Is Slafkovsky the worst #1 pick ever ?

[The Gr8 Dane]

5 stages.

1. Denial - We aren't taking Slaf 1st OA it isn't happening
2. Anger - Why tf did we take this guy 1st OA *insert gif of woman*
3. Bargaining (we are here) - He looks ok the past few games, maybe he can be an NHLer at least
4. Depression - Why didn't we take the #1 center our rebuild be in a way better spot right now
5. Acceptance - Welp, he's a bust.

who is the #1 C also let's say we did take this make believe #1C would he also be the worst 1st overall ever? Because according to posters here yes the other options would also be the worst 1st overalls ever

 

[HockeyVirus]

who is the #1 C also let's say we did take this make believe #1C would he also be the worst 1st overall ever? Because according to posters here yes the other options would also be the worst 1st overalls ever

The 19 year old with 18 in 34 who went directly after?

 

[Maplebeasts]

In a world where the likes of Nail Yakupov exist no.

 

[General Fanager]

The 19 year old with 18 in 34 who went directly after?

There were zero respectable draft rankings that had Cooley at the top...it was always Wright or Slaf....

 

[Jee]

5 stages.

1. Denial - We aren't taking Slaf 1st OA it isn't happening
2. Anger - Why tf did we take this guy 1st OA *insert gif of woman*
3. Bargaining (we are here) - He looks ok the past few games, maybe he can be an NHLer at least
4. Depression - Why didn't we take the #1 center our rebuild be in a way better spot right now
5. Acceptance - Welp, he's a bust.

You're definitely a reason why this thread is so cringe.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

There were zero respectable draft rankings that had Cooley at the top...it was always Wright or Slaf....

and even if Cooley was an option would habs fans even trade slaf for cooley right now with what we've seen slaf look like in the past 2 weeks. I doubt it , doesn't mean cooley can't end up a 1C down the line but its not like we are kicking ourselves for passing up on him or anything

 

[General Fanager]

and even if Cooley was an option would habs fans even trade slaf for cooley right now with what we've seen slaf look like in the past 2 weeks. I doubt it , doesn't mean cooley can't end up a 1C down the line but its not like we are kicking ourselves for passing on him or anything

nope

A game like Slafs takes more time to develop. Knowing what we know now id still take him.....especially since they got Dach at that draft, they didnt need a small center....

 

[pizza line]

imagine if GMs had the patience of hfboards. 1st rounders would be waived 5 games in if the don’t get Bedard or McDavid stats.

 

[Javaman]

It should be painfully obvious it's more important to develop strong than to start strong. Nobody cares that Yakupov had a great start, just like nobody cares that so many star players had terrible starts.

Slafkovsky had a bad start. His first 50 games were very weak and some people believed they had his career figured out based on his PPG. Those posts have started to smell bad and will only get worse. Since early November, Slafkovsky's been out-producing and out-playing everyone else in his draft year. It's called development, which is exactly what you hope for when you draft a kid. How far he develops is impossible to predict. However, what's easy to predict is the people proclaiming him to be "The worst #1OA pick" will be hoping their posts aren't bumped in a couple of years.

We're really not disagreeing here. Slaf has gotten off to a bad start. I think it's more than fair to point out that he's still young enough to develop into possibly the best player from the top of the '22 draft class. But until that happens, it's not outlandish for people to speculate that he may end up being the worst 1OA in quite a long while. The irony is that you're chastising other posters for relying on too small a sample size to judge his career potential, but then insist we only consider his last 20 games or so.

Bottom line.....how many times *truthfully* have you watched Slafkovsky play a full game?

That's not the bottom line. It's a deflection from the question I posed in my post that has yet to be answered. A better bottom line is this: wingers who are drafted 1OA need to produce offensively. Slaf may get there one day if his development goes well. But he's not there yet.

Curious here for him to be removed from the title as the worst 1stov pick.What kind of productions ( points) does he have to produce over the remainder of the season?

Again, a bit of a deflection here from my question. Let's reframe the discussion: Looking back at the 20 NHL drafts prior to 2022, which 1OAs would you put behind Slafkovsky?

For what it's worth I have nothing against Slafkovsky and don't really care if he becomes a perennial all-star or the worst bust since Stefan. The Habs were my childhood team and I still have a soft spot for them.

 

[Lshap]

Why November 4th? Is that the date that makes Slaf looks the best?

What career-defining sample size would you prefer?

 

[Korpse]

I watch the games...

What exactly has he been good at in the games you watch.

 

[Rob Sense]

What exactly has he been good at in the games you watch.

you obviously do not watch games...remember...watch...think...post.

 

[Korpse]

you obviously do not watch games...remember...watch...think...post.

Where does asking questions fall in that order? Just saying he has been good isn’t a lot to go off. Which is why I ask what is he good at. You are right I don’t watch every game, just occasionally.

 

[Rob Sense]

He is a beast in puck battles, his passing is excellent, he is a presence in front of net and his shooting is getting better. He is a power forward and growing into the role...19 years old.
PS i read your post as saracastic. If this was not your intent then we are good.

 

[Lshap]

We're really not disagreeing here. Slaf has gotten off to a bad start. I think it's more than fair to point out that he's still young enough to develop into possibly the best player from the top of the '22 draft class. But until that happens, it's not outlandish for people to speculate that he may end up being the worst 1OA in quite a long while. The irony is that you're chastising other posters for relying on too small a sample size to judge his career potential, but then insist we only consider his last 20 games or so.

Slaf's last 23 games have been significantly stronger. He's playing much better and the points are starting to come. Which is exactly what development is and why the theme of this thread has gone from dumb to dumber. Kid starts slowly and then starts improving – no surprise to anyone, except for a few people who tried to spin Slafkovsky's first few dozen games as an "Ah-hah!" moment. Embarrassing.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

imagine if GMs had the patience of hfboards. 1st rounders would be waived 5 games in if the don’t get Bedard or McDavid stats.

Slafkovsky has played 72 games and wasn’t just a first rounder, but a first overall. So.. absolutely none of your point is actually a point. Dude is a really bad 1st pick.

 

[thebestnic]

What exactly has he been good at in the games you watch.

Exits out of his own zone and puck retrieval. Fancy stats show he has helped Caufield and Suzuki possession numbers...

 

[waitin425]

We're really not disagreeing here. Slaf has gotten off to a bad start. I think it's more than fair to point out that he's still young enough to develop into possibly the best player from the top of the '22 draft class. But until that happens, it's not outlandish for people to speculate that he may end up being the worst 1OA in quite a long while. The irony is that you're chastising other posters for relying on too small a sample size to judge his career potential, but then insist we only consider his last 20 games or so.


That's not the bottom line. It's a deflection from the question I posed in my post that has yet to be answered. A better bottom line is this: wingers who are drafted 1OA need to produce offensively. Slaf may get there one day if his development goes well. But he's not there yet.


Again, a bit of a deflection here from my question. Let's reframe the discussion: Looking back at the 20 NHL drafts prior to 2022, which 1OAs would you put behind Slafkovsky?

For what it's worth I have nothing against Slafkovsky and don't really care if he becomes a perennial all-star or the worst bust since Stefan. The Habs were my childhood team and I still have a soft spot for them.

It is the bottom line....you are commenting on a player whom you haven't even watched play. You are ignorant to the type of player Slaf is. I'm deflecting nothing. Go watch him play for a few months and then let's have a discussion.

 

[le_sean]

I always find these threads ironic considering the message board is called Hockeys Future yet people jump to conclusions on players when they haven’t even played a full season in their career. Then it gets bombarded by people who clearly only look at HockeyDB. This place is basically turning into Facebook level of collective IQ.

 

[Breakers]

This guy gets caught with his head down more than any other player

Maybe lindgren is more

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

In a world where the likes of Nail Yakupov exist no.

Slafkovsky has a long way to go to be as good as Yakupov

 

[Paddyjack]

Slafkovsky has played 72 games and wasn’t just a first rounder, but a first overall. So.. absolutely none of your point is actually a point. Dude is a really bad 1st pick.

Ok.... but who would have been better exactly?

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Ok.... but who would have been better exactly?

Logan Cooley.

Simon Nemec.

Even Wright would’ve likely done more with the ice time Slaf has been given

 

[CanadienShark]

Habs fans coping hard in this thread. The fact of the matter is that Slafkovsky has 12 points in 33 games (or 22 pts in 72 games).

That is just brutal for a 1st overall pick.

If you look beyond points, you can see an uptick in his play. It remains to be seen if he can continue to improve, but he's looked genuinely good for a stretch of games. That's a good thing and people have every right to be excited about progress.

 

[Paddyjack]

Logan Cooley.

Simon Nemec.

Even Wright would’ve likely done more with the ice time Slaf has been given

All of these, especially Wright,, would not have been great #1 pick either.