 
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I genuinely don't think he will finish this season with 30 points. Which can be fine in the big picture but clearly indicates he wasn't NHL ready as a top6 player. Top6 players shouldn't only get 30 points and should get the requisite playing time and reps. Slaf is meant to be the best 18 year old in the world. 1OA fwds often come into the NHL to play a scoring line role.

If after 20 games he cannot earn playing time over our not-so-good depth players then what the hell are the Habs planning with him?

Do you think it is another case of play-it-by-ear prospect development? God I hope not.
No, I think the expectation of guys being ready immediately upon being drafted for a top-6 role is not realistic all the time. There are many examples of guys who start on the third or fourth line, usually getting PP time after a while precisely BECAUSE they are more talented than other bottom 6 players.

I think the Habs know what they have, and the fans have seen demonstrations of Slafkovsky's talent.

Tell me you have seen Pitlick or Pezzetta protect the puck like Slaf has on many occasions.

Tell me you ever saw Armia bring the puck up ice owning the neutral zone the way Slaf has on several occasions.

Tell me that you have seen Dadonov catch guys on the forecheck and cause turnovers like Slaf often does.

Tell me you have seen Gallagher or Anderson make passes as impressive as Slaf's at times.

Tell me that you have seen Dvorak snipe the way Slaf does when he gets a chance.

What Juraj Slafkovsky needs to do is put all the parts of his game together, at NHL pace, and he will, sooner or later. This is a very common need for young players, especially those coming in at 18. I trust the Habs development group, and I trust his attitude and approach so far.

It's not "play it by ear". It's "have a plan", but control the pace in accordance with the actual progress on the ice. Like many have experienced before him, and will after him.
 
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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.
There are also non TOI related aspects of transforming into a pro hockey player, they’re. 25% into the season, not sure why you’re getting so bent out of shape.

MSL obviously has a plan, and each milestone achieved will result in increased responsibilities / TOI

Would advise informing HuGo of your extraordinary “critical thinking skills”, I’m sure there is a development role vacancy awaiting to be filled
 
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I dont know why we are keeping him.. also I think Slaf isnt happy to be treated this way.. but hey.. we'll see..


Why are we so stuborn.. no need to justify being number one by staying in the NHL. I feel in the latest games.. he doesnt seem driving the play as much. on passenger mode kinda his confidence in dipping.


I hope management realise this and does something useful for Slaf cause he will pull a kotkaniemi on us when he has a chance.. I would have rather him be elsewhere.. so he can truly play to shine not to survive.

My opinion of course.

Lets hope im wrong.. I sure hope we have the intention of letting him go to WJC.. but i guess we wont.
 
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.

I’m not going to say I agree or disagree with your point about where Slaf “should” be, either AHL or NHL, based on usage, but I think there is a material difference to Slaf being coached by MSL or Julien/Ducharme.

It’s recently come to light how much of a nightmare the old dinosaur coaches were behind the scenes. As fans, we don’t ever get access to that. But prior regimes would not communicate, would scold publicly, constantly play head games with players, demote at the first mistake, defer to useless veterans, the list goes on.

I think it’s wrong to compare this scenario of Slaf playing 10 mins per night to him doing the same under prior coaches we’ve put up with. Because it is not the same. Is it the best path for him going forward? I’m unsure myself. But he’s not being gaslit or verbally bullied by marblemouth. Slaf is out there having fun (from everything we see, that is).

I don’t think him playing 10 mins a night in this particular situation and slowly coming along is the nightmare a lot of people do. I also wouldn’t be upset at all if he was sent to Laval.
 
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I’m not going to say I agree or disagree with your point about where Slaf “should” be, either AHL or NHL, based on usage, but I think there is a material difference to Slaf being coached by MSL or Julien/Ducharme.

It’s recently come to light how much of a nightmare the old dinosaur coaches were behind the scenes. As fans, we don’t ever get access to that. But prior regimes would not communicate, would scold publicly, constantly play head games with players, demote at the first mistake, defer to useless veterans, the list goes on.

I think it’s wrong to compare this scenario of Slaf playing 10 mins per night to him doing the same under prior coaches we’ve put up with. Because it is not the same. Is it the best path for him going forward? I’m unsure myself. But he’s not being gaslit or verbally bullied by marblemouth. Slaf is out there having fun (from everything we see, that is).

I don’t think him playing 10 mins a night in this particular situation and slowly coming along is the nightmare a lot of people do. I also wouldn’t be upset at all if he was sent to Laval.
Sometimes, demotions hurt a player's confidence.
 
I’m not going to say I agree or disagree with your point about where Slaf “should” be, either AHL or NHL, based on usage, but I think there is a material difference to Slaf being coached by MSL or Julien/Ducharme.

It’s recently come to light how much of a nightmare the old dinosaur coaches were behind the scenes. As fans, we don’t ever get access to that. But prior regimes would not communicate, would scold publicly, constantly play head games with players, demote at the first mistake, defer to useless veterans, the list goes on.

I think it’s wrong to compare this scenario of Slaf playing 10 mins per night to him doing the same under prior coaches we’ve put up with. Because it is not the same. Is it the best path for him going forward? I’m unsure myself. But he’s not being gaslit or verbally bullied by marblemouth. Slaf is out there having fun (from everything we see, that is).

I don’t think him playing 10 mins a night in this particular situation and slowly coming along is the nightmare a lot of people do. I also wouldn’t be upset at all if he was sent to Laval.
Brilliant!

None of us also know what development work is taking place behind the scenes with Slaf on an individual basis - now that there’s an actual dedicated staff
 
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….
Your post is way too logical, pragmatic and level-headed to be in this thread. Where's the panic and mass hysteria over an 18-year old having 5 points in his first 16 NHL games and being brought along slowly by new-age coaching/development staff?
 
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Agreed and if Slaf don't have a good center to play with in the AHL, it could hurt his confidence even more. Keep him with MSL and our current NHL youth. This season's evaluation is not about points only.
I really would like to see him at the WJC? Why not? It's not like this team is truly competitive
 
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I really would like to see him at the WJC? Why not? It's not like this team is truly competitive

I'd let him go but depends on what Hughes/Gorton think. What would he gain other than racking up points? He's not going to learn anything in terms of the less time and space factor in the NHL though. Maybe he gains a little offensive confidence?
 
I'd let him go but depends on what Hughes/Gorton think. What would he gain other than racking up points? He's not going to learn anything in terms of the less time and space factor in the NHL though. Maybe he gains a little offensive confidence?
True but just getting the reps would be good.
 
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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.
We need to get rid of Gallagher
 
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I'd let him go but depends on what Hughes/Gorton think. What would he gain other than racking up points? He's not going to learn anything in terms of the less time and space factor in the NHL though. Maybe he gains a little offensive confidence?
What if he goes and it's the opposite effect?

He doesn't find chemistry with his teammates and doesn't put up points.
 
Agreed and if Slaf don't have a good center to play with in the AHL, it could hurt his confidence even more. Keep him with MSL and our current NHL youth. This season's evaluation is not about points only.
I witnessed the way Pat Burns brought Joe Thornton along in 1997. Barely played, 7 points in 55 games but he was around NHL players, watched, practiced and learned. I see a similar strategy with Slaf.
 
We need to get rid of Gallagher

Tough to do at this point.

Would you make this trade?
* Karlsson (retention down to $7M)
for
* Gallagher (no retention)
* Worse pick between the Habs and Panthers 1st?
* B level prospect

Most say no to that trade and rightly so. But this is the type of pill we would have to swallow to unload Gallagher at this point.

Ask yourself this question? Why are you moving Gallagher? Cap reasons? If so, I don't think we need his cap space in the next 4 seasons. Maybe in the 3rd or 4th season but probably not with a growing cap and so many of our youth on ELC/Bridge deals.

Habs will have $10-$14M in cap space this summer after Caufield and Harris are signed and with Price on LTIR again. That's with Gallagher

I witnessed the way Pat Burns brought Joe Thornton along in 1997. Barely played, 7 points in 55 games but he was around NHL players, watched, practiced and learned. I see a similar strategy with Slaf.

It's up to Slaf at this stage. Our management is going to faciliate the best development road and support him but he has to improve season/season. Right now, we like what we see but he has to take a step forward next year.

Obsession to improve is unpredictable for each player. It appears Slaf has it. We will see.
 
Guenther, who is older than Slaf, has more points, and is averaging more ice time, will be going to the world juniors
 
Tough to do at this point.

Would you make this trade?
* Karlsson (retention down to $7M)
for
* Gallagher (no retention)
* Worse pick between the Habs and Panthers 1st?
* B level prospect

Most say no to that trade and rightly so. But this is the type of pill we would have to swallow to unload Gallagher at this point.

Ask yourself this question? Why are you moving Gallagher? Cap reasons? If so, I don't think we need his cap space in the next 4 seasons. Maybe in the 3rd or 4th season but probably not with a growing cap and so many of our youth on ELC/Bridge deals.

Habs will have $10-$14M in cap space this summer after Caufield and Harris are signed and with Price on LTIR again. That's with Gallagher



It's up to Slaf at this stage. Our management is going to faciliate the best development road and support him but he has to improve season/season. Right now, we like what we see but he has to take a step forward next year.

Obsession to improve is unpredictable for each player. It appears Slaf has it. We will see.
Acquiring Karlsson would definitely be one of the only way to trade Gallagher away. Gallagher's contract wont be a problem short term. But there's still 4 years remaining after this year and he will be almost impossible to trade before the deadline of his last year. Hopefully the contract doesn't become a problem before that.
 
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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.

"Send him to AHL" narratives again eh? He should be able to not drown down there regardless of who is there for talent to work with eh? Sounds like some fans saying "Guhle needs to play AHL this season to develop properly" this past summer.

Sorry, but I'll trust Gorton/Hughes/MSL over some fans who think all prospects need to play AHL. If Slaf turns into KK or Chucky, it's because it was a bad pick more than bad development.

Development card is being used way too much in Habs land. Timmins and Bergevin are gone and now some fans are shocked that new management is doing some similar things in certain areas. Maybe some fans don't know as much about development as they think they do? :sarcasm:
 
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Acquiring Karlsson would definitely be one of the only way to trade Gallagher away. Gallagher's contract wont be a problem short term. But there's still 4 years remaining after this year and he will be almost impossible to trade before the deadline of his last year. Hopefully the contract doesn't become a problem before that.

I won't dump on Gallagher too much but it's a problem contract. He's still going to bust his ass off but his ability to perform is not great at this stage. His skating has taken a nose dive like Gomez and he was never as good of a skater like Gomez was in his 20's either.

His passing ability is like 2 or 3 on a scale of 1-10. Very bad from what I see. He's not causing as many turnovers on the forecheck as he did before either.

At this stage, we might have to let his contract expire and let it play out. I think the 3rd or 4th year might be a real problem in terms of having that contract and wanting to spend his cap on a better player
 
Agreed and if Slaf don't have a good center to play with in the AHL, it could hurt his confidence even more. Keep him with MSL and our current NHL youth. This season's evaluation is not about points only.
Metrics. It bedevils me at my job. Statistics are only one criteria in assessing a player's development. I have to trust MSL's opinion. He interacts with this young player everyday. He can tell by both watching his on-ice performance (in games and practices) and his interpersonal dealings with this important part of the team's and his own future, whether Slafkovsky is being overwhelmed. I'll take his opinion over the army of key board general managers here who probably have never played or managed sport at a professional/elite level.
 
Metrics. It bedevils me at my job. Statistics are only one criteria in assessing a player's development. I have to trust MSL's opinion. He interacts with this young player everyday. He can tell by both watching his on-ice performance (in games and practices) and his interpersonal dealings with this important part of the team's and his own future, whether Slafkovsky is being overwhelmed. I'll take his opinion over the army of key board general managers here who probably have never played or managed sport at a professional/elite level.

Points come and go and right now, they are clearly focusing on his ability to perform in the time and space area. Making good decisions with the puck. That's how you build a solid foundation and then he grows offensively later.
 
I really would like to see him at the WJC? Why not? It's not like this team is truly competitive
He would struggle at the wjc too, and the excuses would pile up on here

"Send him to AHL" narratives again eh? He should be able to not drown down there regardless of who is there for talent to work with eh? Sounds like some fans saying "Guhle needs to play AHL this season to develop properly" this past summer.

Sorry, but I'll trust Gorton/Hughes/MSL over some fans who think all prospects need to play AHL. If Slaf turns into KK or Chucky, it's because it was a bad pick more than bad development.

Development card is being used way too much in Habs land. Timmins and Bergevin are gone and now some fans are shocked that new management is doing some similar things in certain areas. Maybe some fans don't know as much about development as they think they do? :sarcasm:
That is just flat out WRONG. If slaf turns into another KK that's our shit development that we have had for 20 damn years... rush, rush and more rush !
 
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