Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[StCaufield]

Yeah..... clown assessment. Move along.

Actually it’s a 100% accurate analysis. Sorry are you Slaf or something? Why are you so offended lol Jesus he’s been pathetic

 

[BergevinBurner]

He had a good first game. Then he's been absolute shit. Like think of the worst player you can think of and crank that a few notches.

Yea, outside of the first game he hasn't done anything to inspire confidence. He hasn't shown shooting, passing, playmaking or IQ that's above a 4th line level and he doesn't play with size at all.
It seems like he's always losing every battle he's in.

If he wasn't a 1st overall pick I'm confident there's a 0% chance he'd be in the NHL right now.

 

[Natey]

Actually it’s a 100% accurate analysis. Sorry are you Slaf or something? Why are you so offended lol Jesus he’s been pathetic

Nah, it's an opinion. And a wrong one at that.

 

[Habs 4 Life]

See what I meant yesterday? Another robbery by montembeault. Him and Allen decided to make huge saves and we'll end up drafting a f***ing 10th overall pick. it really sucks

KH and JG I remember saying that they wanted to use the approach of the NYR, The Rangers got Laff and Kakko at 1 and 2 overall but the best player drafted in the past few seasons for them is probably Schneider at 19th overall and Miller at 22.

I really think most of the success besides the picks that pan out, the rest will come via UFA or trades such as Dach and Newhook IMO

 

[Takeru]

If I was managenent I'd send him down now and bring up Roy for a trial. Our 2nd line is absolutely abysmal. Slaf and Anderson both have a single point and there doesn't appear to be any chemistry at all.

Roy might be able to give a spark to that line to get it going and Slaf might be able to start scoring more than once a month if he's in Laval.

Not a fan of bringing Roy up to compensate for Slaf's underperformance.
I don't think the burden of sparking up our 2nd line should fall on the 20yo rookie who's 7 games into his first pro season in the AHL. If it doesn't work, then he's sent down, this kind of yoyo stuff is how you can end up messing up a player's confidence.

I vote for both in the AHL for at least 1/2 season of solid play before you consider bringing them up.

 

[Tabarouette]

Suzuki - Cole already have way too many wasted shifts for my taste, not to shit on them but they get completely shut down too often, so bogging them down with this guy is an absolute no for me until he can stop passing the puck to the opponents

 

[WeThreeKings]

Suzuki - Cole already have way too many wasted shifts for my taste, not to shit on them but they get completely shut down too often, so bogging them down with this guy is an absolute no for me until he can stop passing the puck to the opponents

The real thing is that Caufield-Suzuki chemistry is completely over-stated.. and that them as a duo isn't a thing that should be set in stone.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

When will Slaf record his 2nd point? Funny, how things have changed since game 1 where sone were throwing a victory party

Losing Kirby Dach will have that affect. Just a killer loss for us and Slaf.

 

[Bushero]

Could you please stop talking about "touches". I know Genius St. Louis pulled that word out of his sleeve when he couldn't come up with anything else. You don't have to repeat it. It's embarrassing.

 

[Habs 4 Life]

mtl wont have the same luck as NYR as to signing Fox and Panarin the same year. Mtl needs to draft 2 high end forwards to succeed, i dont believe this will last. By christmas i expect habs to be dead last in Atlantic as where they should be

The point also was that you don't need to draft 1st overall every year to be succesful

 

[WeThreeKings]

Slaf is not to blame for unreasonable expectations of other people. Even McKenzie's scouts agreed that they didn't see a sure fire 1st line forward in the draft but Slaf was the most likely to be that down the line.

 

[Deebs]

Don’t worry for me, i can take some without any problems. Im used to deal with stupid.

It’s just atrocious that some fans are already regretting the pick, calling him bust, terrible, etc. People want to rebuild but want every first overall pick to be amazing 48 games into his career. Guess what, it’s doesn’t happen this way. You want a rebuild? Give them time to develop their games ffs, in junior, ahl or nhl. They aren’t all generational talent.

Personally I like Slaf aka Manny from Scarface and his attributes. I just think there is absolutely no need to rush him and he should be playing in Laval. He should've been there last year and he should be there this year. There is zero harm in letting a guy marinate in the A, building upon his skill set and confidence before becoming an everyday NHL'er, which he will eventually become. He looks so lost it's got to be weighing on him mentally. He is doing some good things, but he's also making way too many mistakes that just shouldn't be done by a top 6 player. I know politics plays a part in decision making, but if they can do it with Roy, do it with Slaffy. Those two could be making some sweet sweet music together.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[themilosh]

His last chance at truly developing? He’s done at 19 with 50 nhl games under his belt?

Let’s take old yeller Slaf to the back woodshed at this point.

context... Slaf is borderline NHL player atm, which is amazing as a 19yo, but starting the season with 1A thru 8 games, being at the bottom of the team stats list is not good for his development. He needs to get points to feel like he is contributing (every Forward does).. Dach was his ticket to a great year, to develop chemistry with a core player.
I'd rather him play prime minutes in the AHL while getting his swagger back.

 

[beowulf]

Slaf is not to blame for unreasonable expectations of other people. Even McKenzie's scouts agreed that they didn't see a sure fire 1st line forward in the draft but Slaf was the most likely to be that down the line.

In the end the Habs picked the wrong year to hit rock bottom...had they done it last season would have been nicer.

 

[admiralcadillac]

context... Slaf is borderline NHL player atm, which is amazing as a 19yo, but starting the season with 1A thru 8 games, being at the bottom of the team stats list is not good for his development. He needs to get points to feel like he is contributing (every Forward does).. Dach was his ticket to a great year, to develop chemistry with a core player.
I'd rather him play prime minutes in the AHL while getting his swagger back.

I would’ve put Slaf in the AHL last year personally. I am in agreement that I would rather him there.

I am suspicious that there is a reason why he isn’t down there, I trust the coaching staff to make that determination. I don’t believe Saint-St-Louis would be shy of doing that.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Had him at 9 going into the draft, Hutson at 10. Crazy that I'd drop him in a redraft if anything.

 

[Miller Time]

context... Slaf is borderline NHL player atm, which is amazing as a 19yo, but starting the season with 1A thru 8 games, being at the bottom of the team stats list is not good for his development. He needs to get points to feel like he is contributing (every Forward does).. Dach was his ticket to a great year, to develop chemistry with a core player.
I'd rather him play prime minutes in the AHL while getting his swagger back.

Do you have the clip, sound byte or example of him "not feeling like he's contributing"?

of his coaches suggesting that?

Reading into his feelings/state of mind by looking at his stat line is an interesting skill... You could probably make a killing as a sports psychologist with that ability!

 

[Mrb1p]

had him at 9 in the draft? How many players have you scouted internationally to come to that conclusion? the 1000 professionnal scouts all had Slaf top 3, some Wright 1st. Cooley was looking like a better choice, a safer choice, but we're used to mtl doing the opposite

I had him 6th personally. Slaf never solidified himself at number one.

Do you have the clip, sound byte or example of him "not feeling like he's contributing"?

of his coaches suggesting that?

Reading into his feelings/state of mind by looking at his stat line is an interesting skill... You could probably make a killing as a sports psychologist with that ability!

I mean Marty has benched him three games in a row now.

 

[KevSkillz4]

Had him at 9 going into the draft, Hutson at 10. Crazy that I'd drop him in a redraft if anything.

At least Habs did a great job with Beck, Hutson and Engstrom pick. I think they all are going to be a great NHL'ers. Hutson potential to be a star player.

I believe in Slaf potential, he need to play at Laval to produce. He have great flashes, he have the tools to become a dominant player. We all need to be patient, they wanted the best player in 5 years... so we need to be patient with Slaf. He have the talent, attitude and already the two-way ability to succeed.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

I know at least one here who had him pre draft:
@WeThreeKings

Myself had Wright. However, if Montreal was going to rush anyone they picked to NHL, don't think it matters. No one was NHL ready from that draft and even if they picked Cooley, don't think he'd be as effective today did he not get an year to dismantle NCAA.

I was a Nemec guy, though I dropped Jiricek based on uncertainty surrounding his injury.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

had him at 9 in the draft? How many players have you scouted internationally to come to that conclusion? the 1000 professionnal scouts all had Slaf top 3, some Wright 1st. Cooley was looking like a better choice, a safer choice, but we're used to mtl doing the opposite

Plenty. Him getting hot during watered down international tournaments didn't do much to overshadow him being thoroughly underwhelming throughout the year in his pro league. I saw someone with decent skill, not much of a head for the game, who didn't use his frame the way he could.

I saw a player who, if everything hit right, could be a lesser Landeskog-type, 70 points with the right linemates if he was developed properly.

What I saw as the most likely scenario was a Bickell-type who would ideally play in the middle six, maybe playing greater minutes in the playoffs once the checking got tighter.

I hope to god he becomes the first one, but I thought, and still think, it is the less likely scenario between the two.

Again, if he hits he's a very valuable player, I just didn't care for the toolbox he possessed (and still don't).

 

[OnTheRun]

I had him 6th personally. Slaf never solidified himself at number one.

No one solidified himself as number one in 2022... That's the whole story of this draft. The dude that was expected to go #1 for three freaking years, lost his footing during his D0.

I mean Marty has benched him three games in a row now.

That's not accurate to say Slaf, specifically, is getting benched.
he had the same number of shifts as Newhook/Wonderson in the third period against VGK.
he had the same number of shifts as Newhook and one less than Pony (somehow) in the third period against the Jets.
And once again had the same number of shifts as Newhook and one less than the mule in the third period against CBJ.

The line isn't doing well, so they get limited usage late in the game.

 

[Mrb1p]

No one solidified himself as number one in 2022... That's the whole story of this draft. The dude that was expected to go #1 for three freaking years, lost his footing during his D0.



That's not accurate to say Slaf, specifically, is getting benched.
he had the same number of shifts as Newhook/Wonderson in the third period against VGK.
he had the same number of shifts as Newhook and one less than Pony (somehow) in the third period against the Jets.
And once again had the same number of shifts as Newhook and one less than the mule in the third period against CBJ.

The line isn't doing well, so they get limited usage late in the game.

I agree with the first statement.

The latter is clearly benching. Hes the only one that hasnt played OT, he had like 3 shifts in the 3rd period of the last two games, whereas his linemates played at least 50 seconds more in that period.

 

[Kennerback]

No one solidified himself as number one in 2022... That's the whole story of this draft. The dude that was expected to go #1 for three freaking years, lost his footing during his D0.



That's not accurate to say Slaf, specifically, is getting benched.
he had the same number of shifts as Newhook/Wonderson in the third period against VGK.
he had the same number of shifts as Newhook and one less than Pony (somehow) in the third period against the Jets.
And once again had the same number of shifts as Newhook and one less than the mule in the third period against CBJ.

The line isn't doing well, so they get limited usage late in the game.

Anderson is getting pucks to the net, he’ll break out. Slaf is a whole other story:
# of Slaf goals this season at Caufield’s 13% shooting: 1 goal
# of games to reach 10 goals at Caufield’s shooting %: 82 games

 

[OnTheRun]

I agree with the first statement.

The latter is clearly benching. Hes the only one that hasnt played OT, he had like 3 shifts in the 3rd period of the last two games, whereas his linemates played at least 50 seconds more in that period.

He has the same number of shifts as his linemates (Andy tend to get one more than the other two), so the time difference is just the other stretching their shifts. It's the entire line getting limited usage in the 3rd, not Slaf specifically.