Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[OpenIceHit]

I love the kid but he looks a bit lost out there. He's only 19 so patience is needed. However I was expecting improvement from him since he looked decent during pre-season. Let's hope he can turn it around quickly and start progressing nicely. If not, AHL may be the solution at this point.

 

[Jeune Poulet]

He's not bad out there.. he's a mixed bag.

His shifts are either glimpses of things that you want to see long term and equate a very good player.
Average and uneventful.
Or bad turn-overs with a lack of focus/execution not uncommon for a young player.

Holy copium... glimpses? You're holding on to that?

Slafkovsky is unequivocally not NHL calibre at this point. He doesn't belong here. Hence, he is "bad". I know that for some weird reason, you thought it was a good idea for him to start the year in the NHL but it wasn't. He's not cutting it.

He and the Habs will be better served long term if he is sent to the AHL, so that there is an attempt to salavge the mess that's been made. There is some raw talent there, and obviously he was blessed with great size. Let's see him earn ice time against a more reasonable level of competition.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

We want your list for the archives

I've posted it before but I'll put it below again (this was at draft time):

Nemec
Cooley
Wright
Jiricek (injuries)
Mintyukov
Lekkerimaki
Kasper
Slafkovsky
Gauthier
Hutson

I was actually incorrect, I had Slaf at 8 rather than 9. Still, point stands. Definitely looking foolish for the Wright above Jiricek pick (although I'd have had an injury-less Jiricek at 1).

 

[DarcyWakaluk]

Usually number 1 pick overall have at least one 'Elite' skill.

What's the 'elite skill' of Slafkovsky exactly? i'm still looking for it since he was drafted... (being big and tall is not a skill btw)

 

[Jaynki]

Slafkovsky is unequivocally not NHL calibre at this point. He doesn't belong here.

Based on what?

Many advanced stats suggest he is NHL caliber.

Notably, he is 8th in the league for puck battle won and he was first on the team for scoring chance of the offensive cycle. (Just a perspective on the latter, most of our offensive chances have come from the rushes tho.)

I think its fair, although meaningless, to grieve about how weak of a 1st overall we got, relative to historical 1st pick. Maybe we can argue if he should have played AHL last year.

But apart from unproductivity, nothing suggest he is not NHL caliber. Maybe you meant top 6 caliber?

 

[Mrb1p]

Based on what?

Many advanced stats suggest he is NHL caliber.

Notably, he is 8th in the league for puck battle won and he was first on the team for scoring chance of the offensive cycle. (Just a perspective on the latter, most of our offensive chances have come from the rushes tho.)

I think its fair, although meaningless, to grieve about how weak of a 1st overall we got, relative to historical 1st pick. Maybe we can argue if he should have played AHL last year.

But apart from unproductivity, nothing suggest he is not NHL caliber. Maybe you meant top 6 caliber?

This is just propaganda. Youve been called out yesterday for this. Stop.

 

[Jaynki]

This is just propaganda. Youve been called out yesterday for this. Stop.

Propaganda. They are stats. They are facts. You do what you want with them.

Also, Slafkovsky has more shot attemps than RHP, who is Suzuki and Cole linemate, and also more shot on goal. Curiously.

He also has a corsi of 51% which rank 8th on the team.

That does not scream does not belong in the NHL. Does it?

 

[OnTheRun]

Usually number 1 pick overall have at least one 'Elite' skill.

What's the 'elite skill' of Slafkovsky exactly? i'm still looking for it since he was drafted... (being big and tall is not a skill btw)

Not a single player from that draft demonstrated they could make a career riding that one "elite" skill, usually it's kinda true, it's just wasn't the case for that crop.

Slaf appeal came from the mix of everything he have (that include size, obviously) and he really need to put it all together to become the guy he was projected to be (in the NHL).

 

[DarcyWakaluk]

Propaganda. They are stats. They are facts. You do what you want with them.

Also, Slafkovsky has more shot attemps than RHP, who is Suzuki and Cole linemate, and also more shot on goal. Curiously.

He also has a corsi of 51% which rank 8th on the team.

That does not scream does not belong in the NHL. Does it?

because 'fancy' stats says so...

if you insist, yeah they look pretty horrible

 

[Jaynki]

because 'fancy' stats says so...

if you insist, yeah they look pretty horrible

View attachment 760908

I dont think those are "advanced stats" tho. How do Bacon arrives to those calculation? I am not familiar with this model. Is it done in a similar fashion than NHLe like Bader models? (Those are worthless)

If i remember correctly, Caufield looked like dogshit in those too.

 

[StCaufield]

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

Sorry I forgot he’s our best player. It’s not an opinion. Eyes are literal if you know how to play hockey. Doesn’t mean he won’t pan out. At this moment though he’s a ghost and if you see him he acts like he just saw a ghost

 

[Jeune Poulet]

Based on what?

Many advanced stats suggest he is NHL caliber.

Notably, he is 8th in the league for puck battle won and he was first on the team for scoring chance of the offensive cycle. (Just a perspective on the latter, most of our offensive chances have come from the rushes tho.)

We can cherry pick specific data but the eye test shows this guy is hanging in there by a tread.

He looks like a random, emergency American league call-up.

He's been, overall, one of the worse forwards we've had. You get the sense that a bubble player like Pezzetta is much more aware and in control than Slafkovsky and knows how to impact a game.

I think its fair, although meaningless, to grieve about how weak of a 1st overall we got, relative to historical 1st pick. Maybe we can argue if he should have played AHL last year.

But apart from unproductivity, nothing suggest he is not NHL caliber. Maybe you meant top 6 caliber?

When one of your worse forward is also one of your most talented forward, and he is 19, you should put him in a different situation.

Damn right he should have been in the AHL last year but it's not to late to correct that mistake. At this point, they just need to swallow their pride, make him swallow his, and send him down.

And I shouldn't have to point it out, but this is not a slight on Slafkovsky. It was a poor year and he is very raw and not exactly oozing with superstar skills, but there is something to develop there.

It is to the benefit of all to send him down. I've said that in another thread but players in a locker room aren't dupe. They know when they have to carry the load of undeserving players for too long and aren't fond of it.

 

[LesCanadiens]

Calling his performance a “mixed bag” or “very impressive” or “as expected” is lacking objectivity and being partisan. Your words have no credibility if you state he’s performed as expected.

Ha! Case and point about credibility. Nice try taking my "very impressive" comments (about some of his plays) way out of context to suit your narrative. Nothing else you posted above is worthy of a response from me. I don't usually put posters on ignore. But I'll make an exception as clearly twisting my words is bottom-feeding stuff.

 

[Redux91]

Usually number 1 pick overall have at least one 'Elite' skill.

What's the 'elite skill' of Slafkovsky exactly? i'm still looking for it since he was drafted... (being big and tall is not a skill btw)

Ok so what's Owen Power's then?

 

[Habs]

Poor Slaf has to go play the guy we should have drafted

I hope Kent feels nothing but pain watching Cooley dance around the ice, I hope his scouts suffer the sadness of watching another failed draft pick go by while the fans cringe everytime Slaf falls down and they bring up his Olympic stats and cooking skills to make the team feel better.

Good times, maybe @OldCraig71 will stay awake for the first period or something.

 

[Jaynki]

We can cherry pick specific data but the eye test shows this guy is hanging in there by a tread.

He looks like a random, emergency American league call-up.

He's been, overall, one of the worse forwards we've had. You get the sense that a bubble player like Pezzetta is much more aware and in control than Slafkovsky and knows how to impact a game.


When one of your worse forward is also one of your most talented forward, and he is 19, you should put him in a different situation.

Damn right he should have been in the AHL last year but it's not to late to correct that mistake. At this point, they just need to swallow their pride, make him swallow his, and send him down.

And I shouldn't have to point it out, but this is not a slight on Slafkovsky. It was a poor year and he is very raw and not exactly oozing with superstar skills, but there is something to develop there.

It is to the benefit of all to send him down. I've said that in another thread but players in a locker room aren't dupe. They know when they have to carry the load of undeserving players for too long and aren't fond of it.

I wont counter argue your point, i think they are valid and i see the linearity of seeing Slaf producing in the AHL then coming up and having an immediate impact in the NHL.

I want to highlights another perspective because i don't think Slaf is let to himself right now and have to learn everything right now like a fish in a sea of sharks. I will base my upcoming point on Basu article in the summer and the recent interview of MSL with lapresse.ca

It appears they have a clear, defined plan for Slaf where at certain point in his development he will be brought to other stages. Hughes mentioned last year that they had specific objectives for him, unrelated to point production, and that Slaf met those threshold.

Obviously those thing are private and we will never have the details. I believe alot of emphasis are put on puck touches and Slaf has doubled them from last year on a per/60 basis.

Is it the right way to develop? Will it yield the desired result? Is it even trending in a direction?

I will simply say that in the current situation, i am more confident than i would if it was done behind MT/MB.

At the end of the day, the organisation will be tributary of their decision and result only will dictate the conclusion. Failing a 1st overall pick would be a major black spot but i think we might be going a bit too fast herw right now.

 

[FLHabs]

I'm hoping for either of these two scenarios for Thursday's game.

Either Slaf shows up big time against Cooley to confirm why he went 1st overall, or Cooley completely outplays Slaf and gives HuGo the reality check they needed to send Slaf to the AHL

 

[Habs]

I'm hoping for either of these two scenarios for Thursday's game.

Either Slaf shows up big time against Cooley to confirm why he went 1st overall, or Cooley completely outplays Slaf and gives HuGo the reality check they needed to send Slaf to the AHL

Kent won't, because that will verify he and his scouting staff are as inept as Bergy and his homies. This crew is just as tight as the last one, there will be no accountability for failed draft picks and development.

 

[Miller Time]

Do you need a definition of what benching means in hockey? Or can we stop being purposely obtuse.

Such thin skin for such strong opinions lol

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I dont think those are "advanced stats" tho. How do Bacon arrives to those calculation? I am not familiar with this model. Is it done in a similar fashion than NHLe like Bader models? (Those are worthless)

If i remember correctly, Caufield looked like dogshit in those too.

Any model saying that Slaf has looked good is worthless. He hasn’t.

 

[Koivu11]

He won’t beat his 10 point season from last year if he keeps performing at this rate.

He looks like a player who clearly doesn’t belong. Averaging 14 mins, 1 shot per game, 1assist, behind the play for most of those 14 minutes. The odd nice pass here and there, but ultimately not very good. He looks like a much worse Richard Zednik atm.

There’s no reason to keep him up now other than stubbornness and refusing to admit you’ve made a mistake. I still think he will be a good player down the road. Not a player you pick 1OA, but a good player. If they keep this up, I worry that that is unlikely too.

At this point I’d be happy if he turned into a prime Zednik.

Not exactly a high bar.

 

[Natey]

Sorry I forgot he’s our best player. It’s not an opinion. Eyes are literal if you know how to play hockey. Doesn’t mean he won’t pan out. At this moment though he’s a ghost and if you see him he acts like he just saw a ghost

Why are you posting here instead of GMing the next hockey champion? Your opinions are clearly facts, so you should stop wasting your time with us measly folk.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

At this point I’d be happy if he turned into a prime Zednik.

Not exactly a high bar.

I think he could be a 30/30 guy if everything goes right. Although I’m starting to question if that ceiling is at all realistic. His body and skillset don’t really jive imo, he doesn’t protect the puck, drive the net or do any of the things you would expect to see a big guy do.

Most of the intrigue is the unique size and skill combo, but his size has been a complete non factor imo. He doesn’t know how to use it. I don’t think he will learn in his 20’s. His play style will be hard to change and I don’t think a 6’4” 230 lb perimeter 20 goal scorer is any more valuable than a 5’10” one.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

i dont even mind the slaf pick , this development is ridiculous tho.

the organisation is so dumb its embarassing. Same mistake with KK.

Not to mention unlucky , picking a 50 point forward at 1st overall in a weak draft would sting less if the year after we didn't miss on 3 2023 forwards who would be unanimous first overall in 2022 ( bedard , leo , fantili, 3 centers at that. We simply cannot have nice things. Would slaf even go over Michkov if he was in the 2022 draft?

These are the cards we were dealt , are we unlucky? or dumb?

 

[StCaufield]

Why are you posting here instead of GMing the next hockey champion? Your opinions are clearly facts, so you should stop wasting your time with us measly folk.

It was a Halloween joke that went went over your head there kiddo! But yes he’s bad for now just like your attempt at being edgy. I’ve see you shitting on people here over the years get off your high horse