alko
Registered User
Depending who will draft from 3. position. There will be also WCH in few weeks. If he could show another strong performance (not saying he will lead in goals again), he could jump to the #2.
F Juraj Slafkovsky - TPS, Finland U20 (2022 Draft)
- Thread starter Killerjas
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Depending who will draft from 3. position. There will be also WCH in few weeks. If he could show another strong performance (not saying he will lead in goals again), he could jump to the #2.
I watch streams and frankly it's a terrible hockey to watch. Both teams play neutral zone trap style, no forecheck, everyone is just standing in the middle zone or on the blueline, so the games are boring. No real goalscoring opportunities and low scoring games.
Yep, it's very boring between these two teams. And the reffing isn't helping. While NHL seems to want the league to become as high scoring as possible, Liiga's in dead puck era with constant interference, clutch and grab and neutering of skill.
Ivo
Registered User
Honestly, this is why I want Slaf to move away from Finland next season. Player his age needs to play somewhere they can hone their offensive talent.
Kudo Shinichi
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It depends on the team, but the AHL can get pretty scrambly, and the refs didn't get the NHL memo about interference, headshots, and the like.
alko
Registered User
AHL or Liiga? I dont know, how is his contract, but i can imagine, he could earn more in Finnland.
But in his age it is not about money.
He has gotten much better at understanding how his body works and how to protect the puck. He is actually using his size to his advantage. He is really hard to knock off now.
613Hockey
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JasonDemersWasOkay
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if he isnt second overall, that team made a massive mistake.
I don't think he'll go before Cooley or Nemec and maybe not Jiricek. At least, there's only a few teams that I could see taking him over Cooley and Nemec and maybe Jiricek. Maybe the Habs, Wings, Ducks or Devils depending on how they do in the lotto. But can't see Kraken, Yotes, Flyers, CBJ, Sabres, San Jose taking him over a Center or D, depending where they land in lotto. And even Habs I could see preferring Cooley or one of the two D over him.
Not that I don't think he will be good. But Cooley has all the makings of a star 1C. And Nemec and Jiricek are top pair, PP1, physical defenders. The kind you generally don't pass up for a winger if your team needs one. Devils maybe the one team I could see really grabbing him before Cooley or one of the two D, as they have a few top notch D prospects already and they are set at center I think. So basically, I kind of expect the Devils to take him wherever they land in the top 5. If they happened to win number 1, I guess they take Wright anyway? But who knows.
Not that I don't think he will be good. But Cooley has all the makings of a star 1C. And Nemec and Jiricek are top pair, PP1, physical defenders. The kind you generally don't pass up for a winger if your team needs one. Devils maybe the one team I could see really grabbing him before Cooley or one of the two D, as they have a few top notch D prospects already and they are set at center I think. So basically, I kind of expect the Devils to take him wherever they land in the top 5. If they happened to win number 1, I guess they take Wright anyway? But who knows.
Antiillafire
Registered User
Eh I beg to differ. And I think if Devils get a top 3 or 4 pick, which I think they should, I expect them to take Slaf. Only issue would be if they get that 1st pick. Then I am really not sure what they would do. While it would be surprising, I wouldn't be totally shocked if they still picked Slaf with that 1st pick, or at least traded down a few spots.
They probably need a young, stud goalie prospect more than anything. But I think they need wingers, especially high end, physical wingers, way, way more than center or D.
They are pretty set at center with Jack Hughes, Hischier, Mercer, Boqvist and McLeod, and Salminen in the system, I definitely don't think they need a center that bad. And on D, now with Hamilton, Bahl, Graves, Severson, Subban, Ty Smith and Luke Hughes, Mukhamadullin and Walsh on the rise, they have some really high end young D and a good assortment of vets. Luke Hughes seems like he will be an absolute stud and their top D eventually. And Mukham has a huge ceiling and is one of the more forgotten about high end D prospects in hockey. I think both are surefire top 4 D for them long term. Walsh is no slouch. And Bahl seems like he would be a good partner for a more offensive D in the top 4. That still leaves them with Ty Smith, who I still think has a future, even if just as a 3rd pair/PP specialist. And Hamilton will have a spot locked down.
On the wings, they have Holtz who is probably their highest ceiling winger, followed by Bratt who had a terrific season. But he doesn't offer a ton outside of offense and is pretty small. I see Bratt ideally as a 2nd line guy. Or at worst, they have 2 sure top 6 wingers in Holtz and Bratt. Zacha and Sharangovich are nice players, but I don't think either of them will be holding down higher end wing prospects like Slaf especially, or even Kemell, Gauthier, Yurov etc.... And I don't think either of those 2 are ideal top 6 guys. Sharangovich, could probably play anywhere in the middle 6. Zacha I think ultimately, or ideally is a 3rd liner who can play higher if need be. They have Nolan Foote, but he doesn't look like more than a 3rd liner at best to me. Graeme Clarke I don't think is that exciting. I'd go as far as to say a hugely wasted 1st round pick in 2021 when they could have had their pick of some very high end guys who slipped on draft day. He seems to have 3rd line upside at best, if even. Really, the only really high end winger they have is Holtz and Bratt, if the step he took this year is for real and he can repeat. So they can definitely still upgrade over Zacha, Sharangovich, Foote, Kuok etc..
Slaf would be absolutely perfect I think playing with Hughes or Hischier. So basically, top 4 wingers of Holtz, Bratt, Slaf and one of Sharangovich or Mercer. Zacha moves to the 3rd line with Foote. And long term, not sure if they will have Mercer as 3C when Hughes is back or move one to the wing, Either way, with Hischier and those 2, their top 2 or 3 center spots are sured up, And I think Salminen is going to prove a bit of a draft steal. Think he will be at least good enough to play 3c eventually, if not 2c. And if not, they still have Boqvist, who can play Center or Wing. But either way, this would definitely allow them to have Hughes and Mercer play with each other or one of them with Hischier. If they that they'd still draft Slaf I think and then Sharangovich and Zacha can move to the 3rd line and Foote to the 4th or something. Either way. They have a bunch of good to very good wingers. But only two that look certain top 6.
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Monsieur Verdoux
Registered User
Yes, they need, especially someone like Slafkovsky. All their wingers are pretty small, so they could use Slafkovsky. Jiricek and Nemec are other options. Most of the Devils fans would want to pick one of these players.
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PDX Flyer
Lost in the Woods
- Nov 13, 2019
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Can’t the Devils only pick 1,2,5,6,7? Thought you could only move up into 1,2 or slide two if teams behind move up
Ivo
Registered User
Monsieur Verdoux
Registered User
That's right. It's unlikely the Devils can select Slafkovsky unless they win draft lottery.
Then they trade down, swapping 1sts and getting the other team to add a later 1st or multiple 2nds. Teams like ARI, MTL, and SEA would kill for a C like Wright. NJD, while they would be happy with him, would prefer to have Nemec/Jiricek/Slaf + 1st. ARI has three 1sts this year and 4 2nds, MTL has two 1sts this year and next.
Eggtimer
Registered User
Yes we need one badly still. Especially one like Slafkovsky. Although not any smaller type wingers , specifically one like Slaf.
I would say the Devils draft board in order is Slafkovsky Jiricek Nemec then….?? We don’t need a C and desperately need a heavier stlye winger like Slaf big time.
Whe the Devils win the lotto tonight , they take Slaf at #1 if they cannot trade down . Only way they trade down is if they are still ensured to be able to get one of Slaf Kiricek Nemec.
Doug Prishpreed
Registered User
Considering their needs, I could see the Devils taking Gauthier, which will seem like a reach but will make them look really smart in three years.
Agree, I think that is their move if they get the 1st. At least, that's what I would do in their position. If the Ducks got 1st, with Zegras and McTavish now, they might consider doing the same I'd think. Not sure if any other teams that stand a real shot to get the 1st would do that though. While Detroit could probably use Slaf, I think they'd go with Wright too.
Think they will be picking way, way too early for that. And there's no way they take Gauthier over Slaf.
I think Gauther will be good. But I'm not sold he's above Kemell, Yurov and Lekker. And really, I don't think Savoie will end up being a center in the NHL, and he will likely get taken pretty high. He could end up being the 2nd "winger" taken in the long run. So after Slaf though, really not sure what order to expect the wingers to go in. KInd of think it will depend on the teams drafting a lot, how they have them rated. I honestly don't think a team in need of a winger could go wrong taking any of them really. But I think Savoie will be the 2nd "winger" taken ultimately. Or if he does somehow end up at center in the NHL, Kemell still seems to be the 2nd true winger off the board at least. But a team that likes Gauthier enough could definitely end up taking him early. Just don't see the Devils in that position, unless they traded down a lot and weren't going after Slaf for some reason.
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