Is Slafkovsky the worst #1 pick ever ?

[Hisch13r]

Is it allowed for the Habs to assign Slaf to the AHL? Or does he have a clause in his contract that allows him to go back to Europe if that happens?

He’s always been able to go down

 

[Fatass]

He’s always been able to go down

Then why in the world don’t the Habs send this kid to the A do he can develop his game?

 

[Hisch13r]

Then why in the world don’t the Habs send this kid to the A do he can develop his game?

Idk it’s dumb. They’ve even basically said he’s a project so you figure he’d be treated as one. The conspiracy theory answer would be they don’t even think he’d be all that good in the AHL so they’re scared of the backlash there’d be if he was down there and not playing well. At least if he’s up in the NHL playing poorly or just plugging along you can fallback on the “he’s a teen in the NHL”

 

[Fatass]

Idk it’s dumb. They’ve even basically said he’s a project so you figure he’d be treated as one. The conspiracy theory answer would be they don’t even think he’d be all that good in the AHL so they’re scared of the backlash there’d be if he was down there and not playing well. At least if he’s up in the NHL playing poorly or just plugging along you can fallback on the “he’s a teen in the NHL”

Caufield was sent down. Draisatl was sent back to junior. It’s okay to put Slaf into a league where he can develop. Clearly the Nstional League isn’t a good spot form just yet.
I kind of wonder if he has a “back to Europe clause” in his contract. Some Euros have that. They make a lot more money in a Euro league than in the A.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Idk it’s dumb. They’ve even basically said he’s a project so you figure he’d be treated as one. The conspiracy theory answer would be they don’t even think he’d be all that good in the AHL so they’re scared of the backlash there’d be if he was down there and not playing well. At least if he’s up in the NHL playing poorly or just plugging along you can fallback on the “he’s a teen in the NHL”

I'm not sure it's a reason they're keeping him up but yes he'd look just as bad in the AHL and yes that would look worse on the player and on the team.

Wtf were these scouts smokin

 

[22Brad Park]

Yakupov gets my vote based on time spent in league.

 

[CaptainBenn]

He was floating around last night and he did everything to get rid of the puck the few seconds he got it. He was also man handled a couple times.

 

[HeussLenfoire]

It’s not even about confidence, it’s just a lack of talent. He has never shown any glimpses of a 1st overall, not even a first rounder.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Never even noticed the guy last night.

 

[hardcorehabs]

I always said if it wasn't for the Olympics (against ECHL level goaltending), no way he would have went #1. To add to that, if you actually watch the highlights of the goals, most of them are fluky/lucky anyway.

Bobrov gushed about Slaf in the draft room video before the draft. They all bought his "unicorn" / Jagr-lite theory. Meanwhile he's playing as soft as Drouin out there.

Gorton's decision to hire Bobrov after his track record in NY is the root cause of this and that's why I hold him accountable.

To add to it, there's a good chance Reinbacher also busts. That's a whole other gamble.

 

[Jukurit]

Send him back to TPS. Habs are ruining him.

 

[Czechboy]

19 years old and a total bust.

I hope I don't see him in the league when he turns 20 in March. He needs to go pack groceries, learn to landscape or take up coding.

Total bust.

So many 19 year olds killing in the NHL this year!

 

[Maukkis]

It’s not even about confidence, it’s just a lack of talent. He has never shown any glimpses of a 1st overall, not even a first rounder.

Exactly. Who would ever consider drafting a non-productive winger who showed no flair or hockey IQ whatsoever during his draft year?

It's not like picking Wright would have made any difference thus far in their careers, but at least there was promise of receiving a high-level player that way. I don't think that you could have gone with Cooley there as the Habs, at least if you wanted to get out of the draft venue in one piece, so I can't fault them for missing that. But Jesus, was picking Slaf ever a tragic mistake.

(come to think of it, Cooley-Caufield would have been something.)

 

[Hisch13r]

Exactly. Who would ever consider drafting a non-productive winger who showed no flair or hockey IQ whatsoever during his draft year?

It's not like picking Wright would have made any difference thus far in their careers, but at least there was promise of receiving a high-level player that way. I don't think that you could have gone with Cooley there as the Habs, at least if you wanted to get out of the draft venue in one piece, so I can't fault them for missing that. But Jesus, was picking Slaf ever a tragic mistake.

(come to think of it, Cooley-Caufield would have been something.)

I think a lot of people would’ve been more accepting of Cooley being the pick

 

[Maukkis]

I think a lot of people would’ve been more accepting of Cooley being the pick

Right now they would, but back then, you had Slaf capturing hearts with his confidence and swagger (and living off his fluke run with the national team), and Wright being the long-awaited saviour at C battling for the #1 selection. With the draft in your own barn, how do you go with someone else at 1? I don't think you do. IIRC, Cooley wasn't really considered as the best prospect at any point.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Somewhere Yakupov is being chased by bees.

 

[Andre Palot]

Worse than Daigle?

Pump the brakes.

 

[Hisch13r]

Right now they would, but back then, you had Slaf capturing hearts with his confidence and swagger (and living off his fluke run with the national team), and Wright being the long-awaited saviour at C battling for the #1 selection. With the draft in your own barn, how do you go with someone else at 1? I don't think you do. IIRC, Cooley wasn't really considered as the best prospect at any point.

I think a lot of fans were more polarized on Slaf. You had the people who were captivated and thought he was the best but also a lot of people who were really down on Slaf and didn't see him as a top pick. Cooley generally didn't have the 1OA hype but also was generally a top 3 lock for most.

 

[Maukkis]

I think a lot of fans were more polarized on Slaf. You had the people who were captivated and thought he was the best but also a lot of people who were really down on Slaf and didn't see him as a top pick. Cooley generally didn't have the 1OA hype but also was generally a top 3 lock for most.

Thinking you're correct - as a mediocre prospect being touted as a potential 1OA pick, Slaf should have divided opinions a lot. That said, I think that if you did see the obvious and wanted someone else, Wright would have been the default option for most. It's so difficult to reach at #1.

 

[Stephen]

Worse than Daigle?

Pump the brakes.

Daigle scored 20 goals and 50+ points on an expansion team as a rookie. He was a bust for sure relative to his expectations but with that production he would have been 2nd in Habs scoring last year.

 

[Stephen]

Thinking you're correct - as a mediocre prospect being touted as a potential 1OA pick, Slaf should have divided opinions a lot. That said, I think that if you did see the obvious and wanted someone else, Wright would have been the default option for most. It's so difficult to reach at #1.

To be fair to the Canadiens management staff you basically had a perfect storm of unusual conditions that contributed to a Juraj Slafkovsky 1st overall situation.

New management team stepping into a rebuild during the height of the pandemic scouting fog of war, with a potential landmine bust in Shane Wright laying in the weeds. Poor scouting visibility and a random darkhorse with ideal 1st overall build and flash appearing out of nowhere to "dominate" prestige tournaments in a pandemic. So they probably ended up tap dancing to avoid one steaming pile to step in an even bigger one.

Plus you have to consider the Habs probably expected to be bad enough to have a legitimate shot at Connor Bedard a year later. So if Slaf had been a 1st overall in a succession of 1st overall selections and been the Rantanen sidekick to Bedard's Mackinnon, things wouldn't have looked as bad on paper. Add to the fact he's more Puljujarvi than Rantanen, I can see why this pick is growing in controversy day after day.

 

[TheNumber4]

Like I said at the draft, Habs should have taken Cooley over Wright or Slaf.

 

[holy]

Hes the worst eva the least vicious and ruthless non champion theres ever been.

 

[Maukkis]

To be fair to the Canadiens management staff you basically had a perfect storm of unusual conditions that contributed to a Juraj Slafkovsky 1st overall situation.

New management team stepping into a rebuild during the height of the pandemic scouting fog of war, with a potential landmine bust in Shane Wright laying in the weeds. Poor scouting visibility and a random darkhorse with ideal 1st overall build and flash appearing out of nowhere to "dominate" prestige tournaments in a pandemic. So they probably ended up tap dancing to avoid one steaming pile to step in an even bigger one.

Plus you have to consider the Habs probably expected to be bad enough to have a legitimate shot at Connor Bedard a year later. So if Slaf had been a 1st overall in a succession of 1st overall selections and been the Rantanen sidekick to Bedard's Mackinnon, things wouldn't have looked as bad on paper. Add to the fact he's more Puljujarvi than Rantanen, I can see why this pick is growing in controversy day after day.

A good post right here.

The pandemic is a good point, but if anything, they likely would have known less about Slaf than any NA prospect (that could also explain why they picked him, ironically). The upcoming Bedard draft is also a shout, but no executive with a modicum of influence on team decisions should be counting their chickens before they've hatched like that.

In my eyes, you're only supposed to draft elite, game-breaking skill in the top 5 of any draft, and you should/could even pass on safer guys to get that talent in your system (think Makar and Pettersson from lower-tier leagues over lots of CHL/SHL players in 2017). The Habs did 50% of that, passing over Wright, but hilariously failed to get someone with any substantial NHL potential instead. I'm not sure whether there was a Makar or a Pettersson available, but Slaf sure as hell wasn't it.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

He might be ass foreal