Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[BehindTheTimes]

I think he was the wrong pick and that he has shown nothing to show he has elite skills, but that does not mean he is a bust. Relative to expectations, more likely than not at this point, but overall no. He will obviously improve over the next few years regardless, all players do from teenagers into adulthood.

Obviously I am super gloomy this season because I see the seeds, not the full blown garden, of failure starting to grow. I don't want to get Bergevind again. I am never going to trust another GM or management group until they prove otherwise. Even then, too early to say bust, not too early to say other choices would have been better.

I think he’s the wrong pick too, I don’t see any elite skills tbh. He isn’t an elite skater, he isn’t a great shooter, he doesn’t have great vision, he doesn’t seem to have great IQ in general, defensively he is passable, but sometimes lost. He makes the odd nice pass, but he is big. I have a 30/30 ceiling and I think there is some serious doubt there about that tbh.

 

[Tyson]

Since Slaf had moved away from Anderson he has looked like a completely different player. He is still a long way from a finished product but over the past 3 games he has shown to have excellent potential.

By the time he is 21...look out

 

[DAChampion]

I think he’s the wrong pick too, I don’t see any elite skills tbh. He isn’t an elite skater, he isn’t a great shooter, he doesn’t have great vision, he doesn’t seem to have great IQ in general, defensively he is passable, but sometimes lost. He makes the odd nice pass, but he is big. I have a 30/30 ceiling and I think there is some serious doubt there about that tbh.

I think Slafkovsky's good at shielding the puck and has good passing vision.

That's good, but it's not enough.

He'll need to learn how to shoot and score.

 

[Jaynki]

Byfield also scored 32 goals in 45 games in the OHL, with 82 pts total in those 45 games.

Byfield has a pedigree.

Has Slafkovsky done anything similar?

He has done something way more impressive but its dismissed and negated so no. He has a 3rd rd pick pedigree and was picked 1st because of his size.

I think he’s the wrong pick too, I don’t see any elite skills tbh. He isn’t an elite skater, he isn’t a great shooter, he doesn’t have great vision, he doesn’t seem to have great IQ in general, defensively he is passable, but sometimes lost. He makes the odd nice pass, but he is big. I have a 30/30 ceiling and I think there is some serious doubt there about that tbh.

Who has an higher ceiling than 30/30 in the 2022 draft ?

Its not like Cooley or Wright are trending to be megastar, PPG player either.

They are both good dont get me wrong but we are not looking at 1Cs and surefire superstar.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Sorry but Slaf makes passes Anderson never has nearly every game. I don’t really think your comment fits at all. They’re nothing alike.

Vision is separate from hockey IQ and decision making though. Ryan Merkley had amazing vision. Hockey IQ and decision making though?

(Note: I do think Slaf is smarter than Merkley)

 

[admiralcadillac]

Vision is separate from hockey IQ and decision making though. Ryan Merkley had amazing vision. Hockey IQ and decision making though?

(Note: I do think Slaf is smarter than Merkley)

It’s pretty uninteresting to split hairs over concepts that are vague in order to make a point. If you want to use your definition of hockey IQ to mean something other than passing vision be my guest but I don’t get the point you’re trying to make.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Who has an higher ceiling than 30/30 in the 2022 draft ?

Lane Hutson.

 

[DiglettDangles]

Slaf should be nowhere near Anderson right now. It might’ve worked if Dach were there but…

Exactly the conclusion DSL came up with in this video.
It's a thinly veiled roast party for the Powerhorse, love it.
Slaf will be all right.

 

[LesCanadiens]

Exactly the conclusion DSL came up with in this video.
It's a thinly veiled roast party for the Powerhorse, love it.
Slaf will be all right.

I just saw this come across my feed and watched it just now. DSL pretty-much sums-up my personal take. Skilled, higher-IQ players, like Slaf, need to play with the same. At least until they can carry a line on their own. Slaf has looked very good with guys like Caulfield, Suzy and even Dvorak. He has made lots of very high caliber setups only to see his teammates lack finish. He's a good passer. And always looks pass first. He'll start shooting more in time...

 

[Jaynki]

The narrative is shifting from super goofy braindead no IQ to IQ so high can only play with super intelligent player.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

It’s pretty uninteresting to split hairs over concepts that are vague in order to make a point. If you want to use your definition of hockey IQ to mean something other than passing vision be my guest but I don’t get the point you’re trying to make.

I can explain: vision is seeing seams that others might not see when it comes to passes to make or where to go on the ice (defensively for example, seeing seams against your team that the other team might see).

Hockey IQ and decision making is knowing when to do it, what lane to take, or what lane to take away.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I like that Caufield and Slaf have fun together. Cole seems like the kinda guy who will help Slaf find his game.

 

[LesCanadiens]

The narrative is shifting from super goofy braindead no IQ to IQ so high can only play with super intelligent player.

That's freakin' hilarious., lol...

 

[morhilane]

Exactly the conclusion DSL came up with in this video.
It's a thinly veiled roast party for the Powerhorse, love it.
Slaf will be all right.

That video is very much Anderson has negative IQ and make decisions with negative results for his line(s). Outch.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

He has done something way more impressive but its dismissed and negated so no. He has a 3rd rd pick pedigree and was picked 1st because of his size.



Who has an higher ceiling than 30/30 in the 2022 draft ?

Its not like Cooley or Wright are trending to be megastar, PPG player either.

They are both good dont get me wrong but we are not looking at 1Cs and surefire superstar.

Both are better than Slaf at almost everything.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I think Slafkovsky's good at shielding the puck and has good passing vision.

That's good, but it's not enough.

He'll need to learn how to shoot and score.

For his size his ability to shield the puck isn’t a strength imo.

 

[Lshap]

But I will never, ever, buy the notion that going down to the minors will make him a better NHL player. I'm a big believer in "steel sharpens steel".

Steel first needs to be forged. We hoped Slafkovsky would be fully hardened steel, ready for big-league sharpening. But he's not there yet.

 

[Jaynki]

Ez

Both are better than Slaf at almost everything.

Extremely laughable.

 

[Heffyhoof]

Exactly the conclusion DSL came up with in this video.
It's a thinly veiled roast party for the Powerhorse, love it.
Slaf will be all right.

At around the 2:45 mark, that's definitely a penalty and everything that's wrong with the BS changes that are allowed in the NHL.

 

[MasterD]

I think Slafkovsky's good at shielding the puck and has good passing vision.

That's good, but it's not enough.

He'll need to learn how to shoot and score.

So he's Armia. That's not great.

 

[admiralcadillac]

So he's Armia. That's not great.

Do your eyes tell you he’s armia?

 

[MasterD]

Do your eyes tell you he’s armia?

Right now? Kinda, yes. I'm hoping for growth... 'cause he's still so young... but I'm not seeing the tools that much.

Example, when AK46 came over, he was also super raw and didn't produce much at first, but you could see those laser beam shots, those super crips cross-ice passes... they were few and far between, but they were there. I'm not seeing them with Slaf. People keep praising him for his short quick passes... I mean it's the NHL, you should be able to make a 10 feet pass.

I agree with the assessement above, 30-30 sounds like a reasonable ceiling for Slaf, and not one he's going to touch regularly. Maybe never.

 

[Kennerback]

So he's Armia. That's not great.

As of today, Armia’s a better finisher than Slaf. Slaf’s skating and stickhandling are better. He should in theory generate more scoring opportunities than Armia.

 

[Kennedys]

At this point, they don't send him to the AHL because they don't want to look incompetent. "The fans knew already he's not NHL ready. Keep him and make it look like we know better". They risk ruining their 1OA pick for this reason.

 

[Bushero]

So he's Armia. That's not great.

Armia scored 19 goals in Liiga in his draft year. Armia actually has talent.

As of today, Armia’s a better finisher than Slaf. Slaf’s skating and stickhandling are better. He should in theory generate more scoring opportunities than Armia.

Stickhandling isn't anywhere near same level than Armia's lol.