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2022 NHL Entry Draft 8

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Hannibal said:
To me, Cooley will never be a first line center for a top team in the NHL.

On the other hand, Slaf will be a top line winger on every contender team.

No
Hesitation for me. Upside is huge.
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the thing that botter me a little bit with Slaf it's that I don't see him has someone who can drive a line. We need player play driver
 
Jagr is so pushing it when it comes to Slaf. I'd see at best he becomes a bigger version of Svechnikov and at worse a slightly better Joel Armia
 
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I expect a big factor in the decision process (in addition to hockey skills) will be individual interviews with those top prospects to see if they have "la dureté du mental". Will they thrive under pressure, is a big market team a good fit for them, a "too good" fit for them on Crescent/St-Laurent, etc It may be the diffentiating factor between Nemec & Jiricek more then on-ice play.
 
Habs Halifax said:
I agree. Top end potential...

Cooley could be like RNH but maybe a bit better.
vs
Slaf could be the next Jagr or a bit less. Bold statement but Jagr himself has said he sees some similarities from where he was at the same age.

Slaf's combo of skating, size, and skill with that shot power should not be thrown under the rug cause he is a winger. He brings it and he has the size and body to deal with big D men in the NHL.

I don't hate Cooley but he's my 4th BPA. Passing up on Slaf could be a mistake like passing up on Tkachuk. Centers are worth more than wingers could be a trap when you are looking at Cooley vs Slaf. Or it's not a trap? Guess work but I'm taking Slaf over Cooley. Cooley could be the next Turcotte

Will be interesting to see how these statement age over time.
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Top 25 player all time with 1900 points or a bit less ? How is this guy not going 1st overall ?
 
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Doublechin said:
Jagr is so pushing it when it comes to Slaf. I'd see at best he becomes a bigger version of Svechnikov and at worse a slightly better Joel Armia
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I don't see Slaf anywhere near Svechnikov as a best case. In terms of forward I would prefer Wright, Nazar, Cooley, Lekkerimaki, Kemell but I know I am in minority here. In terms of D Nemec Jiricek no brainer ;)
 
Kent Nilsson said:
Top 25 player all time with 1900 points or a bit less ? How is this guy not going 1st overall ?
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Even Jagr went 5th OA :laugh:. Make fun of it all you wish, I'm not the one who thought about Jagr. Jagr has talked about Slaf and how he sees comparisons to him at the same age.

Don't like the Jagr comment? How about Rantanen or the Tkachuk brothers? That is his upside.
 
My list is simple Wrigth, Salf, Cooley, Jiricek .. go big or go Home! I can't see us passing over Wrigth if we get first overall and I can't see us passing of the size, ability and overall package of Slaf we we have a top 3 pick. He may very well be the best potential complement to Suzuki and Caufield that you could get.
 
NotProkofievian said:
Worst case scenario he goes to the wing, IMO, but I don't see him busting. He's a gimme top 6 forward, you can't look like too much of a jabroni picking him.
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Do you think Slaf is a gimmie top 6 forward too? The Svechnikov and Rantanen comparisons for Slaf are kinda ridiculous from what I have read and seen although admittedly I haven't been following him too closely. Do you see him being a 60-70 point forward that is hard to contain or more of a 40-50 point soft and streaky forward?

Svech and Rantanen have hockey IQ and talent up the wazoo (I know Svech was incredibly talented in his draft year too, didn't follow Rantanen in his draft year). I don't know if Slaf has that.
 
Brady Tkachuk is about the only comparable I can see for Slaf. He skates good but not overly impressive for his size like a Barkov. He has good hands and passing but not as good as Rantanen. He isnt as skilled or dynamic as Svechnikov. He's a less aggressive and less physical version of Brady with a better shot in my eyes.
 
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Doublechin said:
Jagr is so pushing it when it comes to Slaf. I'd see at best he becomes a bigger version of Svechnikov and at worse a slightly better Joel Armia
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Jagr potential is a big statement but it's not here where that has been brought up first. Google Jagr and Slafkovsky and you will find it.

Here is one of them. Slafkovsky, 17, among standout stars in hockey at Olympics

Here is another... Jagr himself talking about Slaf... I count the sticks as goals, Jagr said. And he remembered seeing himself in Slafkovsky immediately - World Today News

If you think Slafkovsky is slightly better than Armia as his base, then what makes Cooley's base better than Turcotte?
 
Could Slaf be a bit like Brayden Schenn ? Good size , IQ , a bit raw could take years to put it all together ?
 
RationalExpectations said:
I think the hype about Slaf is getting ridiculous AT this stage...
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The comments said towards Slaf and why not to pick him over a center or D is similar to the comments said towards B Tkachuk heading into that draft.

Jagr comparisons have been brought up outside of HF boards first. Look it up and even Jagr is talking about it.

Do we really think he will be a Jagr? Come on man. It's an upside conversation and style of game where he is big, strong, has solid edge work/skating and skill.

If your low on Slafkovsky, how about the Turcotte labeling towards Cooley? Fair is fair
 
jiboy said:
Could Slaf be a bit like Brayden Schenn ? Good size , IQ , a bit raw could take years to put it all together ?
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Not a bad comparison but Slaf is producing against more men today pre draft vs Schenn in the WHL (pre draft). Schenn rose up in stock after the draft in his U20's at age 19. 18 pts with 8 goals in 7 games.

Slafkovsky has all 3:
Skill/shot
Skating/Edge work
Size/Toughness
 
Habs Halifax said:
The comments said towards Slaf and why not to pick him over a center or D is similar to the comments said towards B Tkachuk heading into that draft.

Jagr comparisons have been brought up outside of HF boards first. Look it up and even Jagr is talking about it.

Do we really think he will be a Jagr? Come on man. It's an upside conversation and style of game where he is big, strong, has solid edge work/skating and skill.

If your low on Slafkovsky, how about the Turcotte labeling towards Cooley? Fair is fair
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If anything, his edge work/agility, and acceleration are his biggest weaknesses. He always looks to use his upper body for puck protection because his edge work is not good enough to separate drom defenders. His hockey IQ also concerns me but that's a different story
 
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TopTenPlayz said:
If anything, his edge work/agility, and acceleration are his biggest weaknesses. He always looks to use his upper body for puck protection because his edge work is not good enough to separate drom defenders. His hockey IQ also concerns me but that's a different story
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Biggest weakness or area that has the lesser grade over the others? It's definitely not like the concerns it was with KK.

What IQ concerns do you have? Feel free to speak what's on your mind. That's what we are here for.

Some things I was just looking into...

Strengths​

  • Strength and size
  • Strong board play
  • Puck possession and protection
  • Elite level shot

Under Construction – Improvements to Make​

  • Speed and skating
  • Neutral zone recognition
  • Offensive zone entries

Risk-Reward Analysis​

Risk – 1/5, Reward – 4/5
 
The Great Weal said:
Do you think Slaf is a gimmie top 6 forward too? The Svechnikov and Rantanen comparisons for Slaf are kinda ridiculous from what I have read and seen although admittedly I haven't been following him too closely. Do you see him being a 60-70 point forward that is hard to contain or more of a 40-50 point soft and streaky forward?

Svech and Rantanen have hockey IQ and talent up the wazoo (I know Svech was incredibly talented in his draft year too, didn't follow Rantanen in his draft year). I don't know if Slaf has that.
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No I don't. I think he comes with a bit of risk. But his upside is huge. He's a unique player, and you don't get many chances to draft players like him.
 
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Goldenhands said:
Nope, I didnt like him much at the 4 nations and now cancer + Russian factor. I would rather gamble on someone else. Pretty sure the kid wont get drafted top 2 rounds anyway.
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That bad eh?

I mean the guy was a top 5 prospect at the start of the year. What are the chances his cancer has been the reason for his play?
 
le_sean said:
I’m not concerned with Cooley’s size. We specifically drafted a 6’2 centre with glaring weaknesses at 3rd overall and look at how that turned out. His glaring weaknesses are still an issue and exacerbated even more in the NHL. His size didn’t help him overcome anything.

So why not draft a 5’10 centre with no weaknesses? A great player is a great player. I want an elite offensive centre to finally have two top-6 centres that can create something out of nothing. We haven’t had that since Damphousse/Turgeon/Koivu.
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Or we can draft a LW whos 6’4 with little weaknesses

Or a 6’3 RHD with little weaknesses

We also drafted KK because we were trying to address the C issue.

Reaching for size is like when we drafted McCarron.
 
Habs Halifax said:
Go to NHL.com and run a filter for the last 3-5 years for top producing centers only. Then count how many 5'-10/5'-11 and under guys that are also below 200 lbs.

People can ignore size but we should not. Yes there are exceptions but the exception is not the rule. This is the point. Ignoring the general rule cause there are exceptions is hope.

KK lacked skating. Go after someone with all 3... size/skating/skill. That to me is Wright, Slaf, and Jiricek.

I'd take Cooley 4th if he is still on the board.
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That’s
Where id take him too

At 4, you just cant pass up on that talent, but if im running that draft, my list is

1. Wright
2. Slaf
3. Jiricek
4. Cooley
5. Nemec
6. Savoie

We are in that top 4 though so Nemec/Savoie are outside our group
 
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jaffy27 said:
That’s
Where id take him too

At 4, you just cant pass up on that talent, but if im running that draft, my list is

1. Wright
2. Slaf
3. Jiricek
4. Cooley
5. Nemec
6. Savoie

We are in that top 4 though so Nemec/Savoie are outside our group
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Agreed. It will be interesting to see the movement in rankings as we head towards the draft, where we pick and who we take.
 
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