Common denominator between Lafreniere and Kakko is passable but not noteworthy skating. I think Slaf moves better than both of those guys and has more playmaking chops but if you take a look at the goals tonight - TB-TOR, McDavid's insurance goal, etc. - far more offense is being generated off the rush than ever.
The best players in the game skate well and create in transition. The high event game seems to be the way the league is headed, especially if you have a new commissioner trying to sell the game to a new generation. You might like the Jagr-isms in Slafkovsky's game - I certainly do - but it's not necessarily as useful as it was, despite whatever narrative people here want to emphasize because they grew up on that brand of hockey. In a game that's getting called tighter and tighter, where high end vision and skating are only growing in importance relative to the eternal emphasis on battling along the walls and below the goal line, I could see why a team like us would take Cooley. He does everything fast - his hands and skating are for sure faster than Slaf and I'd argue he's a much better transition guy. He's a very 2020s kind of player.
I'm not advocating we pick Cooley - I'm leaning towards betting on the upside of Slaf or Jiricek because we can afford to take that risk - but c'mon now. He could easily shift to wing and be a much more impactful player than Slafkovsky simply because his skillset is more valuable/relevant.
Rarity =/= value. I don't give a shit if a guy is a unicorn, I care if he gets results.
I would argue that Slafkovsky's passing vision is superior to Cooley, and I'd say his hands are about the same but I would give the edge to Slafkovsky because his ability to protect the puck with his body in tight makes him a dangerous stickhandler even when it seems there is no space.
I'd say Cooley has two advantages over Slafkovsky -- his speed is just ridiculous and his skating is beautiful, and these are significant advantages to say the least. This lends itself to Cooley's second advantage, which is that he's superior to Slafkovsky off the rush.
Slafkovsky, however, has about a dozen advantages over Cooley. I can write a dissertation about how rare Slafkovsky's abilities are down low -- when you combine his power game, passing and puck control, he's just a freak. He's more physical and he's just insanely talented in the opposing crease and along the boards. His shot is underutilized but it's actually very heavy and quite good.
It's also important to note that Cooley's advantages over Slafkovsky are aspects of the game which the Devils are already very, very good in. Cooley does not have the upside of Jack Hughes or Jesper Bratt in the speed/transition department. All of the Slafkovsky's many advantages over Cooley are aspects of the game which the Devils desperately, desperately lack.
The Devils were 3rd in the NHL in scoring off the rush, and 22nd in scoring off the cycle -- the largest discrepancy in either direction in the entire NHL. Though there are two more "finesse forwards" with top 6 potential on the way in Holtz and Gritsyuk, there are no "interior forwards" with top 6 potential in the system.
It is for these reasons that, for the Devils, picking Logan Cooley over Juraj Slafkovsky would represent not simply a *bad pick*, but a cataclysmic failure of team-building acumen. Not only is Slafkovsky the superior prospect, but he also represents the answer to a clear problem as opposed to yet another hammer stroke on the same old nail.
Again, there would be no complaints from my end if the Devils drafted David Jiricek or Simon Nemec. As players of an entirely different area of need who are both outstanding prospects, this would be a perfectly sane and logical route to go. Comparing a defenseman to a forward, when they are similarly high level players, is a silly rabbit hole to go digging down. But I do not see
Cooley over Slafkovsky as even a vague consideration by the Devils scouting team, which is why I subtitled this thread "Slafkovsky vs. Jiricek vs. Nemec".
I of course realize that you're not advocating Cooley at #2 overall, but I just wanted to respond to this particular post because of the singular idea I dispute which is that Cooley is somehow a better playmaker/puckhandler than Slafkovsky. You're certainly correct that Cooley is a phenomenal prospect who is more dangerous in transition than perhaps any player in the entire 2022 class. But anywhere other than transition, I'd have to give the edge soundly to Slafkovsky, as well as a tremendous edge as per who would be the wiser choice at #2 overall for NJ.
