Kudo Shinichi
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- Apr 20, 2012
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You had him 5th overall and yet you think it's a good scenario if he becomes a 40 pt player?
Player Discussion Juraj Slafkovsky, the high offensive potential edition.
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You had him 5th overall and yet you think it's a good scenario if he becomes a 40 pt player?
JohnTheBaptist
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Kotkaniemi did just fine in the AHL, little Claude Giroux absolutely dominated. There's many examples. Slafkovsky shouldn't have played more than 9 NHL games.
NORiculous
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Goldthorpe
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The word is that they wanted him to taste the NHL and understand what he needed to work on, and were thinking of sending him to Laval when he got injured.
I don't know if it's true but I don't see why we would disbelieve it either.
In my mind it really comes down to next camp. If he clearly evolves as a player than sure, bring him to the NHL again. But I would have absolutely no issue sending him in the AHL. With the glut of new rookie forwards coming to play next year, he could log a ton of icetime in Laval and develop chemistry with some of them. I would like to see him compete for a spot in Montreal on the same level as all these other forwards who will be just as hungry for icetime.
I don't know if it's true but I don't see why we would disbelieve it either.
In my mind it really comes down to next camp. If he clearly evolves as a player than sure, bring him to the NHL again. But I would have absolutely no issue sending him in the AHL. With the glut of new rookie forwards coming to play next year, he could log a ton of icetime in Laval and develop chemistry with some of them. I would like to see him compete for a spot in Montreal on the same level as all these other forwards who will be just as hungry for icetime.
NORiculous
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Weak draft?You had him 5th overall and yet you think it's a good scenario if he becomes a 40 pt player?
If he brings a bunch of other intangibles a little like Anderson, 40 pts would be a bit low for a 5th overall but what can you do.
Kudo Shinichi
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Weak draft or strong draft, getting a 40 pt player out of a top 15 pick would be extremely disappointing, let alone from a 1st overall pick.
Naslundforever
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I like his skating better than both when he is in motion and I’m afraid for his life when he eases up Lol… He’s got much better hands than both too. Unless he stopped getting good at 19 I don’t have a worry in the world.
He has to become a physical play driver, I don’t think we have another Suzuki here. 2-3 seasons he’ll only be 21 and learning the game. Habs don’t have playoff hopes or production as kpi’s as per the gm so no stress to give him exactly the minutes they want him to see.
I'd be curious to see a tally of top 15 picks (fwds only) from a 10 year draft window to see what % average more than 40pts... Say from 2008-2018 (to leave out the last 4-5drafts to avoid the early career group).
I honestly wonder if it would be more than 50% who average 40+pts... Figure at least 10-20% never become NHL regulars, and then how many end up as middle/bottom 6 with middling production?...
Kudo Shinichi
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Doesn't matter what %. There's always lot more players that bust than end up good. With a top 15 pick, you're drafting a player with top 6 talent and often 1st line talent. If all they end up is a 3rd liner, than they did not come close of reaching their potential, which is dissapointing.
The vast majority of late 1st picks don't become regular nhlers, does that make the career of McCarron, Scherbak, Tinordi, and Juulsen not dissapointing?
NORiculous
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I agree. I do think he was the wrong pick though. But in any event, I think the bigger odds are pointing toward that: 50ish guy. I wouldn’t be surprised anyway.
It’s possible he ends up a 60+ pts guy but I don’t think he will. I hope he does though.
Some people are more ready to believe that this is the worst draft in the history rather than seeing that Slaf has a worse D+1 season than several players selected after him. Good communication fromHuGo.
For me it s not a surprise, he is not better or worse than expected, let him time to play and develop (in the AHL in my opinion) and he could become a very good player. If he can become Rantanen that would be huge for the Habs, I doubt it because I don t see the same IQ but I am no pro scout and I hope that s what he becomes.
GrandBison
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A lot of promising young players have their development derailed by injuries. It's a neglected factor in "busting". Not every player is a freak of nature able to overcome healing process and still develop as a nhler.
You had him 5th overall and yet you think it's a good scenario if he becomes a 40 pt player?
Well, I hope he becomes a 40 pt player. And then we'll see where he goes from there. 40+ points or 0.5ppg is an important milestone for a player, IMO.
NORiculous
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I think it’s too late for that.
Last year was a key year that is lost. If ever Slaf did have the chance to reach Rantanen level (which I don’t think he did) most of that chance is gone just by losing a key year.
Certainly, if disappointment comes with any pick that fails to live up to the full potential they were drafted for is the threshold, then an NHLer averaging 40pts/season for a top 15 pick would fit...
But by that same definition, a 2nd, 3rd, 4th round picks et would also meet that description... the statement starts to lose any relevance with such a broad interpretation.
NORiculous
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I think 40 pts is a good target for him. Hopefully he reaches it quickly and can build to 50ish.
He missed part of a season. Are all the guys that lost a year due to Covid going to be duds??
Guess
Registered User
I hope that HuGo aren't neglecting hockey IQ when drafting because they believe it can be improved over time.
If Slaf can improve his IQ and awareness I'm sure he will be a beast because he has all the other tools, and a high compete level. Let's hope he reaches that point.
If Slaf can improve his IQ and awareness I'm sure he will be a beast because he has all the other tools, and a high compete level. Let's hope he reaches that point.
ginomini
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this is a bit extreme.... that's absolutely not how development works
JohnTheBaptist
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NORiculous
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He missed a full season IMO. 1/2 to injury and 1/2 being a spectator trying to follow the speed of the game.
But let’s say, for argument sake, you are right and it’s only 1/2 a season. How many 18y old can you think of, that lost 1/2 a season and still fully reached or overachieved their potential?
Rantanen has a much higher ceiling the any player in Slaf draft, except maybe Cooley and Kemell. ( I think Kemell has Rantanen potential. )
Breakfast of Champs
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Exactly, so many players continue to improve way past 19 or 20 , posters on here get so dramatic and act like this was an all or nothing year where he either developed or didn't , too many variables and too many differences among players to make any assumptions yet.
Let's just see where he is in 2-3 years before we write him off because he missed all of his "development window" , the idea is overblown and you can improve at any age , some players get better after 25, some never get any better after they make the NHL and everything in between..
NORiculous
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Key years are keys years. That is why players, almost always never, get better after 30 (depending of positions) . Forward key years are 18-25. Lose one and you have to play catch-up.
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