Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[26Mats]

And I’m going to say he hit a wall because of his linemates. Obviously he needs to play better, but at the age of 19 and being a project, they need to put him in more ideal situations. The only thing he’s learning right now is “don’t pass it to Anderson, he won’t do anything” and “get out of Newhook’s way since even Newhook doesn’t know where he’s going”.

I’ve seen a lot of bad lines as a Habs fan, and the lack of chemistry between those three is glaring. You can’t put three guys who have no idea how to play their positions together.

I really like MSL, but no one has worked with Caufield and Suzuki, and Slaf clearly needs a good C to play with, yet MSL won't even try Slaf with them for a bit. Even Armia got some time with them.

 

[Jaynki]

The more you wait, the more you make Slaf entitled. The more he is entitled, the more, like KK, he'll think he won't deserve being sat down or sent down. And he'll want to get out.

I have no idea who those idiots can't know that this is going to happen. Especially in a market like Montreal. Any chance there are people in that management that knows the market?

I won't argue with your logic but it goes again something obvious and stated by management.

They have a clear and definite plan for Slaf. Cave troll is even mocking it with the muscle memory reformatting.

I think its fair to argue if they are doing the right thing, where is Slaf trending, etc.

But i would give them the benefit of the doubt before concluding they are idiots who cant read their market. There is still the possibility they are onto something and we are the bigger idiot after all.

Young players sometimes pop of nowhere. Dubois had 5 points in 25 games in his D+2, after being barely PPG in the Q in his D+1. He then had 43 points in the remaining 57 games and never looked back. Jack Hughes popped around the mid-season in his 2nd year too.

Lets just wait a bit although i share the doubt.

 

[Miller Time]

The difference between Jar and Slaf is this:
Jagr dominated the Czechoslovakian senior league at 18 and was a Top10 player in that league.
He came to NHL as a full package.
Slaf was almost a nobody in Liiga. 188th in PPG. Just a young talent showing some promise.
He came to NHL and is still under some "muscle memory reformatting" procedure, whatever Hughes meant with that.
Slaf is not worth putting in same sentence with Jagr.

The difference is that Jagr is an all-time great of the sport. I don't think anyone has suggested that Slaf is a good bet to become that... if that's the comparison you think was being made, you misunderstood my post. At no point have I seen anyone suggest that Slaf is a generational talent.

Jagr's combination of physical traits and hockey skill is probably the closest comparison to what Slaf has in terms of tools to work with... the mental/emotional package that Jagr had set him a part from even the elite players of his era and pushed him into that rare space of generational/all-time great.

If Slaf is able to tap into his unique physical/hockey traits and translate them to consistent performance impact, he could well become one of the top forwards in the league for a period of time, maybe even ending up with a HOF career... but that's a far cry from being in the "best ever" conversations that a player like Jagr inhabits

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

H

His corsi was over 20%?? We've got a superstar on our hands

People are way over the top with their criticisms on him. It’s ridiculous. He hasn’t been nearly as bad as a lot of folks have been screaming.

That being said, I was always good with him going to the AHL and still am. It kinda made sense to keep him when he was with Dach. They looked good together.

But I think giving him time away from the spotlight with more ice and opportunity would help. I think he needs to start racking up points and I think playing with Roy would be the answer. Then he can come back next year. We’ll have a better team to support him as well.

 

[Habsfan18]

Right now our 1st overall pick looks like a discount Anders Lee as a best case scenario. Not exactly inspiring confidence as a game changer.

I know he’s young and players like this need time - but I haven’t seen anything that strikes me as a future impact NHLer. He’s about as bland of a player as you can get. Coasts, and doesn’t impact a game in any meaningful way. He’s just…there.

It’s gotten to the point where we’re reaching for positives. “Hey look that shift was decent. He actually touched the puck for a brief second and showed hustle in trying to get in front for a rebound!” And again, that’s our 1st overall pick. Those are the things that are exciting us?

I don’t know. Let’s just hope we see some major growth in his game. He was always going to be a boom or bust. I’m just waiting for a sign - ANY sign - that tells me he’s going to be anything more than a bottom six big body.

Doesn’t help that we handled him in probably the worst possible way since the beginning.

 

[Whitesnake]

Young players sometimes pop of nowhere. Dubois had 5 points in 25 games in his D+2, after being barely PPG in the Q in his D+1. He then had 43 points in the remaining 57 games and never looked back. Jack Hughes popped around the mid-season in his 2nd year too.

Lets just wait a bit although i share the doubt.

Do you think Slaf wouldn't be able to improve AFTER he plays in the AHL? Would the players you name NOT able to do what they did if they would have spend time in the AHL? What harm sending him to the AHL would do? Yes, Dubois improved....but he was criticized also for his lack of effort and lack of consistency. If he goes to the AHL 1 year....how do we know he would not have got out of here even better?

There is no harm to go to the AHL. People want us to forget he's 1st overall. Fine. But when you do forget it, you suddenly realize that most players that are playing right now GO THROUGH the AHL. Or when they don't, it's because they play College hockey and arrive in the NHL at 20-21-22....

Right now our 1st overall pick looks like a discount Anders Lee as a best case scenario. Not exactly inspiring confidence as a game changer.

I know he’s young and players like this need time - but I haven’t seen anything that strikes me as a future impact NHLer. He’s about as bland of a player as you can get. Coasts, and doesn’t impact a game in any meaningful way. He’s just…there.

It’s gotten to the point where we’re reaching for positives. “Hey look that shift was decent. He actually touched the puck for a brief second and showed hustle in trying to get in front for a rebound!” And again, that’s our 1st overall pick. Those are the things that are exciting us?

I don’t know. Let’s just hope we see some major growth in his game. He was always going to be a boom or bust. I’m just waiting for a sign - ANY sign - that tells me he’s going to be anything more than a bottom six big body.

Doesn’t help that we handled him in probably the worst possible way since the beginning.

And that's not what you should aim for in a 1st overall. A bonafied complementary player can be had everywhere in the draft. You need dynamic players. Game changers.

Personnally, I still have hope he can develop in that. But I also believe that the only way is for him to go to Laval....and get his confidence going. And learn the North American game at a slower pace to be able to dissect it better.

 

[cave troll]

I won't argue with your logic but it goes again something obvious and stated by management.

They have a clear and definite plan for Slaf. Cave troll is even mocking it with the muscle memory reformatting.

I think its fair to argue if they are doing the right thing, where is Slaf trending, etc.

But i would give them the benefit of the doubt before concluding they are idiots who cant read their market. There is still the possibility they are onto something and we are the bigger idiot after all.

Young players sometimes pop of nowhere. Dubois had 5 points in 25 games in his D+2, after being barely PPG in the Q in his D+1. He then had 43 points in the remaining 57 games and never looked back. Jack Hughes popped around the mid-season in his 2nd year too.

Lets just wait a bit although i share the doubt.

You're finding every possible stat to defend Slaf's invisibility. Like Dubois' D+2 bad start.
At the same time you're omitting his 20 goals and 48 points in that season and steadily rising to 61 pts in next season.
Do you really see Slaf rising from the ashes and scoring 20 goals out of nowhere?
I mean, last time dude scored 20 goals in a season when he was 15.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The difference between Jagr and Slaf is this:
Jagr dominated the Czechoslovakian senior league at 18 and was a Top10 player in that league.
He came to NHL as a full package.
Slaf was almost a nobody in Liiga. 188th in PPG. Just a young talent showing some promise.
He came to NHL and is still under some "muscle memory reformatting" procedure, whatever Hughes meant with that.
Slaf is not worth putting in same sentence with Jagr.

Jagr also had the benefit of developing with Mario Lemieux. Make no mistake about it that is a huge advantage.

Years later when Lemieux returned from his retirement Jagr commented on how much easier it was to play even with Mario on another line. Said how much easier the checking in him was because everyone was focused on Mario.

We’re playing this guy with Josh Anderson and Newhook. I mean.. how are you going to succeed?

Putting him with Dach actually made sense. But now? Send him to the A.

 

[Whitesnake]

People are way over the top with their criticisms on him. It’s ridiculous. He hasn’t been nearly as bad as a lot of folks have been screaming.

That being said, I was always good with him going to the AHL and still am. It kinda made sense to keep him when he was with Dach. They looked good together.

But I think giving him time away from the spotlight with more ice and opportunity would help. I think he needs to start racking up points and I think playing with Roy would be the answer. Then he can come back next year. We’ll have a better team to support him as well.

You need some chance in Laval to in the meantime. Change the coach. Find a goalie. Change some vets. The Maillet experiment should be over.

 

[DarcyWakaluk]

is it Brobov who pushed for Mesar also? for me choosing Mesar instead of Kulich (which was the OBVIOUS choice at that time) is as bad as choosing Slaf over Cooley.

I'm starting to have serious doubts that he his an upgrade to Timmins....sounds more like a downgrade to me so far.

 

[Miller Time]

Jagr also had the benefit of developing with Mario Lemieux. Make no mistake about it that is a huge advantage.

Years later when Lemieux returned from his retirement Jagr commented on how much easier it was to play even with Mario on another line. Said how much easier the checking in him was because everyone was focused on Mario.

We’re playing this guy with Josh Anderson and Newhook. I mean.. how are you going to succeed?

Putting him with Dach actually made sense. But now? Send him to the A.

all of this makes sense except for the last line...

he'll be playing with lesser talent than Anderson and Newhook in the A, no? Unless "success" is only narrowly defined as points right now, irrelevant of league, then i don't see the rationale... in that case, if we REALLY want to see a high point total, why go to the A when he's sure to put up even more points in the ECHL

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

You need some chance in Laval to in the meantime. Change the coach. Find a goalie. Change some vets. The Maillet experiment should be over.

I am good with that. I’ve always felt we rushed him.

What I don’t like is how over the top folks are in their criticisms. Hes not nearly as bad as he’s been portrayed.

But yes, I’d have put him in the AHL and I think he’d benefit fro. It, esp since we seem to think he’s allergic to Nick Suzuki for some reason.

 

[Skip Bayless]

[...]It’s gotten to the point where we’re reaching for positives. “Hey look that shift was decent. He actually touched the puck for a brief second and showed hustle in trying to get in front for a rebound!” And again, that’s our 1st overall pick. Those are the things that are exciting us?

I feel like management and the coaching staff is caught in that same trance you described.

The digging for positives is worrying for me.

That said, management knows exactly what they got into by drafting Slaf, and them trying to teach him how to read the game goes hand in hand with what seems to be their philosophy, that you can teach these things on a collective and individual level.

I'm okay with letting them cook in that regard, but you also have to protect the kid's confidence and sense of identity as a player. Which is completely in the air as of this moment.

I don't buy the argument made by Maxim Lapierre that by him playing in the AHL, he would only resort to only using his size. The AHL has some pretty big boys trucking guys around and Slaf would be facing the same kind of man strength, but the difference is that the AHL seems to go slower in the NZ and offensive zone. So that would benefit Slaf as he absolutely needs to develop his offensive game, which is what he was drafted for. Not just parking his ass in front of the goalie and banging in rebounds.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

all of this makes sense except for the last line...

he'll be playing with lesser talent than Anderson and Newhook in the A, no? Unless "success" is only narrowly defined as points right now, irrelevant of league, then i don't see the rationale... in that case, if we REALLY want to see a high point total, why go to the A when he's sure to put up even more points in the ECHL

He’ll be playing on the top line, with Roy against easier opponents. Plus he’ll get first unit PP time… much better opportunity to put up numbers.

And yeah, I think numbers are important right now.

 

[Habsfan18]

Even though I’m a firm believer in sending him down, I suppose the one risk with him going to the AHL is…what if he doesn’t produce down there either? What if he just looks like any other player? That would be absolutely disastrous for a player with a confidence level that’s already extremely fragile. That could be the final blow, so to speak.

 

[cave troll]

Cave troll is even mocking it with the muscle memory reformatting.

I'm not mocking. I just think it's sad.
Wasted 1OA on a kid who needs to relearn everything he learned til now?


He, but the thing is....there is no muscle memory reformatting, it just Hughes selling fog on a presser.
In every organization, Bobrov would have been fired the they coaches say: Hey, we need to start with this kid form scratch since he's useless as he is today. We need to erase his muscle memory.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Even though I’m a firm believer in sending him down, I suppose the one risk with him going to the AHL is…what if he doesn’t produce down there either? What if he just looks like any other player? That would be absolutely disastrous for a player with a confidence level that’s already extremely fragile. That could be the final blow, so to speak.

Well, then we know we have other problems. Better to find out early.

I really wish they’d left him in the minors last year. I hate doing things backwards like this. But I think the AHL is the best place for him.

 

[Miller Time]

He’ll be playing on the top line, with Roy against easier opponents. Plus he’ll get first unit PP time… much better opportunity to put up numbers.

And yeah, I think numbers are important right now.

Wouldn't he put up even better numbers in the ECHL though? Why stop at the A if that's what's important?

And while I certainly hope he does indeed play with Roy should he get sent down, that's no more of a given than him getting time on Suzuki's wing.

I don't think numbers are important at all right now, personally... nor does the group managing him... nor does the player himself it appears (by his commitment to work on the things he's been coached to focus on). it's an approach that requires patience, but one that may well pay higher dividends than chasing short term stat padding

 

[StCaufield]

I'm not mocking. I just think it's sad.
Wasted 1OA on a kid who needs to relearn everything he learned til now?


He, but the thing is....there is no muscle memory reformatting, it just Hughes selling fog on a presser.
In every organization, Bobrov would have been fired the they coaches say: Hey, we need to start with this kid form scratch since he's useless as he is today. We need to erase his muscle memory.

It’s not muscle memory at all in fact he may have one of the best muscle memory’s on the team. It’s what he’s thinking about out there. He’s having a battle with his demons out there clearly

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Wouldn't he put up even better numbers in the ECHL though? Why stop at the A if that's what's important?

And while I certainly hope he does indeed play with Roy should he get sent down, that's no more of a given than him getting time on Suzuki's wing.

I don't think numbers are important at all right now, personally... nor does the group managing him... nor does the player himself it appears (by his commitment to work on the things he's been coached to focus on). it's an approach that requires patience, but one that may well pay higher dividends than chasing short term stat padding

The team can dictate that he plays in the first line with Roy. That’s the benefit of having him in our system.

 

[cphabs]

Being patient. I'm still wondering how come we can't be patient with Slaf being somewhere else than the NHL. We're being patient with Hutson. Being patient with Roy. Being patient with Trudeau. Being patient with Mesar. Being patient with Beck etc.

I don't get it. Who would put a not finished painting in a Museum? Who would eat a semi-ready steak for supper?

In the meantime, in Boston, Matthew Poitras is in the NHL.....but not Fabian Lysell. Why? Draft rankings? Or just one seems ready and the other isn't?

Bravo

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

Even though I’m a firm believer in sending him down, I suppose the one risk with him going to the AHL is…what if he doesn’t produce down there either? What if he just looks like any other player? That would be absolutely disastrous for a player with a confidence level that’s already extremely fragile. That could be the final blow, so to speak.

If Slafkovsky struggles to produce in the AHL, god forbid, then the organization will be in the crosshairs for the situation. That does not mean the Habs are worried about this possibility, yet Hughes did raise the question himself at one point if my memory serves correct.

 

[cphabs]

Send the kid down and play him for 18 minutes on the top line and pp1.

 

[Miller Time]

The team can dictate that he plays in the first line with Roy. That’s the benefit of having him in our system.

much in the same way they "could" play him with Suzuki/Caufield and "could play him on the first wave PP

that they could doesn't mean they would, and since they have shown a priority on specific areas of development rather than stat padding, it's not so obvious what linemates they'd view as best to optimize the role/focus they want to see from him, don't you think?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

much in the same way they "could" play him with Suzuki/Caufield and "could play him on the first wave PP

that they could doesn't mean they would, and since they have shown a priority on specific areas of development rather than stat padding, it's not so obvious what linemates they'd view as best to optimize the role/focus they want to see from him, don't you think?

I think he’s not being used properly at the NHL level. I think it’s clear they aren’t going to play him with Suzuki.

And honestly, I’ve always felt he was rushed and I think the AHL is the best place for him. What I would do is send him there with instructions that he be used in the first. Whether or not that happens is something else entirely.