Player Discussion Juraj Slafkovsky Discussion

[Cole Caulifield]

Perhaps but eventually they will need more than one line. You could put Demidov on the 1st line.

It will be Demidov's rookie season and judging from what I've seen he still needs to learn a few things defensively at the NHL level before being able to face the opposition's best lines like the Suz line is doing. I would prefer to have him in an exploitation role on the 1st PP and 2nd line with a solid 2nd line center to be named later. If we don't get that second line center then... that will not be ideal and all bets are off but I'd still not bump Slaf off the first line for him.

 

[Kennerback]

It will be Demidov's rookie season and judging from what I've seen he still needs to learn a few things defensively at the NHL level before being able to face the opposition's best lines like the Suz line is doing. I would prefer to have him in an exploitation role on the 1st PP and 2nd line with a solid 2nd line center to be named later. If we don't get that second line center then... that will not be ideal and all bets are off but I'd still not bump Slaf off the first line for him.

Demidov shouldn’t ever leave the #1 PP as right half wall one-timer. If Slaf was occupying that PP position and had nowhere else to go, Slaf should absolutely be bumped to the 2nd PP. But he’s not, it’s Caufield who has the wrong handedness.

MSL should make the hard decision to move either Caufield or Laine to the 2nd PP. Immediately. MSL needs to stop the p***yfooting.

 

[Kojo]

Demidov shouldn’t ever leave the #1 PP as right half wall one-timer. If Slaf was occupying that PP position and had nowhere else to go, Slaf should absolutely be bumped to the 2nd PP. But he’s not, it’s Caufield who has the wrong handedness.

MSL should make the hard decision to move either Caufield or Laine to the 2nd PP. Immediately. MSL needs to stop the p***yfooting.

Laine is done for the season, forget about it. Did you see his hand? You should stop the p***yfooting.

Demidov is still a work in progress, do you not watch the games? He's very bad defensively, still adjusting.

 

[Deebs]

Why do you guys worship Knies? Slafkovsky has more hits than Knies, 3x as many SOG and only one less point.

Similar TOI and Knies is 2 years older than Slaf.

Not sure worship is the right wording but I do like how Knies plays the game. It's just a personal preference....for me anyways. I don't think Slaf is terrible by any means. I believe the future has good things in store for him and the team.

 

[Kennerback]

Laine is done for the season, forget about it. Did you see his hand? You should stop the p***yfooting.

You’re much smarter than me if you know that a player practicing with the team today without a non-contact sweater is done for the season.

 

[Kojo]

Not sure worship is the right wording but I do like how Knies plays the game. It's just a personal preference....for me anyways. I don't think Slaf is terrible by any means. I believe the future has good things in store for him and the team.

I like Knies too but it's annoying to see his name come up so often. I would like to have both.

 

[Kojo]

You’re much smarter than me if you know that a player practicing with the team today without a non-contact sweater is done for the season.

Is Laine going to play next game? We're done then. Game over.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Demidov shouldn’t ever leave the #1 PP as right half wall one-timer. If Slaf was occupying that PP position and had nowhere else to go, Slaf should absolutely be bumped to the 2nd PP. But he’s not, it’s Caufield who has the wrong handedness.

MSL should make the hard decision to move either Caufield or Laine to the 2nd PP. Immediately. MSL needs to stop the p***yfooting.

I am not sure why you quoted my post to say that. I don't disagree with what you wrote. But to me Laine 2nd PP is obvious. Doesn't matter though, it won't be a decision we have to make until next year. And who knows if Laine will be back or not.

 

[Erika]

I do think hes gonna produce a bit more but overall, dont see him exploding into a 100 points guy is what Im saying.

There's a significant difference between a 50-60, 60-70 , 70-80 and 80-90 and 100+ points a year.

I don't how you evaluate players, but there's a tiers ranking even for wingers. Nobody talked about a 100 points player for Slafkovsky, but anywhere from 60 to 80 points a year is pretty reasonable to think about his potential. And each tier is quite a step higher in terms of skill level.

There's quite a difference between a Nino Niedereiter, a Timo Meier a Jake Guentzel and a David Pastrnak tier...

Slafkovsky has the potential to reach the Timo Meier and Jake Guentzel tier. His ultimate ceiling would be a Rantanen, but unlikely. A Pastrnak tier would be unreachable imo.

 

[LaP]

And how does Slaf compare to them?

@Kennerback see what I mean

He's doing fine. Better than some (Yakupov, Laf). On par with others (RNH) He's under the average that's for sure but pretending he is terrible is like trying to argue the earth is flat. He has to keep progressing but that's another topic.

 

[waitin425]

Imagine what this kid is going to look like when he is 24? Seasoned veteran by then. Finishing his 6th season. Mind blown.

Also....Hutson will be 24 at the same time.

Demidov will be 22

Suzuki 28

Caufield 27

Guhle 26

Reinbacher 23

Fowler 23

Hage 22

That is in the playoffs......not next year....not the year after....but the year after that. My god we are in for something special.

 

[Andrei79]

Slaf mooches 51 points off 70 point Cole, and 90 point Nick.

Knies contributes 58 points off of a 102 point Marner, and a 95 point pace Matthews.

I love how we play with narratives.

Yeah, the narratives have been all over the place. Can't talk about the rumors that surrounded Cozens and Michkov, but one random guy talks about Xhekaj and Slaf partying and everyone needs to investigate that truth. Its pretty ridiculous. There's even an implicit notion that the organization actually and finally developing their young players properly by putting them in positions to succeed, like putting them on the first line, is a bad thing, rather than a fantastic thing. It's a mind-numbing read. I also still have functioning eyes and even though Slaf hasn't consistently brought his A game, there are lot of parts of his game improving, mostly in the details and the playmaking. His defensive game has taken strides even if he does mistakes still. I'd like to see him stay in Brossard this summer with the development team though. I think that would make a big difference in his game as I'm not sure his offseason training is effective.

 

[the valiant effort]

‘Member a few months back when Slaf was going to be shipped out this summer because someone here saw Suzuki “ignoring” him on the bench? Good times.

 

[Kojo]

Not very impressed by Knies today. I don't know why you guys like him so much. Is he saving his energy for game 6?

Did Knies even skate back on the short-handed goal against? He looked so bad. The guy is playing with Matthews and Marner?

-3 and only one hit. I thought you guys said he was a power forward?

So he's basically like Slaf, except Slaf knows how to play hockey.

 

[Miller Time]

Yeah, the narratives have been all over the place. Can't talk about the rumors that surrounded Cozens and Michkov, but one random guy talks about Xhekaj and Slaf partying and everyone needs to investigate that truth. Its pretty ridiculous. There's even an implicit notion that the organization actually and finally developing their young players properly by putting them in positions to succeed, like putting them on the first line, is a bad thing, rather than a fantastic thing. It's a mind-numbing read. I also still have functioning eyes and even though Slaf hasn't consistently brought his A game, there are lot of parts of his game improving, mostly in the details and the playmaking. His defensive game has taken strides even if he does mistakes still. I'd like to see him stay in Brossard this summer with the development team though. I think that would make a big difference in his game as I'm not sure his offseason training is effective.

Will be interesting to see what adjustments he makes to his offseason prep. After the poor start this year, I'd be shocked if he isn't focused on making adjustments to improve his season start

 

[ahmedou]

 

[Jaaanosik]

None of these things require high IQ to be achieved.

High IQ Habs players: Demidov, Suzuki, Hutson.

Clearly you can see a difference between these guys and Slaf?

These last two posts is the type of post that makes the other side troll hard when he has a rougher game. Just no common ground, at all.

Slaf is a 10/10 player all around, really no weaknesses to his game.

Slaf's IQ level is the same as the guys you mentioned.
One example is the first PP goal from the last game.
Slaf's entry was perfect then transition to space where he scored from.
This does not happen if his IQ is not there, on the same level.
The biggest proof is how they play together.
The reason why the first line so good is because they have the same understanding of hockey!!!

Anybody saying otherwise has poor understanding of what hockey IQ is in my book.

 

[Egresch]

Will be interesting to see what adjustments he makes to his offseason prep. After the poor start this year, I'd be shocked if he isn't focused on making adjustments to improve his season start

I dont think there was any issue with his off-season training. I know it is a long time ago and people tend to forget, but he only spent like 6 games with Suzuki who was just horrible first month. Slaf actually had 7 pts in his first 8 games, but the whole line was not playing very well. Then MSL started to bump Slaf all over the lineup mianly playing with Dach who was the league worst center at the time. Literally destroyed all his self-confidence and it took him few games to recover that after he was moved back to 1st line.
If MSL stops fixing things which are not broken and keeps 1st line together, Slaf will be OK, the whole line will be OK. Hughes needs to find 2C.

 

[Jaaanosik]

Using Gretzky as an example. He was always tiny and weak, and was playing against 11 years old kids when he was 8. His hockey IQ developed to a point it became off the charts just to survive. I assume you can find similar stories in Demidov and Hutson’s upbringing. It’s part of them becoming brilliant.

Slaf never developed like this because he was always a monster. His hockey IQ never reached a superhuman level like the others. But he’s extremely skilled for a big man. These players become absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to play against in their mid-20s. Not because of his brain, but because of his size.

If Slaf's hockey IQ was not there he would be disrupting the first line.
The opposite is true.

 

[Jaaanosik]

...

This is all good and fine and part of non-linear development and nothing to get hung up on but it isn't reflected in your general comment "50 points at 19 and 20 years old when you’re 6’3, 220+ pounds is extremely impressive".

It appears to me your long post just above and other posts contradict this.

 

[CzarDemidov]

It appears to me your long post just above and other posts contradict this.

Didn’t you know everything with Slafkvosky is non-linear and unorthodox? He is improving leaps and bounds but on a quantum, non-Newtonian level. Simple stats don’t show his progress. I was simply too stupid and stunted to understand such advanced physics.

Since he is taller than 6’1, mathematical concepts like Goals + Assists don’t apply to him. If he scores 50 and the 51 points he has actually significantly improved, I just didn’t see it due to the aforementioned stupidity. If his SoG went down, it was not counted in the quantum realm where it actually went up.

 

[Andy]

If Slaf's hockey IQ was not there he would be disrupting the first line.
The opposite is true.

This is a great point. So obvious and basic that we overlook it.

 

[Jaaanosik]

This is a great point. So obvious and basic that we overlook it.

Right, how can a low IQ guy be a part of one of the best lines in the NHL since the break?
That does not make sense.

 

[Andy]

Right, how can a low IQ guy be a part of one of the best lines in the NHL since the break?
That does not make sense.

And they were also one of the best lines in the second half of last year as well!

 

[Jaaanosik]

Didn’t you know everything with Slafkvosky is non-linear and unorthodox? He is improving leaps and bounds but on a quantum, non-Newtonian level. Simple stats don’t show his progress. I was simply too stupid and stunted to understand such advanced physics.

Since he is taller than 6’1, mathematical concepts like Goals + Assists don’t apply to him. If he scores 50 and the 51 points he has actually significantly improved, I just didn’t see it due to the aforementioned stupidity. If his SoG went down, it was not counted in the quantum realm where it actually went up.

I am just pointing out, it appears, you are too hung up on...
Overanalyzing a lot.