Player Discussion Juraj Slafkovsky discussion

[Kudo Shinichi]

This is where stats watching has its limits. Sens fans absolutely love him. They complain about Stutzle, Sanderson, never about Tkachuk.

Sens board was shitting on Tkachuk's leadership just a couple of days ago because he didn't play in their first game back, but he was healthy enough to play in the final 4 nations game.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

 

[waitin425]

Slaf's goal looked decent last night. A great tip made available to him by sound positioning. How did he play the rest of the game? This thread is awfully quiet today.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

Slaf's goal looked decent last night. A great tip made available to him by sound positioning. How did he play the rest of the game? This thread is awfully quiet today.

Thought he looked fantastic.

Hutson only scored because Slaf was in front of the net doing what he does.

 

[Skip Bayless]

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I live for existensial Slaf memes.

I can relate so hard to him right now.

 

[the valiant effort]

Thought he looked fantastic.

Hutson only scored because Slaf was in front of the net doing what he does.

The next step is for Slaf to try to take credit for these goals. “That was me, that was me. Ref! Ref! Ref! Rooney! That was me, eh.”

 

[Tyson]

He is slowly figuring things out. It will come.

 

[Skip Bayless]

He is slowly figuring things out. It will come.

 

[River Meadow]

Slaf's goal looked decent last night. A great tip made available to him by sound positioning. How did he play the rest of the game? This thread is awfully quiet today.

He played well his last 2 games (including last night).

He's actually moving his feet out there and making things happen proactively rather than playing timid and reactionary.

Hope he keeps it up.

 

[River Meadow]

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MSL is telling Slaf all the right things, that's nice to see.

Slaf doesn't have the skillset to be as effective as he can be on pure skills alone, but you combine that with size/strength/drive, and then the equation changes entirely.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

MSL is telling Slaf all the right things, that's nice to see.

Slaf doesn't have the skillset to be as effective as he can be on pure skills alone, but you combine that with size/strength/drive, and then the equation changes entirely.

Completely agree.

Slaf will never be a Demidov or a Bedard type high end pick, he doesn’t have that level of skill.. but like you said, when you combine the level of skill he does have (well above average) with his size (huge) and his strength (high) and his drive (in progress) he can be a real weapon.

Just needs to consistently play like he’s played the last two games and there’s literally no reason he can’t be as productive and effective as Brady Tkachuk.

 

[Kennerback]

MSL is telling Slaf all the right things, that's nice to see.

Slaf doesn't have the skillset to be as effective as he can be on pure skills alone, but you combine that with size/strength/drive, and then the equation changes entirely.

A guy who’s not a really a power forward but switched it on at 23, seemingly out of nowhere. Tage Thompson. Because when these big guys get their mansize/strenght it supercharges whatever skills they have. So many examples. A blast from the past: Tim Kerr…

 

[Skip Bayless]

Just sheer strength

 

[waitin425]

Another assist last night. A great play in the neutral zone where he gets the puck to cole to set up Suzuki. That's points in each game since the break. How did he look the rest of the game?

 

[Scriptor]

Another assist last night. A great play in the neutral zone where he gets the puck to cole to set up Suzuki. That's points in each game since the break. How did he look the rest of the game?

Better than in the game against the Canes, despite him scoring in that one.

Slafkovsky had a great game in his first game back fro the 4-Nations tournament, but two okay games after that, really.

If he dominates every three games (the next one against BUF) and plays okay in the other games, it will be more consistency than in a long while.

In hockey, if a player directly impacts the game on the way to amassing 27 NHL wins based on his play, that's not bad at all, really, especially if he still contributes, in some way, even though he isn't the main reason we win, during the other games.

 

[EtLeBut2]

I still worry why a first overall pick who was rushed to the NHL is still suffering and identity crisis of what kind of player he wants to be, and still seems to be learning hockey on the fly.

However he's definitely playing better lately. Besides some production and physical play he's continuing to shoot the puck. What I really want to see from him are the basics, shots on goals, him moving his feet instead of looking lost out there. Everything else can come later, I just need him to look like he knows what his role on the ice is and stay active without chasing the play.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I still worry why a first overall pick who was rushed to the NHL is still suffering and identity crisis of what kind of player he wants to be, and still seems to be learning hockey on the fly.

However he's definitely playing better lately. Besides some production and physical play he's continuing to shoot the puck. What I really want to see from him are the basics, shots on goals, him moving his feet instead of looking lost out there. Everything else can come later, I just need him to look like he knows what his role on the ice is and stay active without chasing the play.

Players develop at different rates. The Canadiens knew he was a bit of a project but felt he had the highest potential. Normally you don’t take a project first overall but in that kind of draft it makes sense.

 

[badfish]

Just sheer strength

Slafkovsky has 93 points in his first 177 games. (0.52 ppg)
Draisaitl had 116 points in his first 177 games. (0.65 ppg)

The big gap came in Draisaitl's 3rd season where he was quite a bit more productive than Slafkovsky has been so far this season. However, that season, Draisaitl also played the majority of his ice time with Connor McDavid who was cruising to an Art Ross, Hart and Ted Lindsay award-winning season.

 

[Heffyhoof]

3 points in 3 games and 18 hits while being constantly implicated in the play. Now if only he could play like that consistently I'd admit he's developing

 

[Sasha Orlov]

He’s been so, so good since the break ended

If he can somehow figure out how to do this consistently then the sky is the limit

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

3 points in 3 games and 18 hits while being constantly implicated in the play. Now if only he could play like that consistently I'd admit he's developing

You can develop while not improving. Sometimes you learn better from mistakes than success.

 

[Artaud]

3 points in 3 games and 18 hits while being constantly implicated in the play. Now if only he could play like that consistently I'd admit he's developing

I'm always less concerned by a young player having highs and lows than one who doesn't show much. With Slaf, he's shown he can be a difference maker for significant enough stretches that we know there's something there. He is still figuring out his game in many ways, putting it together and all that jazz, which is fair and fine for a 20 year old player. Things will fall in place in due time and the player we've seen this week will be the one suiting up every night.

 

[Heffyhoof]

You can develop while not improving. Sometimes you learn better from mistakes than success.

Yeah just poking fun at the idea that Slaf needs to play dominantly in a consistent manner to be seen as developing, whereas I'd argue that that would be the developed version.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yeah just poking fun at the idea that Slaf needs to play dominantly in a consistent manner to be seen as developing, whereas I'd argue that that would be the developed version.

I mean, it’s so early right. The inconsistency at this point is okay. We can say it’s a natural part of development. Hopefully he finds consistency as he matures.

If he’s still like this at 23, then it’s a problem.