Is Slafkovsky the worst #1 pick ever ?

[Brodeur]

Tournaments can definitely supplement a players resume but his play in Liiga that year wasn't first overall material, in hindsight.

I don't really blame MTL. It was a tough year to find a real standout and sometimes its a lot easier to be AZ and just say, "okay we will just take the best of who is left"

Sometimes going #1 comes with unfair expectations especially for those draft years where the top guys aren't necessarily slam dunk blue chips. If Slafkovsky had gone #2 to New Jersey, I think people would be a bit more patient.

At least pre-draft, I thought Slaf had some vague similarities to Timo Meier. Timo had the luxury of going back to juniors after being drafted and then had a half season in the AHL. At age 20, Timo had a forgettable start to his NHL career with 3 goals in 34 games. But he got settled in after that.

Sometimes it can be tough for a GM to swallow his pride and send down a top pick. I'm reminded of Adam Larsson struggling in 2013-14. Coaching staff had him playing on egg shells and eventually he was sent to AHL. Eventually it took a coaching change and Larsson was much better/comfortable.

 

[Kimota]

Slaf was always seen as an "experiment" aka a good project, a good gamble to take whereas someone like Lafreniere was seen a cannot miss, possibly franchise guy. So it should not be the most shocking thing with Slaf. I say send him to the AHL for the time being so he can work on his problems so he can be a NHL player.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

I'm a big believer in that it's immensely helpful to produce on a nightly basis in a pro league before making the NHL - if you want the player to become an effective offensive player. Some guys don't need it, but Slafkovsky isn't some sort of skill wizard.

Yeah he's got a man body and all that, but why are the Habs forcing him to the League this early?

 

[Hisch13r]

Maybe he shouldn't have been in the NHL last year. There are a few 19 year olds from the same class that look really good right now.

No maybe about it. It was obvious at the time. He still doesn’t even remotely belong in the league

 

[Section88]

Jordan Schmaltz tweeted this today. Not a ringing endorsement.

 

[Hockeyholic]

They went for need instead of BPA

What an awful pick

 

[TS Quint]

Jordan Schmaltz tweeted this today. Not a ringing endorsement.

Who is the scout talking in The Hockey News clip?

 

[Bounces R Way]

He was always going to be a project. Why you would take a project with the 1st overall pick is a whole other issue, that is maybe a question best addressed to the Canadiens and not Slafkovsky himself.

I think you have to separate the pick from the player in this instance. The player is about where I figured he'd be, maybe behind it a bit. Producing consistently in the NHL is a hard thing to do.

 

[Leafshater67]

He was projected to be a bit of a project but a big market, Canadian team picked him so he absolutely must play as a teenager in the NHL regardless of how clear it is he needs more time.

Montreal fans are the reason if he doesn’t pan out. Management needs to accept it and send him to Laval to learn to play North American hockey, learn to use his size and grow into the player he can be. He’s got a nice skill set and the AHL would do him good.

The stigma around sending prospects down hurts a lot of development.

 

[BlackAdam]

The defense of people saying he's only 19 is not an excuse. He was drafted first overall and played in the season he was drafted.
Montreal just ruining another top 5 pick by rushing a player when they're clearly not ready for the big stage.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Did he actually play himself onto the team last year or did his 1st overall status put him there?

 

[Korpse]

I think maybe the most surprising/concerning thing is 52 shots in 49 games played. What exactly is he doing on the ice.

 

[Kennedys]

I think maybe the most surprising/concerning thing is 52 shots in 49 games played. What exactly is he doing on the ice.

He's skating. That's it

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

His eyes... whatever spark was there earlier is completely gone.

Slafkovsky looks completely mixed up out there (with good reason), no confidence.

This guy is farther from NHL success right now, in november 2023 than he was in september 2022.

I think this is a big problem. Send him back to Europe.

 

[Monsieur Miz]

He was projected to be a bit of a project but a big market, Canadian team picked him so he absolutely must play as a teenager in the NHL regardless of how clear it is he needs more time.

Montreal fans are the reason if he doesn’t pan out. Management needs to accept it and send him to Laval to learn to play North American hockey, learn to use his size and grow into the player he can be. He’s got a nice skill set and the AHL would do him good.

The stigma around sending prospects down hurts a lot of development.

The media and the majority of fans wanted to see him in the AHL.

 

[Frank Drebin]

They were supposed to pick Cooley. Plenty of people had him #1.

You certainly did. *Tap tap on back*

They went for need instead of BPA

What an awful pick

????
Habs have needed a 1c for 30 years. They passed on Shane Wright and Logan Cooley, both centers, to pick a goofy winger.

No team needs a goofy winger.

 

[Frank Drebin]

They should just send him to the Avs since we essentially operate as the Habs farm team anyways.

That would have been really clever if you worded it right

 

[Leafshater67]

The media and the majority of fans wanted to see him in the AHL.

Yes but a very vocal minority will say “he’s a bust, I told u so! Fire management” when it happens and it’ll cause controversy. I expect it will eventually happen but it should have happened last season.

 

[lomiller1]

He was always going to be a project. Why you would take a project with the 1st overall pick is a whole other issue, that is maybe a question best addressed to the Canadiens and not Slafkovsky himself.

I think you have to separate the pick from the player in this instance. The player is about where I figured he'd be, maybe behind it a bit. Producing consistently in the NHL is a hard thing to do.

Because the 2022 draft didn't have any players that looked ready to step into the NHL and thrive from day 1. All the best players in that draft were "projects" in some sense.

 

[Jaynki]

Jordan Schmaltz tweeted this today. Not a ringing endorsement.

Psychological projection tho.

Jordan Schmaltz is projecting his own failed career there.

Every terms he used to describe Slafkovsky can be applied to him.

What an insecure person.

 

[hamzarocks]

He has been worse than Lafreniere who is a major bust

Slafkovsky I gove another 100 games max if I am the habs

If he does not become a producer by them time to accept you drafted a bust

 

[Elvs]

He has been worse than Lafreniere who is a major bust

Slafkovsky I gove another 100 games max if I am the habs

If he does not become a producer by them time to accept you drafted a bust

As a Ducks fan, I can say that when Slafkovsky has played another 100 games, he will still be a year younger than Getzlaf and Perry were when they played their first full season at the NHL level, and still two years younger than Bobby Ryan was.

Not saying Slafkovsky shouldn't be in the AHL, he absolutely should be and should have been that from the get go. But it's too early to call him a bust until he's at least 22-23.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

At this point, we need to forget he's the 1st overall pick and treat him like any other prospect. There is zero chance anyone drafted below him would ever last this long on the Habs playing the way he is.

And that isn't an insult to the kid either. He could very well be a late bloomer.

They need to do what's best for Slaf which is to be in the AHL. It sucks but he's not going to be some world beater. He could, however, be a good player who simply matures later in his career. That's not going to happen if they insist on letting him sink.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

I don’t really pay attention to the Habs but this seems to be coming off as a bit of a sunken cost type of thing. I know stats don’t tell the whole story but looking at his stat line and replies here, it’s clear he’s in over his head and not showing flashes. Montreal needs to bite the bullet and send him down. They aren’t doing themselves or him any favors. He needs to regain some confidence and learn by playing lesser players

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Did he actually play himself onto the team last year or did his 1st overall status put him there?

he played himself on the team two years straight but the team sucks its not saying much he needs to be sent down so he can touch the puck without 2 million people breathing down his neck and scrutunizing his gane every time he doesn't have a good one