Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[bcv]

Hes trash right now nobody can dispute that.

Aside from a few haters, the real debate is "hes fine in the NHL" and "get him in the AHL".

I feel like many do

IMO, he's shown enough already this year to say he's much improved compared to last year (low bar I know) but if he plays another few games like his Winnipeg game he should be sent to the AHL.

I'd love for him and Roy to play together and to bring them up together in the 2nd half of the season, if they deserved to be called up obviously.

 

[LesCanadiens]

People who are saying he's gonna be a quality nhler vs people saying he's trash already.

Who will be able to say "I told you so"? Stay tuned for the next episode of DBZ

I think there is a 3rd category. Those of us who don't know if he'll be either. But reserve final judgment for a couple years down the road. At this point, almost every 1st/2nd year player has bust potential.

 

[waffledave]

50 points is what his best years will look like.

 

[bcv]

I think there is a 3rd category. Those of us who don't know if he'll be either. But reserve final judgment for a couple years down the road. At this point, almost every 1st/2nd year player has bust potential.

Yes, but those people are not really active in the heated debat of this thread.

 

[Tabarouette]

Yes, but those people are not really active in the heated debat of this thread.

I think he's pretending that's the category he's in (he's not)

 

[Mrb1p]

Stop using Jack Hughes please. He never looked like Slaf. It was mostly a Caufield type of struggle. He was showing actual flashes of an elite skillset.

Just like Caufields struggles never looked like Slafs.

 

[Tabarouette]

the enlightened Slaf centrism

could be good, could be bad, I am very smart

 

[River Meadow]

Stop using Jack Hughes please. He never looked like Slaf. It was mostly a Caufield type of struggle. He was showing actual flashes of an elite skillset.

Just like Caufields struggles never looked like Slafs.

Joe Thornton

 

[Tabarouette]

Marchand turned into an 80+ points guy at age 29

Jiri Sekac is 31

i'm just saying, it COULD happen

also Drouin is 28

it COULD happen

let's discuss it in great length because those are relevant arguments

 

[admiralcadillac]

Its relevant only if you agree that the 100 examples at the opposite of Thornton are as relevant.

Yes Nolan, Thornton and Hughes are success stories. On the other end of the spectrum theres hundreds of names you could name.

It means nothing for Slaf, as Joe Thornton means nothing for Slaf.

By that logic neither do the failures you guys are so adamant in comparing to Slafkovsky.

 

[Jaynki]

You mean if he gets sent down to the AHL, right?

Surely you don't think he will score 40 to 50 points in the NHL this year?

Good one.

I would not bet on it honestly especially with the small data we have. I don't think it's impossible if he ends up close to 50 too. Dubois started his D+1 with 5 points in 25 games, and ended it with 43 points in the remaining 57.

But, i think its futile to cap anything right now or to expect a 50 points player in 5 years.

He is in his windows of maximum growth and its not unusual for player to breakout at some point.

I think on one hand he is fragile and play with timidity, as evidenced by the play when he was uncovered in the slot and passed it instead of ripping it.

But on the other hand, it might just be one spark away from unblocking. We will see.

He started his draft year in a similar fashion, he generated a lot of chances but was unproductive, was even more dangerous than Kemell overall who was killing the league early. He exploded offensively later on.

So like i said initially and its why i betted hard on him this season, he is entering his window of maximum growth and we can be totally amazed by how much and how fast he can improve. Just like we can sometimes be totally baffled about how rapidly an old vet can decline.

 

[SlafySZN]

This thread was pretty quiet during the pre-season and the very start of the season.

Easier to bash and troll.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Jaynki said he was ''on the cusp'' of a 50 point season already, and that we were all about the eat our words.

There is still 74 games, though, so ya never know.

I'm up to 50k (was at 12k) in my investments in the last year. So by that token I must be on the cusp of becoming a millionaire!! YAY!

 

[Tabarouette]

This thread was pretty quiet during the pre-season and the very start of the season.

Easier to bash and troll.

There was nothing to discuss when there was no hockey

Now there's a whole lot of atrocious Slaf plays to discuss, so we are discussing that

 

[Kennerback]

Oh, gawd. Read the article posted earlier to get MSL's opinion on Slaf. He's a 19 year old that had a rough game and was benched in the 3rd. Woopty-do. MSL benched several players in the 3rd. Shortened his bench, so what? Is that something unusual to you?

Unless he views Slaf as becoming an Armia type player. I would be very worried if I was MSL. You want I’m to drive the front of the net, shoot and get rebounds. What if his whole game since he’s been 10 years old has been predicated on never ever taking the puck to the slot. This facet seems very deep rooted. How can you turn that around in the pros from one day to the next?

 

[rahad]

Stop using Jack Hughes please. He never looked like Slaf. It was mostly a Caufield type of struggle. He was showing actual flashes of an elite skillset.

Just like Caufields struggles never looked like Slafs.

Thank you for the post. I keep seeing people comparing to Jack Hughes lol. They are completely different player with different skill set.

I'm not saying Slaf is going to bust. He could become a good 70pts in his prime. But, he is far from being in the same elite tier as Jack Hughes.

 

[TennisMenace]

He is wasting his time in the NHL….doesn’t look like he is learning a thing….taking up space And a roster spot. Send him to Laval please.

 

[DarcyWakaluk]

I thought I was pessimistic comparing him to Benoit Pouliot earlier this year, but now I have serious doubts he will ever reach that level...
Usually i'm someone really patient with prospects but with Slaf, I dunno, there's something seriously wrong, I see red flags all over the board.

 

[Kennerback]

Thank you for the post. I keep seeing people comparing to Jack Hughes lol. They are completely different player with different skill set.

I'm not saying Slaf is going to bust. He could become a good 70pts in his prime. But, he is far from being in the same elite tier as Jack Hughes.

A good offensive players that has 0 points on a given night, you go to see the stats and he’ll have 4-5-6 shots. Was very unlucky. That was the case with Caufield during his slump.

With Slaf, his whole offense is either attempting a puck-possession pass to a teammate who’s in no position to score. Or losing the puck in the process. Not much to build on.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

So like , when's the next presser and is somebody going to ask them WTF is slaf still doing in the NHL?

 

[LesCanadiens]

Its not unusual for bad players, no

Were getting there.

That's not the case nor was it ever the case. Coaches have shortened their bench of young players like him since time began. It's the first time it's happened this year from what I can tell. Seriously, no use in debating with anyone on any topic if they're always on the extreme end of the spectrum. All or nothing thinking. I don't see anyone saying Slafkovsky is a sure-fire anything. I just see a lot of good things with the hope he gains some consistency. And I believe that he's playing good enough to be on the team. That may change. It's a fluid situation.

 

[LesCanadiens]

A good offensive players that has 0 points on a given night, you go to see the stats and he’ll have 4-5-6 shots. Was very unlucky. That was the case with Caufield during his slump.

With Slaf, his whole offense is either attempting a puck-possession pass to a teammate who’s in no position to score. Or losing the puck in the process. Not much to build on.

What?? LOL..you're clearly seeing what you WANT to see. He's setup up his teammates many times in excellent scoring positions. Unless getting a perfect pass in front of a wide open net isn't an "excellent scoring position". No finish on the other end. IE, see Josh Anderson who has only 1 pt this season.

 

[FLHabs]

Slaf might be 6'4" 230lbs, but he obviously still doesn't have his "man" strength yet. I still think there's a high possibility he becomes physically dominant in a few years though. But like many others have said, he should be in the AHL rn to gain confidence, work on his O-game and speed of his decision making.

This is KK all over again, crazy how a completely different management team can do the same mistake in that short span of time.

 

[morhilane]

So like , when's the next presser and is somebody going to ask them WTF is slaf still doing in the NHL?

You missed this from yesterday (in French): https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2...omprend-juraj-slafkovsky-on-sassure-de-laider

Short version: MSL is satisfied with how Slaf is currently developing.

 

[LesCanadiens]

I think he's pretending that's the category he's in (he's not)

Pretending? LOL...so according to your "logic", there can only be 2 viewpoints, eh? Either Slaf is a star in the making, or he's an absolute bust.