Player Discussion Juraj Slafkovsky Discussion

[Team_Spirit]

FC Barcelona called they offer 400M

 

[Skip Bayless]

That sequence that lead to his goal, that's the urgency we want.

When he walked into the slot I was yelling at my screen SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT, and then when he scored I almost passed out.

Between not knowing if Slaf understands the purpose of the game and Matheson providing incredible playmaking for the opponent, I might have to seek medical attention.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

13 points in his last 13 with 8 goals. Great stuff.

 

[OldCraig71]

When he figures it all out he will be a 70-point menace that helps us win games even when he doesn't contribute on the scoresheet.

 

[Heffyhoof]

All this talk of consistency is mind-boggling. He's on pace to get more points than last year with way less PPPs and way more hits. When I read consistent I wonder what the poster is asking for.

Should he be a near PPG power-forward with 250+ hits in his D+3 to be considered 'on track'? Because a I'd say that's nearly the finished product not a developing one. Does more consistent just mean a few more points, because if the PP wasn't Suzuki to Hutson to Laine 9/10 times he'd likely have those few more.

 

[Redux91]

I know people don't really care about this and blah blah blah lol
But he's at -1 for the season now
Which is a tremendous improvement from the -19 from last year even tho a lot of that has to do with defense and goalies

But it just sucks seeing -15 every year for players (Suzuki was having this issue up until this year sadly lol) so I'm happy Slaf and that entire line are scoring more for than against now

Also sidenote : I love that he can score those tip in goals man, he's got like 9 or 10 in his career already, and he'll be able to do that *forever*, it's great to have in the arsenal

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I know people don't really care about this and blah blah blah lol
But he's at -1 for the season now
Which is a tremendous improvement from the -19 from last year even tho a lot of that has to do with defense and goalies

But it just sucks seeing -15 every year for players (Suzuki was having this issue up until this year sadly lol) so I'm happy Slaf and that entire line are scoring more for than against now

Also sidenote : I love that he can score those tip in goals man, he's got like 9 or 10 in his career already, and he'll be able to do that *forever*, it's great to have in the arsenal

Yeah tips, garbage goals in tight and he can actually snipe it too. He’s got a very expansive set of tools. Once he works in both the finesse game and the power game, he’s gonna be so hard to stop.

I think he’s got better hands than he’s shown too. That might take a few years but I’m confident it’ll come and we’ll see a vastly more effective player than we do now

 

[SuzukiSZN]

I know people don't really care about this and blah blah blah lol
But he's at -1 for the season now
Which is a tremendous improvement from the -19 from last year even tho a lot of that has to do with defense and goalies

But it just sucks seeing -15 every year for players (Suzuki was having this issue up until this year sadly lol) so I'm happy Slaf and that entire line are scoring more for than against now

Also sidenote : I love that he can score those tip in goals man, he's got like 9 or 10 in his career already, and he'll be able to do that *forever*, it's great to have in the arsenal

He also has 34 5v5 points, with 13 games to go. Last year he finished with 33 5v5 points in 82 games. That’s very good. It’s on pace with good players in the NHL.

For comparison Suzuki has 38 right now. Not that much more. And Slaf played around 25 games off the first line.

 

[Seb]

These are all very good points, but what about the 2-3 games he wasn't good lately?!?

 

[Erika]

These are all very good points, but what about the 2-3 games he wasn't good lately?!?

"That's totally unacceptable. I will not be satisfied until he plays like he did yesterday for 82 games straight... hitting, shooting, hustling, grinding the boards, blocking shots and creating plays with those crisps passes. His second goal was a bit lucky and proved his lack of offensive awareness that i spoke about last year. The fact that he is 20 years is irrelevant and he should be performing like a 10 years veteran. He should perform like how a real 1st overall, franchise player should regardless if he's still developing or not. The one shift that I saw him coasting yesterday showed me his lack of hockey IQ and demonstrated clearly why Cooley will be the superior player despite him having 2 points in his Last 10 games. "

- ReHabs

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I've watched quite a lot of Slafkovsky this year, and based on pure talent alone I don't think Slaf approaches either Schaefer or Misa, and I don't think it's really a controversial opinion to have. Could always make a poll on the main board to see what people think if you disagree.

Of course Slaf is still very young and could still dramatically improve, but if you look up Slaf's skating stats on NHL Edge and compare them to any elite forwards playing similar minutes you can clearly see what's holding him up. There's essentially only three elite forwards in today's NHL with similarly awful skating stats, and those are Jason Robertson, Mark Stone and Matthew Tkachuk. All three have top of the league hockey IQ that Slaf would have to develop if he can't improve his skating. But we're venturing into an entirely different topic now.View attachment 998018

This is a great example of the danger of solely using stats to reach absolute conclusions.

Slaf is a very good skater, the issue is that when he has the puck he never tries to push the pace and it is a major issue that he needs to address. This is why he still has a long runway because he has the tools but is not using them as he should. He is always looking to pass the puck so as soon as he gains possession he is trying to find lanes instead of pushing defenders back and attacking them as he should be doing most of the time.

It is screamingly obvious how much faster he is without the puck than he is when he has it on his stick. I can not recall a single instance in his career where he collected the puck on his side of center and tried to take it to the net with speed. This is a choice that he has made but it does not represent an inability to do so.

 

[nhlfan9191]

All this talk of consistency is mind-boggling. He's on pace to get more points than last year with way less PPPs and way more hits. When I read consistent I wonder what the poster is asking for.

Should he be a near PPG power-forward with 250+ hits in his D+3 to be considered 'on track'? Because a I'd say that's nearly the finished product not a developing one. Does more consistent just mean a few more points, because if the PP wasn't Suzuki to Hutson to Laine 9/10 times he'd likely have those few more.

He only had 5 points in his first 29 games last season so it’s kind of deceiving to use the argument that beating last seasons points total is an accomplishment. Had he played at the level he played at the final 50 games last year all season, he would’ve been in the 60-70 points range. He’s had an inconsistent year this season but I think we’ll see him put it altogether sooner rather than later. This season has been a bit of a step back overall but nothing serious imo.

 

[417]

That sequence that lead to his goal, that's the urgency we want.

When he walked into the slot I was yelling at my screen SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT, and then when he scored I almost passed out.

Between not knowing if Slaf understands the purpose of the game and Matheson providing incredible playmaking for the opponent, I might have to seek medical attention.

Early season Slaf is passing that to Suzuki 100%

 

[Goalfield22]

I've been impressed with him for two seasons now. For a young "project" developing at the NHL level, he has been good. Great for long stretches. He is becoming a top 6 physical force out there. It will take time for him to be consistent with that style of play. I hope we reach the p/o so we can see how he reacts to that change in tempo.

 

[Sorinth]

He only had 5 points in his first 29 games last season so it’s kind of deceiving to use the argument that beating last seasons points total is an accomplishment. Had he played at the level he played at the final 50 games last year all season, he would’ve been in the 60-70 points range. He’s had an inconsistent year this season but I think we’ll see him put it altogether sooner rather than later. This season has been a bit of a step back overall but nothing serious imo.

What nonsense of an argument. Slaf was inconsistent last year and he's been inconsistent this year, but he's still taken a step forward and improved his consistency and that's what the numbers show. He's more consistent production wise this year compared to last season. And yes there is still lots of runway left for further improvements, but this most certainly was a step forward and not a step back.

 

[nhlfan9191]

What nonsense of an argument. Slaf was inconsistent last year and he's been inconsistent this year, but he's still taken a step forward and improved his consistency and that's what the numbers show. He's more consistent production wise this year compared to last season. And yes there is still lots of runway left for further improvements, but this most certainly was a step forward and not a step back.

It’s not a non sense argument. He had a tough start last season but 50 games is a large sample size of consistent play. This year it’s been up and down and all over the place. Last year you could make the argument he was just adjusting at the start before taking off. He was consistently getting better compared to this year where he never really found that same level.

 

[Sorinth]

It’s not a non sense argument. He had a tough start last season but 50 games is a large sample size of consistent play. This year it’s been up and down and all over the place. Last year you could make the argument he was just adjusting at the start before taking off. He was consistently getting better compared to this year where he never really found that same level.

Your reading too much into the timing of inconsistency. A player who starts cold and gets hot is just as inconsistent as a player who starts hot and goes cold. And it's worth noting that if Slaf continues his current hot streak to end the season he'll have had a very similar type of season, not super productive early on and then turning it on for the last 40-50 games with the difference being not as cold to start which would just highlight that he has gained consistency because his cold streaks aren't anywhere close to being as cold or as long as they were previously.

Also if 50 games is a large enough sample size, then as a team we are just as good a team as Florida is. But I doubt many would accept that premise.

 

[Goalfield22]

Your reading too much into the timing of inconsistency. A player who starts cold and gets hot is just as inconsistent as a player who starts hot and goes cold. And it's worth noting that if Slaf continues his current hot streak to end the season he'll have had a very similar type of season, not super productive early on and then turning it on for the last 40-50 games with the difference being not as cold to start which would just highlight that he has gained consistency because his cold streaks aren't anywhere close to being as cold or as long as they were previously.

Also if 50 games is a large enough sample size, then as a team we are just as good a team as Florida is. But I doubt many would accept that premise.

I think it is also worth mentioning that Slaf lost weight and focused on different things in the offseason, so he was trying to change/evolve his game. It didn't go as expected, but he was still producing. Now, he has found his game and is thriving.

 

[le_sean]

He also has 34 5v5 points, with 13 games to go. Last year he finished with 33 5v5 points in 82 games. That’s very good. It’s on pace with good players in the NHL.

For comparison Suzuki has 38 right now. Not that much more. And Slaf played around 25 games off the first line.

Yeah I felt what helped him to break out last year was his role on the PP. He’d get the puck a lot more on the half-wall. This year his role is to essentially stand in front of the net, he has far less touches. The 5v5 play has grown considerably.

 

[dinodebino]

Why the hell would I post over two bad games? Do I post when any other player has two bad games? No. Neither do you. But you do it for Slaf because you have some weird obsession or you’re just incapable of pivoting from a claim you made about him before you watched him play a single f***ing game. Or worse both.

I’m also laughing that I didn’t even mention your name in my post above but you came here within seconds to whine. You’ve single-handedly made following Slaf completely shit.

Grow up

I probably put him on the ignore list because I have no clue who this is addressed for! Lol

 

[dinodebino]

When he figures it all out he will be a 70-point menace that helps us win games even when he doesn't contribute on the scoresheet.

And a playoff monster only because he’s a physical specimen. Not a lot of 20 year olds in the show are 6’4” and 220 and having an impact already. In fact, he might be the only one. He will be worth a first overall.

 

[Jurivan Demidovsky]

And a playoff monster only because he’s a physical specimen. Not a lot of 20 year olds in the show are 6’4” and 220 and having an impact already. In fact, he might be the only one. We will be worth a first overall.

We drafted 2 x 1st overalls and a 3rd 1st overall 2 years later

Slafkovsky 1st overall level talent
Hutson 1st overall level talent
Demidov 1st overall level talent

I would say we got VERY lucky in our rebuild

 

[Price is Wright]

We drafted 2 x 1st overalls and a 3rd 1st overall 2 years later

Slafkovsky 1st overall level talent
Hutson 1st overall level talent
Demidov 1st overall level talent

I would say we got VERY lucky in our rebuild

Give it a few years and you might be adding Fowler to that list.

 

[salbutera]

We drafted 2 x 1st overalls and a 3rd 1st overall 2 years later

Slafkovsky 1st overall level talent
Hutson 1st overall level talent
Demidov 1st overall level talent

I would say we got VERY lucky in our rebuild

Need to … see TBay (Kucherov, Point & Cirelli), Chi (Keith, Sharp, Hjalmarasson ) etc.

Even Avs w MacKinnon, Rantannen, and Landeskog did not accomplish much till Makar fell into their laps

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Why the hell would I post over two bad games? Do I post when any other player has two bad games? No. Neither do you. But you do it for Slaf because you have some weird obsession or you’re just incapable of pivoting from a claim you made about him before you watched him play a single f***ing game. Or worse both.

I’m also laughing that I didn’t even mention your name in my post above but you came here within seconds to whine. You’ve single-handedly made following Slaf completely shit.

Grow up

If you can’t handle opposing views maybe it is you who needs to grow up.

He’s looking really good lately. He wasnt looking great for a long stretch, but looks like that stretch is over.

Let’s get in the playoffs, maybe he will show his true value there.