Post-Game Talk: Habs vs Buffalo Sabres - Rookie camp (Thursday Sept 15 7PM EST)

[SwiftyHab]

For me Slaf oozes elite talent but he is raw.. similar to kotkaniemi... the difference his Slaf hands are far superior to kotkaniemi and size wise its 2 universes apart even tough their both ~6'3" .. I saw some very nice glimps.. he create very very high quality scoring chances in the O zone when he enters it.

Lets not repeat the same mistakes please.. send him to the AHL it will be very beneficial long term. Anyways its tank year for bedard next yeae it will be another story.

Ok fine. I’ll send him. Just cause you asked so nicely.

Habs didnt have Guhle, Mailloux, Farrell, Roy, Primeau/Dobes, Hutson, etc.

Frankly, the Habs dominated most of the play but had bad goaltending.

 

[SOLR]

Slaf - Kidney - Mesar or Slaf - Mysak - Mesar ?

It should be Mysak, Kidney isn't ready for this at all.

 

[durojean]

You're not wrong that he made some blindpasses, that we didn't get to see his shot much, and he's a project. Definitely raw, I compare him right now to when whe drafted Kostytsin.

That said, he's definitely not slow. Did you not see him catch up to the dman on the first goal?

I think the biggest difference between him and KK/Galchenyuk - the both apparently had over-bearing fathers that told them not to listen to the coach, while Slaf has been living on its own in apartent since he was 15. He'll figure it out.

I did not see the first as I was at a parent reunion for my kids. But I really felt like he looked slow on the ice in the 2nd and third.

He did show really great hands and a good ability to control the play. We definitively saw it when he was on the ice.

 

[durojean]

I don't know what game you watched but Slaf was the best player on the ice. He made some mistakes (like on the GWG) but he was all over the ice so I don't know how you can call him really slow.

I really felt and have seen him do a lot of pass to nowhere. And he did his teammates in trouble a lot of the time with his passing.

And sorry, but he is skating with his head looking at the puck a lot. At the NHL level, if that does not change, he will get badly hit. He has the chance of being bigger than a lot so it did not matter tonight.


He definitively had the puck on his stick a lot and it was a good sign.

 

[durojean]

Yeah that assessment wasn't what I saw at all. He skates very well for a big man. He went into the corner with 2 other guys to get the puck. He's a beast, a real power forward. He was the driving force on his line. Anyone comparing this kid to Galchenyuk or KK is out to lunch. Those two were projects this kid is NHL ready right now. He just has a few bad habits and that can be coached.

I was really impressed with Owen Beck as well he could be a real steal for a 2nd rounder.

You say that because you don't remember Galchenyuk's first camp.

He was really impressive on the ice. KK not so much.

 

[jfhabs]

Nah man, he’s brutal to play against in front of the net, he has very good puck handling, is confident with the puck and skates well.

His positioning can improve.

It's the most coachable thing

 

[dinodebino]

I really felt and have seen him do a lot of pass to nowhere. And he did his teammates in trouble a lot of the time with his passing.

And sorry, but he is skating with his head looking at the puck a lot. At the NHL level, if that does not change, he will get badly hit. He has the chance of being bigger than a lot so it did not matter tonight.


He definitively had the puck on his stick a lot and it was a good sign.

You’re judging him from a different POV than @The Great Weal .

He made bad passes? So do 100pcent of 18 year olds. That’s experience. Trying to do too much.

He probably was gassed a bit after the first. He was DOMINANT in the first, because he showed many great qualities. But it’s a camp and his cardio level needs to get back to a competitive level of play.

What he showed in the first was enough for me to understand why HuGo had a hard on for him. He’s unique.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Here's my observations in short form.

Juraj Slafkovsky: As mentioned in his thread, you see why they made him the number 1 pick. The things he can do because of his unique blend of size and skill are just near impossible to find. Flashed his creativity and hands. Was an absolute unit out there. Didn't like how Houle used him on the PP and he'll need to be careful driving into the middle of the ice in NA but all in all, a really tantalizing debut.

Riley Kidney: His smarts and playmaking always shine through. We all know he needs to add more power to his skating and weight/muscle to his frame. On the PP he flashed the most. Kidney suffers from the same thing Mysak does and that's when he isn't the go-to guy on his team, he fades too much into the background and doesn't take charge. People are being too hard on him. That was the issue yesterday not an ability issue.

Filip Mesar: Now you can all see why I was so high on him all year. Quickness in skating, hands and thinking. I don't care how small he is, he's elusive. Beauty finish.

Emil Heineman: he is a guy that can definitely carve out a role in the NHL. The shot and release is NHL level and there's a power to his game even if there's skating mechanics issues to iron out.

Owen Beck: might be the player who impressed most in totality yesterday. He doesn't lose face-offs. He is smart and full of effort in his own end. He has sneaky skill with his hands, playmaking and shot. His speed is also really noticeable as well. Look for this kid to be leaned on heavily in 2 straight WJCs and be a coaches favorite at every level. He's a NHLer, the question is does he become Danault/Cirelli or can he push into the tier of ROR types?

Lucas Condotta: Good on him for stepping up after the hit on Slafkovsky. Should be a good AHL character guy.

Xavier Simoneau: He did some nice things but he didn't pop off the screen enough for a guy at his size. Some work to do to be on the radar the same way RHP put himself there.

Jan Mysak: he went and did his usual pro routine of being in the right place, covering defensively, supporting all over the ice. Suffers from the same issue that Kidney does. When he's not the go-to guy on the team, he fades into the background and doesn't take charge enough. He was a force in Hamilton until they brought in MacTavish. He was a force in the WJC for Czechia but didn't carry that same mentality onto this team.

Cedrick Guindon: I'm a fan of this pick but he wasn't able to keep up with this level of talent this year. Looking forward to see how he progresses by next year's camp.

Jared Davidson: Weird pick and didn't really do much for me to say he'd be anything but an AHL body.

Brett Stapley: One of the older guys around and had some flashes of skill in his limited ice-time. Skill is not the issue, it's how will he stand out in professional games against bigger, faster players.

Ryan Francis: Was just a guy, didn't stand out for me at all.

Mattias Norlinder: His skill level from the back-end is off the charts. Did many good things offensively and might have had the most moments offensively out of anyone. Defensively I think he was alright.. he played the shorthanded goal about as well as he could. He didn't get himself into too much trouble but wasn't getting them out of trouble unless he had the puck on his stick.

Justin Barron: was expecting him to take charge a bit more after his NHL stint last year. I don't think he was bad by any means but he got caught up ice a few too many times. His skating is obviously really good, he's rangy and involved. I don't agree with the usage of him on PP1 (use 4 forwards) and the same thing happened trying to tie the game. He won't be there in the NHL and he showed why, he just can't manipulate defenders well enough to get that shot through and he's not an elite playmaker.

William Trudeau: He was solid out there. Nothing excellent on either end of the ice though. Might earn himself the Stapley AHL contract but don't think he gets signed with the amount of better defensive prospects in system.

Jordan Harris: He's a NHLer, it's up to him if he's a bottom pairing guy or whether he can carve out a career like a Johnny Oduya as a #4. Smooth skater. Smooth thinker. Everything is smooth. Under control and calm.

Arber Xhekaj: Man, what a year of development for him. Last year, I thought he was cool as a physical defender that we could sign and use in the AHL. But his skating, skill level and approach to the game has come leaps and bounds. There is a real path here to a better version of Chiarot or a very lite version of Weber with the physical game and the slapper.

Miguel Tourigny: Had some flashes of skill that ultimately didn't lend itself to anything productive. Start in 3R and let's see what you can do in the pro ranks.

Joe Vrbetic: I liked the selection, I think he was worth a gamble that late in the draft. His development has been pretty stagnant. For 'I Think You Should Leave' fans, he's a chunky. Figure out what you do. If you're gonna be big, be big, but he makes himself small. If you're not gonna be big, be dynamic but his skating isn't there nor is there power in his legs. So if you're not gonna be dynamic, but early and be a vacuum. The rebound control was bad. Big guys take long to develop so I'm fine with giving him a couple of 3R/AHL contracts and monitor. But his time will run out once Dobes, Dichow and anyone else like Croteau or higher drafted goalies in the next two drafts come into the fold.

 

[morhilane]

My first feeling after watching the game yesterday was that it enforced my distaste of Houle as a coach.

My second is that Slafkovsky is at least going to be entertaining to watch playing even if he never fix his decisions making/positional play.

The players looks similar to how they looked a few months ago so I don't really have anything say outside that I'm glad people are coming around on Beck.

 

[beowulf]

What was the final box score? was 2-2 when I stopped sort of watching it on you tube.

 

[morhilane]

What was the final box score? was 2-2 when I stopped sort of watching it on you tube.

3-4 for Buffalo.

 

[EichHart]

Once again, his physical composition is conflated with the results he produces.

A fascinating phenomenon.

He was the best player on the ice because he was the biggest? How does that make any sense?

I mean he used his size quite a bit yesterday. On his assist he went into corner and man handled the dman and set up a beautiful pass that resulted in the 2nd goal. Savoie got tossed around all night due to his small stature.

 

[durojean]

You’re judging him from a different POV than @The Great Weal .

He made bad passes? So do 100pcent of 18 year olds. That’s experience. Trying to do too much.

He probably was gassed a bit after the first. He was DOMINANT in the first, because he showed many great qualities. But it’s a camp and his cardio level needs to get back to a competitive level of play.

What he showed in the first was enough for me to understand why HuGo had a hard on for him. He’s unique.

It's not some bad passes. It's more often than not. I always suspected his hockey IQ to be his weakness and it did not reassure me. I felt like he was behind the play and had a bad awarness of where his teammates were which lead to a lot of blind passes and a lot of danger passes.

One thing is for sure is that he's got a lot of tools and it is impressive to see that.

I would have liked to have seen that first. It seems like it would have changed a lot of my opinion if I did.

 

[KevSkillz4]

Emil Heineman and Owen Beck are going to be very very good players for Habs, no doubt about that. They are already play a pro game, with offensive talent.

Filip Mesar talent is impressive, I understand now why @Goldenhands put him in his top 10. I have him in my top 20, but not 10. He have a high offensive potential.

Juraj Slafkovsky have been always one of my favorite players in NHL draft 2022, yesterday he show that he is a beast type of forward, my comparison with Andrei Svechnikov is soooo accurate when you watch his skillset, this guy is going to be what we expected for Andrei Kostitsyn, I have big hope for him!!

Oh and Jordan Harris is going to be special!

 

[beowulf]

3-4 for Buffalo.

Sorry I also meant the final goals and assists box score. I'll have to look it up see if I can find it.

 

[Whitesnake]

Anyway, as predicted, our goalies suck. And if people are just sad about losing, understand it's directly related to that. No matter how great the D is, goalies still hvae to make saves. Vrbetic is not that great of a goalie but a good bet to have made. Now let's see how Coulombe and Mercer does but don't hold your breath.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

I don't think we need to wait 30 games to debunk the rumour that Wright scored 2 goals tonight.

He didn't even play tonight.

In that case yes but I was talking generally. People on internet (sarcasm) tend to have and share an opinion after 2 minutes of play and it's like a big and defenitive statement. I exagerate just a little, you know what I mean, heh?

 

[schwang26]

Anyway, as predicted, our goalies suck. And if people are just sad about losing, understand it's directly related to that. No matter how great the D is, goalies still hvae to make saves. Vrbetic is not that great of a goalie but a good bet to have made. Now let's see how Coulombe and Mercer does but don't hold your breath.

He did let in a couple stoppable shots from a fans perspective. Really though, a PP goal from them would've made a big difference. They didn't have many quality chances on Buffalo.

 

[Chadstudsky]

Beck getting asked again to speak some french, can the reporters drop it, jesus it's embarrassing

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Once again, his physical composition is conflated with the results he produces.

A fascinating phenomenon.

He was the best player on the ice because he was the biggest? How does that make any sense?

These games are part of a progression. They provide a glimpse of the future potential of the participants. Slafkovsky showed an explosiveness that allowed him to create time and space for him to display his superior level skills. While He remains a work in progress, it must be remembered that Slafkovsky is only a teenager who has already proven himself against adult competition. One can only be excited about this player’s potential who when he ‘fills out’ will only become stronger and faster. If he fulfills his immense potential, Slafkovsky can become Montreal’s most dominant power forward since John Leclair, who we foolishly, foolishly traded away. As one poster on the Buffalo Board warily and worriedly observed, Slafkovsky will soon be a menace to all the teams he plays against. Great and exciting pick by the new administration. Now lets get Fantilli.

 

[Hins77]

My 3 favorites players of the game :

- Juraj Slafkovsky : this guy is a beast. He is skating fast, playing hard a long the board. Sometime, his decision making werent always perfect but, he is going to adapt to the NOrth american league. He is a better playMaker than I thought. He was only 18 years old, and maybe the best plAyer in offense.

-Arber Xhekaj. He is a monster. He is skating fast and fluid for a big guy. He is able to make good hit. He is playing like Joel Edmundson. You are asking me if you prefer Norlinder vs Xhekaj and there is no hesitation, I pick Xhekaj.

-Emil heineman. He is playing a game close to be NHL ready. A bigger lehkonen. He has a good shot. Also able to play physical and has a good speed.

 

[Paddy17]

Here's my observations in short form.

Juraj Slafkovsky: As mentioned in his thread, you see why they made him the number 1 pick. The things he can do because of his unique blend of size and skill are just near impossible to find. Flashed his creativity and hands. Was an absolute unit out there. Didn't like how Houle used him on the PP and he'll need to be careful driving into the middle of the ice in NA but all in all, a really tantalizing debut.

Riley Kidney: His smarts and playmaking always shine through. We all know he needs to add more power to his skating and weight/muscle to his frame. On the PP he flashed the most. Kidney suffers from the same thing Mysak does and that's when he isn't the go-to guy on his team, he fades too much into the background and doesn't take charge. People are being too hard on him. That was the issue yesterday not an ability issue.

Filip Mesar: Now you can all see why I was so high on him all year. Quickness in skating, hands and thinking. I don't care how small he is, he's elusive. Beauty finish.

Emil Heineman: he is a guy that can definitely carve out a role in the NHL. The shot and release is NHL level and there's a power to his game even if there's skating mechanics issues to iron out.

Owen Beck: might be the player who impressed most in totality yesterday. He doesn't lose face-offs. He is smart and full of effort in his own end. He has sneaky skill with his hands, playmaking and shot. His speed is also really noticeable as well. Look for this kid to be leaned on heavily in 2 straight WJCs and be a coaches favorite at every level. He's a NHLer, the question is does he become Danault/Cirelli or can he push into the tier of ROR types?

Lucas Condotta: Good on him for stepping up after the hit on Slafkovsky. Should be a good AHL character guy.

Xavier Simoneau: He did some nice things but he didn't pop off the screen enough for a guy at his size. Some work to do to be on the radar the same way RHP put himself there.

Jan Mysak: he went and did his usual pro routine of being in the right place, covering defensively, supporting all over the ice. Suffers from the same issue that Kidney does. When he's not the go-to guy on the team, he fades into the background and doesn't take charge enough. He was a force in Hamilton until they brought in MacTavish. He was a force in the WJC for Czechia but didn't carry that same mentality onto this team.

Cedrick Guindon: I'm a fan of this pick but he wasn't able to keep up with this level of talent this year. Looking forward to see how he progresses by next year's camp.

Jared Davidson: Weird pick and didn't really do much for me to say he'd be anything but an AHL body.

Brett Stapley: One of the older guys around and had some flashes of skill in his limited ice-time. Skill is not the issue, it's how will he stand out in professional games against bigger, faster players.

Ryan Francis: Was just a guy, didn't stand out for me at all.

Mattias Norlinder: His skill level from the back-end is off the charts. Did many good things offensively and might have had the most moments offensively out of anyone. Defensively I think he was alright.. he played the shorthanded goal about as well as he could. He didn't get himself into too much trouble but wasn't getting them out of trouble unless he had the puck on his stick.

Justin Barron: was expecting him to take charge a bit more after his NHL stint last year. I don't think he was bad by any means but he got caught up ice a few too many times. His skating is obviously really good, he's rangy and involved. I don't agree with the usage of him on PP1 (use 4 forwards) and the same thing happened trying to tie the game. He won't be there in the NHL and he showed why, he just can't manipulate defenders well enough to get that shot through and he's not an elite playmaker.

William Trudeau: He was solid out there. Nothing excellent on either end of the ice though. Might earn himself the Stapley AHL contract but don't think he gets signed with the amount of better defensive prospects in system.

Jordan Harris: He's a NHLer, it's up to him if he's a bottom pairing guy or whether he can carve out a career like a Johnny Oduya as a #4. Smooth skater. Smooth thinker. Everything is smooth. Under control and calm.

Arber Xhekaj: Man, what a year of development for him. Last year, I thought he was cool as a physical defender that we could sign and use in the AHL. But his skating, skill level and approach to the game has come leaps and bounds. There is a real path here to a better version of Chiarot or a very lite version of Weber with the physical game and the slapper.

Miguel Tourigny: Had some flashes of skill that ultimately didn't lend itself to anything productive. Start in 3R and let's see what you can do in the pro ranks.

Joe Vrbetic: I liked the selection, I think he was worth a gamble that late in the draft. His development has been pretty stagnant. For 'I Think You Should Leave' fans, he's a chunky. Figure out what you do. If you're gonna be big, be big, but he makes himself small. If you're not gonna be big, be dynamic but his skating isn't there nor is there power in his legs. So if you're not gonna be dynamic, but early and be a vacuum. The rebound control was bad. Big guys take long to develop so I'm fine with giving him a couple of 3R/AHL contracts and monitor. But his time will run out once Dobes, Dichow and anyone else like Croteau or higher drafted goalies in the next two drafts come into the fold.

Mesar and Beck were my two favourite prospects yesterday. Smarts and speed. Mesar is a play driver and Beck has incredible acceleration, à-la-Brayden Point.

Johnny Oduya is a very good comparison for Harris. I think he can reach that level.

Every team needs a Xhekaj! He's big, mean, can skate and move the puck. Perfect third pair defenseman if he continues his progression curve.

The one highly regarded prospect I'm most skeptic about is Barron. Not just from watching yesterday, which was pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things. It was the same feeling last year after his brief NHL stint. He's going to be a regular NHLer for sure... but I don't think his upside is that high. He's smooth, but almost too smooth... needs to be "quicker" and add more power to his movements. He still has lots of time to develop his physical attributes though. If he can physically progress like Cernak did, from a lumbering guy seeming to drag his weight around, to a powerful skater fully in possession of his body, then I will be happy to be wrong.

 

[schwang26]

Beck getting asked again to speak some french, can the reporters drop it, jesus it's embarrassing

Seriously? A 2nd rounder getting hounded now? I swear, they hire these guys on purpose. Montreal needs to do a better job preventing this sort of thing with their prospects. I Seriously think they do this to scare away anyone who doesn't speak french and so the Habs will draft more francophones. No wonder so few players want to play there. Someone needs to step in and stop that crap.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Any highlights ( asking for alot i know)

 

[schwang26]

My 3 favorites players of the game :

- Juraj Slafkovsky : this guy is a beast. He is skating fast, playing hard a long the board. Sometime, his decision making werent always perfect but, he is going to adapt to the NOrth american league. He is a better playMaker than I thought. He was only 18 years old, and maybe the best plAyer in offense.

-Arber Xhekaj. He is a monster. He is skating fast and fluid for a big guy. He is able to make good hit. He is playing like Joel Edmundson. You are asking me if you prefer Norlinder vs Xhekaj and there is no hesitation, I pick Xhekaj.

-Emil heineman. He is playing a game close to be NHL ready. A bigger lehkonen. He has a good shot. Also able to play physical and has a good speed.

I feel the same about Xhekaj. I just don't care for Norlinder for some reason. He's not as impressive as he's made out to be. I see a career European league player there. I hope I'm wrong.