Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[Scriptor]

I don't like how long it takes him to get a shot off. That doesn't fly in the NHL. That was Kotkaniemi's calling card.

He needs to improve this, for sure, for his shot to have any kind of impact. I noticed he takes too much time when he is static and receives the puck.

Slafkovsky needs to be in movement to be more effective. The goal he scored the preseason game before is an example of this.

When he's static, he should be a net presence, not one who runs the play in the O-Zone.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I don't like how long it takes him to get a shot off. That doesn't fly in the NHL. That was Kotkaniemi's calling card.

He just processes the game at a painfully slow rate and doesn't change his predetermined course of action as the environment changes. Extreme tunnel vision and a complete lack of abstract thought.

Maybe this is just anxiety/stage fright/fear etc that causes him to freeze up but he will need to figure it out.

Like I pointed out earlier, I like the added quickness/agility and he still has a ton of potential but he is not an NHL caliber player as of today. Perhaps he just needs to loosen up and have some fun, there is no way to know why his decision making is so terrible from our vantage point but you can definitely see the potential if he ever puts it together.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Considering that virtually every time he touched the puck it ended with a poor decision and this somehow equates in your mind as being the best forward on the ice........clearly, you more than most should not be referring to my opinion as nonsensical as the word you are searching for is objective.

Your bias on this topic is well documented and you are allowing your bias to eclipse rational thought yet again.

I still think he is a good prospect but if you can't see the red flags it is solely because you choose to ignore them. He is still really young and could turn it around quickly if it suddenly clicks but there is no objective conversation that supports the narrative that he is making pro level decisions on the ice at this point in time in his development.

Not only did he make the wrong play almost every time he had the puck he was back to crowding teammates and crashing breakout passing lanes.

I have no idea if this act works for you elsewhere but it doesn’t fly here. You come in hot with the whole “He’s terrible!!!” and then argue that I’m biased?

You have very little credibility as a poster with me right now.

I have no idea what game you were watching. And I have no idea how you come to the conclusion that I’m biased when I argued against drafting him, have said I see him as a mystery box, hope/think he could be a good top six and said he should be in the AHL.

By all means make your arguments but coming in hot like this when you really don’t know what you’re talking about is pretty comical.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I have no idea if this act works for you elsewhere but it doesn’t fly here. You come in hot with the whole “He’s terrible!!!” and then argue that I’m biased?

You have very little credibility as a poster with me right now.

I have no idea what game you were watching. And I have no idea how you come to the conclusion that I’m biased when I argued against drafting him, have said I see him as a mystery box, hope/think he could be a good top six and said he should be in the AHL.

By all Meehan’s make your arguments buy coming in hit like this when you really don’t know what you’re talking about is pretty laughable.

If you think he was good tonight then it is you who has no idea what you are talking about

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

If you think he was good tonight then it is you who has no idea what you are talking about

Thanks for coming out.

 

[RationalExpectations]

He just processes the game at a painfully slow rate and doesn't change his predetermined course of action as the environment changes. Extreme tunnel vision and a complete lack of abstract thought.

Maybe this is just anxiety/stage fright/fear etc that causes him to freeze up but he will need to figure it out.

Like I pointed out earlier, I like the added quickness/agility and he still has a ton of potential but he is not an NHL caliber player as of today. Perhaps he just needs to loosen up and have some fun, there is no way to know why his decision making is so terrible from our vantage point but you can definitely see the potential if he ever puts it together.

This was my read flag prior to the draft. We had a disagreement with goldenhands who thinks he has great hockey IQ, I don t think he has the processing speed that top players have at the NHL level. Let s hope I am wrong and he is right for the Habs sake

 

[River Meadow]

This was my read flag prior to the draft. We had a disagreement with goldenhands who thinks he has great hockey IQ, I don t think he has the processing speed that top players have at the NHL level. Let s hope I am wrong and he is right for the Habs sake

I think (right now) that is clear.

So what is the best course of action for this problem?

A) Keep him in the NHL so we ensure he becomes a solid 3rd liner.​

or

B) Send him to AHL where he can play a ton of minutes a night, experiment a ton, etc, to perhaps give him more chances to blossom into a 1st-2nd liner?​

Many seem to think Slafkovsky is perfectly fine and we should keep him in the NHL. Maybe they're right...

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

This was my read flag prior to the draft. We had a disagreement with goldenhands who thinks he has great hockey IQ, I don t think he has the processing speed that top players have at the NHL level. Let s hope I am wrong and he is right for the Habs sake

His IQ and ability to learn will determine his success. He’s got the tools but it’s a question of putting it all together.

He’s very raw and is a project for sure.

I think (right now) that is clear.

So what is the best course of action for this problem?

A) Keep him in the NHL so we ensure he becomes a solid 3rd liner.

Keeping him in the NHL doesn’t ensure he’s a third liner. Stop baiting posters.

or

B) Send him to AHL where he can play a ton of minutes a night, experiment a ton, etc, to perhaps give him more chances to blossom into a 1st-2nd liner?

I’d send him to the AHL. I agree it’s probably be better for him. But I won’t deny that he seems to have improved. He’s making progress. I just think he’d get more out of the minors right now

 

[River Meadow]

Keeping him in the NHL doesn’t ensure he’s a third liner. Stop baiting posters.

It doesn't guarantee anything either way, but it wouldn't do him any favors of developing his skillset, being in a league that you come to be SHOW TIME ready, i.e not a developmental league, wayyy less space, way less time.

I’d send him to the AHL. I agree it’s probably be better for him. But I won’t deny that he seems to have improved. He’s making progress. I just think he’d get more out of the minors right now

He's improved over last year, a year where he had laughable amounts of stamina and fell down a lot by himself. The bar for improvement wasn't huge but I am happy he has improved.

I don't think we can go wrong sending him to the AHL for 1 year with the goal and mission to become the scoring leader on that team.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It doesn't guarantee anything either way, but it wouldn't do him any favors of developing his skillset, being in a league that you come to be SHOW TIME ready, i.e not a developmental league, wayyy less space, way less time.

I agree with you. But him staying in the NHL doesn’t ‘ensure’ him of being a third liner. That’s hyperbole.

I expect he’ll probably be in the top six with Dach. That’s not a bad scenario but I agree and think the AHL is better.

He's improved over last year, a year where he had laughable amounts of stamina and fell down a lot by himself. The bar for improvement wasn't huge but I am happy he has improved.

I don't think we can go wrong sending him to the AHL for 1 year with the goal and mission to become the scoring leader on that team.

There were moments he looked overwhelmed last year for sure. But people are also overblowing this. He had lots of moments where he looked like he belonged. And he seemed to get better as we went along - until the whole team tanked and then he got hurt.

Id have preferred the AHL and I think he’d have been a better player now if we’d done it. That being said, he’s looked good in the couple of games I’ve seen this year. More engaged, more physical… maybe he’ll get better results at the NHL level. I honestly don’t know. But I’d put him in the AHL if it were up to me.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Interesting stats:

In their first 39 regular season games,
Slafkovsky had 4 goals and 10 pts
Caufield had 5 goals and 13 pts

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Interesting stats:

Slafkovsky's first 39 regular season games: 4 goals and 10 pts in 39 games
Caufield's first 39 regular season games: 5 goals and 13 pts in 39 games

All we need to do is fire MSL.

 

[DinosaurBones]

Monahan I think will be the net front guy in PP1, But having Slaf on his off wing for a one timer, open stick option doesn’t seem to work just yet. He needs more grooming but net front on PP2 isn’t a bad option with that size

 

[Legend123]

hes becoming concerning. He seems to take forever to shoot or pass and usually makes a bad decision.

What a shame if our only 1OA cant figure it out

 

[River Meadow]

I agree with you. But him staying in the NHL doesn’t ‘ensure’ him of being a third liner. That’s hyperbole.

I expect he’ll probably be in the top six with Dach. That’s not a bad scenario but I agree and think the AHL is better.

That's fair, and who knows, maybe the best place for him is in the NHL, to learn on the job... and this is likely the route he is going to continue on, so looks like we'll all need to hope Habs mgnmt is right.

 

[HuGort]

At peak of his career Probably looking at a big strong 50 point guy. But Hughes wanted that over the speed and finesse of a small guy like Cooley.

 

[ReHabs]

At peak of his career Probably looking at a big strong 50 point guy. But Hughes wanted that over the speed and finesse of a small guy like Cooley.

So, Josh Anderson?

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

This was my read flag prior to the draft. We had a disagreement with goldenhands who thinks he has great hockey IQ, I don t think he has the processing speed that top players have at the NHL level. Let s hope I am wrong and he is right for the Habs sake

Goldenhands was categorically wrong on many things about Slafkovsky other than the Habs drafting him. My concerns have always been IQ related and unfortunately my concerns were undeniably correct. He also argued that Guhle wasn't a fast skater lol......

I have said repeatedly that the fact that Slaf doesn't demonstrate any IQ to speak of does not necessarily mean that he won't ever demonstrate it. There is a real possibility that it is a software issue that can be downloaded over time. If it is a serious hardware issue then he will bust because he processes the game at a low junior level.

Hopefully MSL, Nicholas and the rest of the development infrastructure can install the software that this kid desperately needs to survive in the NHL.

 

[ReHabs]

That's fair, and who knows, maybe the best place for him is in the NHL, to learn on the job... and this is likely the route he is going to continue on, so looks like we'll all need to hope Habs mgnmt is right.

Lafleurs Guy is certain the Habs are on the right path and s/he argued with me with great passion over the summer. It’s hard to see them concede this point at this time, we need to Trust the Process and Wait because we have a team that is Rebuilding for the next two to five to ten years. Nobody knows but you have to trust the process since HuGo have earned so much goodwill with their moves so far… such as rushing Slafkovsky to the NHL and insisting to keep him in the NHL.

 

[ReHabs]

Goldenhands was categorically wrong on many things about Slafkovsky other than the Habs drafting him. My concerns have always been IQ related and unfortunately my concerns were undeniably correct. He also argued that Guhle wasn't a fast skater lol......

I have said repeatedly that the fact that Slaf doesn't demonstrate any IQ to speak of does not necessarily mean that he won't ever demonstrate it. There is a real possibility that it is a software issue that can be downloaded over time. If it is a serious hardware issue then he will bust because he processes the game at a low junior level.

Hopefully MSL, Nicholas and the rest of the development infrastructure can install the software that this kid desperately needs to survive in the NHL.

I hadn't watched him in Liiga but there was a glaring problem that nobody touched upon in any analysis (and I vociferously went through them): if he's so powerful and formidable physically, why did he struggle to put up points in Liiga? After months someone posted a few forum posts from a finnish hockey forum (I'm going off memory, so please forgive me if I got some details wrong) and an anonymous fan posted that Slaf seemed very gifted but was given a tight leash and a 3rd line role because of the nature of his team (TPS) and coach, and that he performed better in the playoffs when he was given a more prominent role.

All that said, it didn't explain the big gap between his stature and scouting report of his skills and his production. To me that gap is explained by Hockey IQ (or lack thereof).

Then came the NHL season and we all saw he was behind the play and took too long to process decisions. It put the Liiga (lack of) production in the same light: he's physically gifted and skates well for his size but he still hasn't figured out how to process the play. Obviously a well-meaning hockey fan would at that point say that the NHL is too fast paced and intense for someone with this skill gap, and they should find themselves in a different tier of play in order for them to work on specifically this aspect of their game. We do no have well-meaning fans, we have bitter fanboys who would rather argue up and down until they're blue in the face that the NHL is the best place for a player who is already behind the play to learn how to produce at a skill-player level... meanwhile he was getting pummeled with hits and indeed lost half a season from an injury derived from a physical encounter.

Do we want to produce a player who can stick his head above water and keep up or do we want someone to be the protagonist on the ice and be confident in their ability to make plays happen? When I played sports I was always the former type, figuratively fighting for my life, all it got me was to be very good at coping with the play until I was capable of occasionally being not the absolute worst guy on the pitch. I don't think Slafkovsky or the Habs deserve such an outcome. He should be the Big Man on the ice, call me a bad fan for thinking so.

 

[RationalExpectations]

Goldenhands was categorically wrong on many things about Slafkovsky other than the Habs drafting him. My concerns have always been IQ related and unfortunately my concerns were undeniably correct. He also argued that Guhle wasn't a fast skater lol......

I have said repeatedly that the fact that Slaf doesn't demonstrate any IQ to speak of does not necessarily mean that he won't ever demonstrate it. There is a real possibility that it is a software issue that can be downloaded over time. If it is a serious hardware issue then he will bust because he processes the game at a low junior level.

Hopefully MSL, Nicholas and the rest of the development infrastructure can install the software that this kid desperately needs to survive in the NHL.

That is my concern too and I must admit I am failing to see the fast processor in any Slaf highlights I have seen or in any Liiga games I have seen him play. My hope is 1) that Goldenhands and those saying he has a great IQ are right or at least 2) that he can reach my central projection for him, a top 6 complementary piece with able to protect the puck, add a physical aspect to the game and score 50 points a year. This is not anything bad by any means just a bit underwhelming for a 1OA.

 

[admiralcadillac]

hes becoming concerning. He seems to take forever to shoot or pass and usually makes a bad decision.

What a shame if our only 1OA cant figure it out

So concerning. 19 years old, 2 games into the preseason. It would be funny if you weren't serious.

 

[ReHabs]

That is my concern too and I must admit I am failing to see the fast processor in any Slaf highlights I have seen or in any Liiga games I have seen him play. My hope is 1) that Goldenhands and those saying he has a great IQ are right or at least 2) that he can reach my central projection for him, a top 6 complementary piece with able to protect the puck, add a physical aspect to the game and score 50 points a year. This is not anything bad by any means just a bit underwhelming for a 1OA.

So @Kunta Kinte and @Stompin Paul Peller each claim they see Freddy Modin and 50pts as a peak performer, respectively. Modin got 57pts in the pre-lockout NHL, so I hope we are aware of what's being discussed here. Somewhere between Danius Zubrus, Josh Anderson, and Fredrick Modin... a far cry from Jagr and Rantanen! Hopefully Slaf shows more than that! @Goldenhands nailed both draft picks in 2022 and 2023 and is considerably higher on Slafkovsky.

@Jaynki is also higher on Slafkovsky than the aforementioned Zubrus/Anderson/Modin comparisons and he expects to see growth in D+2, I think that's a fair, optimistic assessment position to hold. The preseason isn't over yet and there haven't been any indications that Slafkovsky will be sent to the AHL. We can take it game by game and probably should. Last year @NotProkofievian asked after every dud game why Slaf was still in the NHL and nobody had a proper answer. This went on for a calendar month, Dec 15 to Jan 15, where Slaf posted 0 pts and 11 SoG in 15gp, until Slaf got injured and lost the rest of his season.

 

[Jaynki]

Asking again.

I concede Slafkovsky fumbled many pucks and did not always took the right decision.

Still, he is the player who had the most offensive highlights this pre season for us, mainly his goal, his pass to Anderson following strong board plays and his two breakaways.

I concede Dach, Suzuki and Caufield are better player in the present.

Now, who else has been better than Slaf in this camp?

Roy? BJA? Pearson? Beck? Pezzetta maybe? RHP?

Lets go, im all ear for it.

 

[Legend123]

So concerning. 19 years old, 2 games into the preseason. It would be funny if you weren't serious.

Nah Dawgs I mean relative to him being a 1OA.

I just dont see him living up to that status. In other words, He's no Hughes Matthews bedard Kane and so on.

Hopefully he becomes better than laf