Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[Jaynki]

When I see this daily complaining about bad linemates destroying Slaf, I just want to remind people that this year's 1AO plays with Kurashev and Foligno.
He still scored 5 goals in 10 games and carries these two with them. That's why he was 1OA.
Cooley plays with Carcone and Boyd and he still has 8 pts in 11 games.

Being carried to the bottom of the league

 

[MasterD]

Not even a tough crowd. It’s a handful of posters pushing an agenda trying to shit on him every step of the way, completely disregarding the fact that he’s a 19 year old project that is in a long process of development. They want results now. And I get it, it’s tough being a Habs fan recently, but it’s not realistic. We knew we weren’t getting a Bedard, so to have bumps along the way is expected.

He could have 5 points his next game and their discourse would be “yeah but he didn’t have points in 9 other games.” It’ll never end.

May be true of some posters, but far from most. Most posters that are not being Slaf's cheerleaders want him in the the AHL, NOT because he's terrible, but because want him to have the opportunity to develop his skills, and especially get his confidence back.

Oh and you are forgetting that those same ones would argue that we need to tank and lose to improve hahah

How did we get Slaf? How did Chicago get Bedard? How did Edmonton get McDavid?

Those high ceiling guys are very rarely available through a trade, and cost an arm and a leg. If we want talent, we have to suck for a few years, no way around it. I've watched this team be average at best for too long, I want it to be talented. I want the Habs to be build like Tampa, not a bunch of hard working grinders making the playoffs thanks to their goalie.

 

[cave troll]

Being carried to the bottom of the league

And we are going where?
If you thing we're not a lottery team, you're deluded.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

When I see this daily complaining about bad linemates destroying Slaf, I just want to remind people that this year's 1AO plays with Kurashev and Foligno.

I don’t think anyone has said that his linemates are destroying him. Nor do I think people are blaming his linemates.

But the simple fact is that line doesn’t work.

He still scored 5 goals in 10 games and carries these two with them. That's why he was 1OA.
Cooley plays with Carcone and Boyd and he still has 8 pts in 11 games.

If you draft Jaromir Jagr, you play him with Lemieux. That’s common sense as far as I’m concerned. I don’t understand why we always have done it the hard way.

Play him with our best players and we’ll see better results.

 

[Jaynki]

And we are going where?

Just a bit higher

 

[DAChampion]

Disagree with this idea.

It imply that there is some hidden skill that can be uncovered.

Is this your opinion in real life, that everybody reaches their potential, that it doesn't matter how you raise children or what kinds of opportunities are available to young adults?

 

[Jaynki]

Is this your opinion in real life, that everybody reaches their potential, that it doesn't matter how you raise children or what kinds of opportunities are available to young adults?

Ehhhh. That is not a valid comparison.

Raising a child from birth and the development of the best of the best in hockey.

 

[cave troll]

Just a bit higher

This cause you believe that Slafkofsky is the cornerstone of our rebuild and that we don't need at least one more top high pick forward. Somehow I believe our coaches think we need at least two, since we failed at getting one in 2023.

 

[DAChampion]

Ehhhh. That is not a valid comparison.

Raising a child from birth and the development of the best of the best in hockey.

It's a comparison, and you don't even need to start the clock at birth.

If your kid was 24 years old and going to medical school, would you want him to go to a good one?

 

[Jaynki]

This cause you believe that Slafkofsky is the cornerstone of our rebuild and that we don't need at least one more top high pick forward. Somehow I believe our coaches think we need at least two, since we failed at getting one in 2023.

There is a big margin between the cornerstone of our rebuild, a very good prospect with high potential and a bust.

I also think we need another high end forward but since the draft and the lottery are far from a guarantee, i think we would be better served at taking a step forward and look into the trade market for the next Dubois/Tkachuk, whoever it will be. We have the assets to make something here and the cap space.

If your kid was 24 years old and going to medical school, would you want him to go to a good one?

Is there a bad medical school?

You can go straight to your point and assume i want the best for my child

 

[Mrb1p]

How is he different? His perceived ceiling when he was drafted was a top 6C

That’s what he is today.

And he achieved that with little to no AHL time and despite being “rushed”.

We let him rot on the 3rd line while Phil Danault went 20+ games without scoring while playing 18+ mins a game because the latter was “elite” defensively.

So despite by “skipping steps”, he’s exactly where he was projected to be when he was drafted.

The only difference is he spent those formative years toiling away on the Habs 3rd and 4th lines.

But had he instead spent another year in Europe and another 2 in the AHL…he’d be the same player he is today, he’s probably still be a Montreal Canadiens player but we would be talking about how he was a developmental success instead.

Hes a top 6 center but he had the ceiling to be a play driving 1C.

Watch his u18 tournament before the draft, he looked like Kopitar. He was used on the right side on the PP and unleashed bombs. He was dominating Jack Hughes.

Now, he produces in ways that are way more simple. Give and gos, rebounds, cycle, etc. That was always going to be part of his game, but the elite skills have been ripped out of his games because he never got to apply them in game, thus the whole starting lower thing.

It imply that there is some hidden skill that can be uncovered.

When a player can't crack an NHL roster, he goes to the AHL then he have to distinguish himself and seize a future chance.

We can debate if Slaf was good enough to crack an NHL roster in the end. But i don't think going in the AHL will ultimately rise his ceiling. Nor will struggling temporarily in the NHL will lower it.



Skill are developed in practice (where you have infinite amout of time with the puck).

They are not developed in game, they are applied.

Well yeah youre wrong, nice. Everything about this post is wrong. I dont have the energy to dismiss, so Ill just let you be. Anyway, youve been here for ten years and still have the same ideas, you may have developped better logic had you been rushed to university right away.

Is this your opinion in real life, that everybody reaches their potential, that it doesn't matter how you raise children or what kinds of opportunities are available to young adults?

Probably, lol.

 

[GrandBison]

Lots of reading here everyday. I have a different understanding of a prospect being rushed. No one is rushed in this lineup. Newhook was rushed in Colorado in a role he was not ready for, and they wanted results. Habs management just want Slaf to progress, how it that rushing a prospect?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

This cause you believe that Slafkofsky is the cornerstone of our rebuild and that we don't need at least one more top high pick forward. Somehow I believe our coaches think we need at least two, since we failed at getting one in 2023.

Joshua Roy is on the way. I’m trying not to get too excited about him but he’s exceeded all expectations and put up great numbers at every level. Help is definitely on the way.

 

[DAChampion]

Is there a bad medical school?

You can go straight to your point and assume i want the best for my child

Do why does that same logic not apply to hockey?

 

[cave troll]

There is a big margin between the cornerstone of our rebuild, a very good prospect with high potential and a bust.

I also think we need another high end forward but since the draft and the lottery are far from a guarantee, i think we would be better served at taking a step forward and look into the trade market for the next Dubois/Tkachuk, whoever it will be. We have the assets to make something here and the cap space.

And how about a goalie? You see Allen and Mutombo carrying us to the contender status?
How about some experienced 1st line D-man to carry our young D talents? Or you think we should have Matheson in that position?
We can't trade away half of our top picks and prospects to fill all these positions with needed players.
We're probably pick high in 2024 and 2025 if HuGo don't make some miracles on the market which I highly doubt they're capable of doing.

 

[Revansky]

Lots of reading here everyday. I have a different understanding of a prospect being rushed. No one is rushed in this lineup. Newhook was rushed in Colorado in a role he was not ready for, and they wanted results. Habs management just want Slaf to progress, how it that rushing a prospect?

You could argue that because the pace of play is faster, he would simplify his game to lower the mistakes and develop less complex part of his game (eg : automatically dumps the puck in the o-zone, instead of better reads for outlooks passes and keeping possesion a few seconds longer by protecting the puck well). I think there is a valid point that when you have difficulty playing at a certain pace with all your skillset you simplify your game and may not use some of the more difficult skills to use. Which could in return have an impact on your ability to use them in the future, because you always defer to the same kind of plays you are use to do.

 

[LesCanadiens]

When I see this daily complaining about bad linemates destroying Slaf, I just want to remind people that this year's 1AO plays with Kurashev and Foligno.
He still scored 5 goals in 10 games and carries these two with them. That's why he was 1OA.
Cooley plays with Carcone and Boyd and he still has 8 pts in 11 games.

Let's look at this statement with scrutiny. Cooley has only 2 even strength points. 2. His ice-time has dwindled from around 19mins per game, gradually down to around 12mins per game. Which tells me the coach is seeing something in his overall play he doesn't like. Regarding your statement that he plays with crappy players...well...here are the scoring summaries from ALL his points. If only Slaf had the luxury of sharing the ice with our top players, especially on PP1, like Cooley did/does, if only...:

Schmaultz(g): Cooley, Keller
Cooley(g): Moser, O'Brien
Carcone(g): Cooley, Durzi
Keller(g): Cooley, Schmaltz
Durzi(g): Cooley
Keller(g): Schmaltz, Cooley
Schmaultz(g): Cooley
Durzi(g): Keller, Cooley

 

[Hannibal]

Let's look at this statement with scrutiny. Cooley has only 2 even strength points. 2. His ice-time has dwindled from around 19mins per game, gradually down to around 12mins per game. Which tells me the coach is seeing something in his overall play he doesn't like. Regarding your statement that he plays with crappy players...well...here is the scoring summaries from ALL his points. If only Slaf had the luxury of sharing the ice with our top players, especially on PP1, like Cooley did/does, if only...:

Schmaultz(g): Cooley, Keller
Cooley(g): Moser, O'Brien
Carcone(g): Cooley, Durzi
Keller(g): Cooley, Schmaltz
Durzi(g): Cooley
Keller(g): Schmaltz, Cooley
Schmaultz(g): Cooley
Durzi(g): Keller, Cooley

Point.Set.Match.

 

[417]

Hes a top 6 center but he had the ceiling to be a play driving 1C.

Well he’s playing behind one of the best play driving 1Cs in the league.

Watch his u18 tournament before the draft, he looked like Kopitar. He was used on the right side on the PP and unleashed bombs. He was dominating Jack Hughes.

A lot of players look like future superstars at the U18…that doesn’t always translate and getting caught up in that moment of what we see, rarely plays out the way we think.

Shane Wright looked incredible at the u18s, maybe even better than Bedard.

Would anyone suggest Wright is better today?

Like you said, KK looked better than Hughes…does that mean anything today?

Also let’s finally come to a consensus…so short international tournament performances matter or not?

Because one day what Slafkovsky did at the Olympics is meaningless, but then what KK did at the U18 does…

Now, he produces in ways that are way more simple. Give and gos, rebounds, cycle, etc. That was always going to be part of his game, but the elite skills have been ripped out of his games because he never got to apply them in game, thus the whole starting lower thing.

Yeah don’t agree here at all…I don’t ever think he projected out to be an elite #1C, those kind of players are rare.

What KK is today is what he projected to be, despite the up and down route he took to get here.

What he needed most was an organization that was patient and as invested in his development as they were when they decided to draft him.

 

[Mrb1p]

Well he’s playing behind one of the best play driving 1Cs in the league.

A lot of players look like future superstars at the U18…that doesn’t always translate and getting caught up in that moment of what we see, rarely plays out the way we think.

Shane Wright looked incredible at the u18s, maybe even better than Bedard.

Would anyone suggest Wright is better today?

Like you said, KK looked better than Hughes…does that mean anything today?

Also let’s finally come to a consensus…so short international tournament performances matter or not?

Because one day what Slafkovsky did at the Olympics is meaningless, but then what KK did at the U18 does…

Yeah don’t agree here at all…I don’t ever think he projected out to be an elite #1C, those kind of players are rare.

What KK is today is what he projected to be, despite the up and down route he took to get here.

What he needed most was an organization that was patient and as invested in his development as they were when they decided to draft him.

Welp ok then. Of course if you believe a player is always exactly what he is there's no real arguments to be made.

The reality is that players show different things at different points, some adapt in different ways and others develop into those. Kotkaniemi had skills for days, now hes more in line with what Danault is skills wise.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

And how about a goalie? You see Allen and Mutombo carrying us to the contender status?
How about some experienced 1st line D-man to carry our young D talents? Or you think we should have Matheson in that position?
We can't trade away half of our top picks and prospects to fill all these positions with needed players.
We're probably pick high in 2024 and 2025 if HuGo don't make some miracles on the market which I highly doubt they're capable of doing.

Rebuild has just begun. All the pieces aren’t in place yet. We’re likely not a playoff team for the next two or three years.

 

[cave troll]

Let's look at this statement with scrutiny. Cooley has only 2 even strength points. 2. His ice-time has dwindled from around 19mins per game, gradually down to around 12mins per game. Which tells me the coach is seeing something in his overall play he doesn't like. Regarding your statement that he plays with crappy players...well...here are the scoring summaries from ALL his points. If only Slaf had the luxury of sharing the ice with our top players, especially on PP1, like Cooley did/does, if only...:

Schmaultz(g): Cooley, Keller
Cooley(g): Moser, O'Brien
Carcone(g): Cooley, Durzi
Keller(g): Cooley, Schmaltz
Durzi(g): Cooley
Keller(g): Schmaltz, Cooley
Schmaultz(g): Cooley
Durzi(g): Keller, Cooley

Cooley just took his first 11 steps (aka games) into pro hockey playing against players who are grown men.
Ofc he has problems in the line with scrubs, but coach puts him on PP and he delievers. There is no doubt about it.

Do you know how many games played Slaf in pro hockey on all levels (NHL, National Team, Liiga)? 153. More than 10 times more than Cooley.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Cooley just took his first 11 steps (aka games) into pro hockey playing against players who are grown men.
Ofc he has problems in the line with scrubs, but coach puts him on PP and he delievers. There is no doubt about it.

Do you know how many games played Slaf in pro hockey on all levels (NHL, National Team, Liiga)? 153. More than 10 times more than Cooley.

Honestly though, in terms of talking about Slaf… who cares about Cooley?

I mean that guy’s gonna be whatever he’s gonna be. We have nothing to do with it.

All I care about is how we develop Slaf.

 

[LesCanadiens]

Cooley just took his first 11 steps (aka games) into pro hockey playing against players who are grown men.
Ofc he has problems in the line with scrubs, but coach puts him on PP and he delievers. There is no doubt about it.

Do you know how many games played Slaf in pro hockey on all levels (NHL, National Team, Liiga)? 153. More than 10 times more than Cooley.

You seem so stuck on your position, even real hard facts can't change it, even a little. Comparing Liiga to the NHL is ridiculous. Not acknowledging that Cooley's dramatic reduction in ice-time is a truer indicator that maybe you got it wrong, re Cooley, is well, unusual. Also Slafs increase in ice-time tells me that MSL likes what he's seeing in Slafs overall progression.

Not saying Cooley isn't going to be a great player. I don't know at this point. No one truly does. But you're making big statements without context. I guess that if you watched and scrutinized his play as much as you do Slafs, you'll probably see what his coach is seeing...picking up PP points to pad stats...and sucking 5vs5 is what it says. And I haven't watched a lot of Cooley, no doubt. But what I saw last game jives with the stats and the reduction in ice-time. I thought Cooley was mostly invisible, but for that pp assist. Which certainly was a nice pass, no doubt.

 

[jaffy27]

And we are going where?
If you thing we're not a lottery team, you're deluded.

Expand on that statement please