Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[Walrus26]

Despite his size, the strength disparity between him and experienced vets in the 210+ lbs category is very apparent.

The speed of the NHL game is still, most of the time, too fast for him at the moment.

If Laval was a good team, I'd be closer to the "send him down to marinate" viewpoint. But it isn't and I'm not.

He's at least learned to keep his head up this season. He needs the reps, on the ice and in the gym, so let the growing pains continue. It's not as if we're gunning for the cup this year, after all.

Some of the toxicity in certain recent GDTs has been eye-opening :-(

 

[Doc5]

Patience guys. Yes, watching him play is painful and when you realize he was our first overall pick, it hurts. Take a look at Kotkaniemi this year to realize why patience is important.

Agree with many that seeing him develop in the AHL along with Roy would be ideal.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Tell you the truth, I don't have a problem with Gorton. There's more to being a "GM" than just prospects...

But Bobrov is the architect behind the Rangers abysmal choices: a couple of good hits, but high euro preference that were scratchers. Not blaming him on Kakko and Laf, I can't know if he had a hand in developmental choices afterwards. But if he pitched Kakko to the pro scouts come season time like his pitch to our staff on the Slaf choice... you kinda feel like you need to keep him up.

I won't lie, I can't digest his hiring. The prospect pool of the Rangers as always been a problem and we turn around and sign him.

And from what I've heard, the leading voice to avoid Michkov.

 

[Jack Skellington]

i think he has the tools to be a really good NHL'er but what worries me is that it looks like he doesn't wanna be near the puck, and that's mental (Drouin PTSD)

It seems like he breathes a sigh of relief every time he can get tf off the ice

 

[Takeru]

It was dim as f*** to bring Slafkovsky to the NHL. They burned a year off his ELC when they could have had him develop and mature in LIIGA.

The only bright side is that maybe they learned their mistake with Reinbacher. But that price is needlessly high.

There was an article on the matter during camp. Seemed like coping at its finest at the time and only aged like vinegar since then.

In essence, it said something about how the aspects Slaf needed to improve were very different than those of Reinbacher. And they didn't trust Liiga would have Slaf work on his deficiencies, while in Reinbacher's case he mostly needed physical maturity so sending him back couldn't screw this up. Mostly garbage take but what do you expect.

Either way, I'm not suscribing to the idea that mgmt learned from last year mistake. If they truly did, Slaf would be in the AHL at the moment.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Patience guys. Yes, watching him play is painful and when you realize he was our first overall pick, it hurts. Take a look at Kotkaniemi this year to realize why patience is important.

Agree with many that seeing him develop in the AHL along with Roy would be ideal.

Kotkaniemi scored 40 points as an 18 year old and will likely round out to a 50-60 point player.

I can't wait to see what 10 point slaf develops into

 

[Nedved]

I really think he should be playing with Monahan. Newhook Monahan Slaf. Newhook at center experiment should be over. He needs a Monahan/Dach type of center to grow. Otherwise, just send him to Laval.

 

[Lshap]

And YES it matters who he plays with.

Yeah, better linemates would give Slafkovsky more opportunities, but the concern is he's not making the right decisions once those opportunities arrive on his stick.

 

[Kennerback]

Slaf’s speed is sufficient for offence,. His stickhandling is pretty good. He can make long accurate outlet passes.

One of his downsides is getting open to receive a pass, but we’re talking about creating puck possessions and offensive opportunities, the absolute least of his worries. Gaining puck possession is useless for him right now.

Puck possession means only one thing for Slaf: Finding a passing target to maintain puck possession. He shuns shooting opportunities and stepping into breakout lanes like if they’re the plague.

 

[waffledave]

I really think he should be playing with Monahan. Newhook Monahan Slaf. Newhook at center experiment should be over. He needs a Monahan/Dach type of center to grow. Otherwise, just send him to Laval.

Monahan is playing great why would we ruin that by saddling him with this sack of shit?

 

[DAChampion]

Monahan is playing great why would we ruin that by saddling him with this sack of shit?

Harsh?

 

[Kennerback]

Yeah, better linemates would give Slafkovsky more opportunities, but the concern is he's not making the right decisions once those opportunities arrive on his stick.

Watching a Slaf shift is watching the 5 other forwards on the ice hungry to score and Slaf wandering aimlessly with the puck looking happy to be on for the ride.

 

[nhlfan9191]

I really think he should be playing with Monahan. Newhook Monahan Slaf. Newhook at center experiment should be over. He needs a Monahan/Dach type of center to grow. Otherwise, just send him to Laval.

It sounds good in theory to play Slafkovsky with the best players on the team, but in reality every player and coach has their own motivations when they’re playing and having a kid whose currently a boat anchor offensively on their line isn’t going to make anyone happy. They’re waiting for Slaf to show more but he hasn’t.

 

[Takeru]

Slaf has nice upside but I still question how he is being handled.

That sums up most concerns regarding Slaf right now.

Want to draft a project that has all the tools to become on of the best in the long term rather than look the best right out the gates? Sure, I'm all up for it.

Proceed to insert alleged project in the lineup at 18yo for debatable reasons. Yeah, we'll give it a shot I guess.

Let him rot on the 3rd line with almost zero PP time and average TOI of 10-12min. Ehhhhhh I'm off this train.

Unless there's some occult secret development technique going on behind closed doors, it just seems we're repeating the mistakes of the past. Which is why an increasing number are voicing concerns regarding the alleged development plan.

 

[Scriptor]

Too bad Anderson isn't Renberg.

Slafkovsky - Monahan - Anderson could've been a Legion of Doom lite. Instead, it would be a Legion of Doom Ultra-lite. Just not good enough.

While Slafkovsky's speed would match that of Caufield and Suzuki, it's too early, IMO, to unite those three players on the same line. Slafkovsky just isn't reading the play well enough in his own zone to match up against the opponents' top lines consistently.

Actually, I'm not even sure if it is a read the play problem in hi sown zone, rather than a commitment to the play down there?

Slafkovsky seemed to work with Dach, but it was still a shorter sample size. Suspect that Newhook plays a certain way and doesn't adapt to the players on his line as a C. It worksiithanderson,another speed demon and Newhook could well be good as a pivot on a 3rd line of RHP-Newhook-Anderson?

The problem is that, should we go that way with the 3rd line with Dach down, we still lack a top-6 player, even if we bring up Roy and agree that Slafkovsky is being nurtured as a top-6 player. and not there yet.

There in skilled depth in the Habs' system, even if it lacks elite skill, just not enough of that skilled depth to fill a roster as required when the skill level is not elite.

Basically, to help bring Slafkovsky along at the NHL level, we would need to leave there Caufield-suzuki duo out to dry, unless Newhook, the last option with those two, somehow works out, despite the size lacking on that line.

If Slafkovsky - Monahan - Newhook/Anderson works out once Dvorak is back in the lineup, and we think Roy can graduate to the NHL, we could see such a lineup that would at least put a high hockey IQ player with Caufield and Suzuki:

Caufield - Suzuki - Roy
Slafkovsky - Monahan - Newhook/Anderson
RHP - Dvorak/Newhook - Anderson/Ylonen
Pearson - Evans - Gallagher

That sums up most concerns regarding Slaf right now.

Want to draft a project that has all the tools to become on of the best in the long term rather than look the best right out the gates? Sure, I'm all up for it.

Proceed to insert alleged project in the lineup at 18yo for debatable reasons. Yeah, we'll give it a shot I guess.

Let him rot on the 3rd line with almost zero PP time and average TOI of 10-12min. Ehhhhhh I'm off this train.

Unless there's some occult secret development technique going on behind closed doors, it just seems we're repeating the mistakes of the past. Which is why an increasing number are voicing concerns regarding the alleged development plan.

We'll let the readers determine that. You don't need to try to validate your opinion that way. It should hold upon its own merits.

 

[Takeru]

We'll let the readers determine that. You don't need to try to validate your opinion that way. It should hold upon its own merits.

Not the intent. I was merely stating a trend I'm noticing, you don't need to go back many pages to see about 1/2 posts are clamoring for him to be sent down. Don't remember there being as many in the earlier stages of this thread but haven't done a rigorous analysis on the matter, just my hunch.

 

[waffledave]

Not even sure he would dominate in juniors. He wouldn't be bad, but he wouldn't dominate. Certainly not the AHL. He's big, that's all he has that's above average. His shot is average. His strength is average. His skating is below average. His high end skill is average. Playmaking is average. He has no qualities that show he has the potential to be a dominant player at any level. It was a botched pick, nobody had him at 1st overall until a few weeks before the draft.

 

[Sorinth]

Let him rot on the 3rd line with almost zero PP time and average TOI of 10-12min. Ehhhhhh I'm off this train.

Unless there's some occult secret development technique going on behind closed doors, it just seems we're repeating the mistakes of the past. Which is why an increasing number are voicing concerns regarding the alleged development plan.

Well he's not getting 10-12 minutes of ice time, he's over 14 minutes a game and is 5th on the team for forwards in terms of even strength time on ice. So he's very clearly on the 2nd line, and 1:48 of PP time a game is not almost zero, it's pretty much standard for 2nd wave guys. He's on the 2nd line with 2nd wave PP.

And if you track his ice time over his career so far he's steadily gotten more and more ice time which is not only exactly what they said they would do (Start him slow and give him more responsibility as time went on, but is the opposite of what we did with guys like Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi who barely got any increase in ice time/role outside of being injury replacements.

 

[Scriptor]

Not the intent. I was merely stating a trend I'm noticing, you don't need to go back many pages to see about 1/2 posts are clamoring for him to be sent down. Don't remember there being as many in the earlier stages of this thread but haven't done a rigorous analysis on the matter, just my hunch.

I think it might have helped to send Slafkovsky down if Mesar had hung with the AHL team. Helped both players.

Right now, I see the use intending Slafkovsky if he gets top minutes in every game situation imaginable, but not if that means calling up player like Roy in his place. Slafkovsky should develop chemistry with Roy in Laval because, if they do, they could well be line mates in Montreal later. like next year, with Dach as their C.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Can be said about many habs players

Can be said about literally every player. No one finishes all of their plays or even most of them.

 

[Riggins]

Last 23 games: 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point. 21 shots. Also 1 goal in his last 38 games and it was shot into a wide open net.

This development path is seriously screwed up. I'm very concerned they picked a brainless player. Lots of dummies have had successful careers but that probably means he needs to play a power game and shoot a lot and he seems allergic to both right now.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Are we going to point the finger at development when this kid has shown zero indication of being a top end talent? It's f***ing mindblowing that scouts watched him play and thought he'd be a good nhler

 

[Riggins]

Are we going to point the finger at development when this kid has shown zero indication of being a top end talent? It's f***ing mindblowing that scouts watched him play and thought he'd be a good nhler

Let's just say I'd rather have any of the next five guys picked after him for sure but they aren't doing him any favours putting the spotlight on him in the Habs lineup.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Let's just say I'd rather have any of the next five guys picked after him for sure but they aren't doing him any favours putting the spotlight on him in the Habs lineup.

I mean maybe his confidence is so shot we don't even recognize the actual player right now. But this whole NHL experiment with him has to end for now. If only for the fact that there has to be way more deserving players to take his spot.

"now you will go to sleep, or I will put you to sleep"

 

[RationalExpectations]

Are we going to point the finger at development when this kid has shown zero indication of being a top end talent? It's f***ing mindblowing that scouts watched him play and thought he'd be a good nhler

He is a polarizing talent. It is quite rare to have such diverging opinions on a player. Especially regarding IQ, evaluations ranged from low to elite. The consensus of scouts had him at 1OA and anyway top 5 but consensus usually lead to herding behaviour.