Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[Tyson]

I didn't see enough of our last game to comment. But he was really good his first night on the first line and he was good tonight. Definitely a lot better than earlier this year.

Progress is being made. His vision and passing are very good.

 

[Mrb1p]

Well, that's a fair comment at least. It means you do want him to succeed. I get the feeling some others here are praying he fails just to be "right".

Thats an insecure assumption. Were all Habs fan.

 

[calder candidate]

Even if he is keeping up in the NHL I would pick spot in the schedule to have him play a game here and there in the AHL so he get more ice and touches.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Progress is being made. His vision and passing are very good.

Yes. But he still makes rookie mistakes. On one play he had all day to pass out to an open CC but he rushed the play and just threw out a no look pass. That killed the play and sent it the other way. Stuff like that is what he'll need to work on. He's definitely a raw talent and work in progress.

 

[LesCanadiens]

I'm not even thinking that far, but after a rough stretch, he's been solid the last 2 games.

Can we discuss what adjustments we’re seeing that's he’s made? Or what he needs to do more of?

I agree. I'd love to discuss those, for sure. He needs to work on his shot, that is clear. He needs to shoot more, that also is clear. Otherwise, I think the rest of his game is good especially considering age and experience.

He's a great passer. But he needs to start putting some sauce on his passes. His excellent vision means he very quickly sees open teammates, and he does connect with his passes most of the time, but the odd time, like tonight, they need sauce to get over sticks. And tonight he gave us more of a taste of what his physical game can bring. So hopefully he'll build on that as the season progresses.

I like how he reads the flow of the game. You rarely see him fall behind and get caught. And although he makes the odd rookie mistake, generally speaking, he's positionally sound.

With a little luck and better finish from linemates, he'd have around 8-9 points by now. Let's not forget he played most of the year with Josh "black hole" Anderson.


What do you think he should be working on?

 

[Gustave]

I'm not even thinking that far, but after a rough stretch, he's been solid the last 2 games.

Can we discuss what adjustments we’re seeing that's he’s made? Or what he needs to do more of? Anything else will do at this point lol.

His head is up. That’s a big improvement, my biggest take so far. I’m very happy about it. He’s only getting top 6 minutes and PP minutes, which is prime real estate.

I think he’s getting the opportunity.

Now he needs more puck touches… you don’t want to hear my take on HOW he could reach those, so I’ll just say; he’s better than last season, but he’s not there yet and I’d love to give him more confidence with the puck so that he could learn how and when to shot a puck.

 

[Tyson]

Yes. But he still makes rookie mistakes. On one play he had all day to pass out to an open CC but he rushed the play and just threw out a no look pass. That killed the play and sent it the other way. Stuff like that is what he'll need to work on. He's definitely a raw talent and work in progress.

No doubt he is raw but the improvements I am seeing are promising. Work in progress

 

[nhlfan9191]

Thing is…he’s played very well the last 2 games, but that's drowned out by the repeated “he should be in the AHL” discussion.

I mean, how much more can we say about that at this point? Everywhere you look or listen, radio, tv, Twitter, etc, it's the same repeated thing as nauseum.

Meanwhile we can't even discuss his actual play because it's secondary to “he should be in the AHL”.

Disregard everything else, just look at tonight...he played a good game, can we discuss that?

Or because he didn't get a goal or assist tonight, hey let's talk about how he should be in the AHL again...

I’m going to level with you, we’re in year 3 of a very boring rebuild. Not a whole lot has happened so I’ve kind of enjoyed the debates that have come with the only first overall pick we’ve had since I’ve started watching hockey. Unfortunately, the tone around him early isn’t positive. It’s hard not to talk about a 19 year old who has 2 points in his last 29 games going to the AHL. It just seems like such an obvious choice unless there’s ego’s and other things at play that aren’t being showcased to the public. It’s hard to ignore Gorton’s history with top 10 picks going back to 2017 with the NYR. He did this with Laf and Kakko as well. Even those players managed to do more then Slaf has as a teenager. But it doesn’t look like it was a good plan with how they’re trending now either.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I’m going to level with you, we’re in year 3 of a very boring rebuild. Not a whole lot has happened so I’ve kind of enjoyed the debates that have come with the only first overall pick we’ve had since I’ve started watching hockey. Unfortunately, the tone around him early isn’t positive. It’s hard not to talk about a 19 year old who has 2 points in his last 29 games going to the AHL. It just seems like such an obvious choice unless there’s ego’s and other things at play that aren’t being showcased to the public. It’s hard to ignore Gorton’s history with top 10 picks going back to 2017 with the NYR. He did this with Laf and Kakko as well. Even those players managed to do more then Slaf has as a teenager. But it doesn’t look like it was a good plan with how they’re trending now either.

I think last year was a really bad decision. I wouldn't have put him in the NHL. Even worse, when we did bring him in we put him on the 3rd line. Hated that decision.

This year it took ten games but they've finally put him with talented players. Big improvement in his play all of a sudden. I hope they see that and then coach accordingly going forward.

I'm fine with the AHL option but if they're keeping him up he's got to be with our best players otherwise just send him down.

 

[Rapala]

Yes. But he still makes rookie mistakes. On one play he had all day to pass out to an open CC but he rushed the play and just threw out a no look pass. That killed the play and sent it the other way. Stuff like that is what he'll need to work on. He's definitely a raw talent and work in progress.

He doesn't have a full season under his belt so rookie mistakes are still to be expected.

 

[417]

I agree. I'd love to discuss those, for sure. He needs to work on his shot, that is clear. He needs to shoot more, that also is clear. Otherwise, I think the rest of his game is good especially considering age and experience.

He's a great passer. But he needs to start putting some sauce on his passes. His excellent vision means he very quickly sees open teammates, and he does connect with his passes most of the time, but the odd time, like tonight, they need sauce to get over sticks. And tonight he gave us more of a taste of what his physical game can bring. So hopefully he'll build on that as the season progresses.

I like how he reads the flow of the game. You rarely see him fall behind and get caught. And although he makes the odd rookie mistake, generally speaking, he's positionally sound.

With a little luck and better finish from linemates, he'd have around 8-9 points by now. Let's not forget he played most of the year with Josh "black hole" Anderson.


What do you think he should be working on?

Being ready to shoot…that often starts before the puck is on your stick.

I think he's doing a lot of watching and processing and while I find he’s getting a tad quicker, he's still got a ways to go. He's a half-second late reacting at times but again, the last few games I've seen an improvement there.

Other than that, his board work also needs some work but I think that will come with time.

 

[417]

His head is up. That’s a big improvement, my biggest take so far. I’m very happy about it. He’s only getting top 6 minutes and PP minutes, which is prime real estate.

I think he’s getting the opportunity.

Now he needs more puck touches… you don’t want to hear my take on HOW he could reach those, so I’ll just say; he’s better than last season, but he’s not there yet and I’d love to give him more confidence with the puck so that he could learn how and when to shot a puck.

It's not that I don't want to hear it, I've heard it. We all have. It's just getting boring at this point to be honest and I mean that with no disrespect to you or others.

I am going to comment that I do think the biggest adjustment he needs to make is processing the game at a faster pace, do you think that doing that at a slower pace at a lower level, can actually reinforce his bad habits rather than eliminate them?

Cause I think that's a big reason why they seem so hell-bent on continuing this way.

 

[nhlfan9191]

I think last year was a really bad decision. I wouldn't have put him in the NHL. Even worse, when we did bring him in we put him on the 3rd line. Hated that decision.

This year it took ten games but they've finally put him with talented players. Big improvement in his play all of a sudden. I hope they see that and then coach accordingly going forward.

I'm fine with the AHL option but if they're keeping him up he's got to be with our best players otherwise just send him down.

That’s the thing, of the 14 games he’s played, there may be only a handful of games you can say he’s been bad. He’s played relatively well with what he’s had to work with. It’s the usage and his inability to create any kind of momentum for himself that’s driving me insane. I want to see what looks like when he’s playing with some swagger. I think we saw a bit of that when he was with Monahan last year and guess who he hasn’t been playing with. Lol gluing him to the bench to win games in November to keep us .500 also is mind numbingly stupid.

 

[417]

I’m going to level with you, we’re in year 3 of a very boring rebuild. Not a whole lot has happened so I’ve kind of enjoyed the debates that have come with the only first overall pick we’ve had since I’ve started watching hockey. Unfortunately, the tone around him early isn’t positive.

All fair and I get it. But you have to admit, there isn't much debate happening these days. It's more of a echo chamber of everyone repeating the same thing about where he “should” be playing, while we’re clearly not discussing HOW he's playing.

The last two games, we could have been talking about a whole lot more. I think we've gotten so dug in to this position that it's not allowing us to notice small but meaningful improvements that are actually happening with him.

It’s hard not to talk about a 19 year old who has 2 points in his last 29 games going to the AHL. It just seems like such an obvious choice unless there’s ego’s and other things at play that aren’t being showcased to the public.

Again, I'm not trying to police the conversation. Just think if we’re just talking about tonight’s hockey game, there was a lot more good to discuss than recycling that same debate all over again.

The tone around him isn't positive like you said, but when there's reason for it to be, let's also be concurrent.

It’s hard to ignore Gorton’s history with top 10 picks going back to 2017 with the NYR. He did this with Laf and Kakko as well. Even those players managed to do more then Slaf has as a teenager. But it doesn’t look like it was a good plan with how they’re trending now either.

To be fair, that belongs in a Gorton thread…

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

That’s the thing, of the 14 games he’s played, there may be only a handful of games you can say he’s been bad. He’s played relatively well with what he’s had to work with. It’s the usage and his inability to create any kind of momentum for himself that’s driving me insane. I want to see what looks like when he’s playing with some swagger. I think we saw a bit of that when he was with Monahan last year and guess who he hasn’t been playing with. Lol gluing him to the bench to win games in November to keep us .500 also is mind numbingly stupid.

Yep. And I've probably said this too often but the Dach injury really f***ed things up. Even though I'd advocated for an AHL start, I can't deny that they looked great together. A freaking tragic loss for us this year. Slaf would've done so much better and Newhook probably as well.

 

[LesCanadiens]

Being ready to shoot…that often starts before the puck is on your stick.

I think he's doing a lot of watching and processing and while I find he’s getting a tad quicker, he's still got a ways to go. He's a half-second late reacting at times but again, the last few games I've seen an improvement there.

Other than that, his board work also needs some work but I think that will come with time.

Totally agree. He has a very good one-timer. But either hasn't had many chances to let it go or has elected not too. But his wrister totally needs to be fixed in the terms you mentioned. I see an eager learner in him. And a good attitude. So I'm confident he's going to make those adjustments. I'm actually quite excited about what's to come.

 

[nhlfan9191]

All fair and I get it. But you have to admit, there isn't much debate happening these days. It's more of a echo chamber of everyone repeating the same thing about where he “should” be playing, while we’re clearly not discussing HOW he's playing.

The last two games, we could have been talking about a whole lot more.

Again, I'm not trying to police the conversation. Just think if we’re just talking about tonight’s hockey game, there was a lot more good to discuss than recycling that same debate all over again.

The tone around him isn't positive like you said, but when there's reason for it to be, let's also be concurrent.

To be fair, that belongs in a Gorton thread…

I’m guilty as charged when it comes to beating the dead horse on this AHL stuff. I have no problem admitting that. But you can make an argument that it’s the same thing with his game to game breakdowns. Not a whole lot has changed on a game to game basis. There’s not a whole lot to talk about there. He makes a couple of nice passes, makes a couple of nice touches, etc. Not super exciting stuff. When he does start heating up, I imagine the conversation that you want to move along will. Either that or it may get even uglier in these threads if he gets older and nothing changes.

As for Gorton, I think his recent handling of top players in the draft is very relevant when it comes to this discussion. Especially when he had a couple who were handled the same way and have been disappointing.

 

[417]

I’m guilty as charged when it comes to beating the dead horse on this AHL stuff. I have no problem admitting that. But you can make an argument that it’s the same thing with his game to game breakdowns. Not a whole lot has changed on a game to game basis. There’s not a whole lot to talk about there. He makes a couple of nice passes, makes a couple of nice touches, etc. Not super exciting stuff. When he does start heating up, I imagine the conversation that you want to move along will. Either that or it may get even uglier in these threads if he gets older and nothing changes.

Not exciting, granted but I don't know, maybe I've recalibrated how I'm measuring progress with this player. You can call it coping if you want but I’m just generally not concerned with what I see because I genuine believe we are only seeing a fraction of the player he will become.

Therea 's chasm between now and when it's really going to start to have to come together, we’re talking about another 150+ games from now.

We’re way too caught up in the moment. It gets difficult when you start comparing him to other 1st overalls or other teams 1st round picks, etc etc.

But that's all just noise tbh.

As for Gorton, I think his recent handling of top players in the draft is very relevant when it comes to this discussion. Especially when he had a couple who were handled the same way and have been disappointing.

Meh, see above…noise. It's not a plague lol.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

His head is up. That’s a big improvement, my biggest take so far. I’m very happy about it. He’s only getting top 6 minutes and PP minutes, which is prime real estate.

I think he’s getting the opportunity.

Now he needs more puck touches… you don’t want to hear my take on HOW he could reach those, so I’ll just say; he’s better than last season, but he’s not there yet and I’d love to give him more confidence with the puck so that he could learn how and when to shot a puck.

Funny,

I hadn't thought about his head being up at all but you're right, it's a big difference from last year. I was genuinely worried about him getting clobbered this year.

 

[Miller Time]

Totally agree. He has a very good one-timer. But either hasn't had many chances to let it go or has elected not too. But his wrister totally needs to be fixed in the terms you mentioned. I see an eager learner in him. And a good attitude. So I'm confident he's going to make those adjustments. I'm actually quite excited about what's to come.

Yup.

9th most used fwd tonight, which is fine imo given the context.

As long as the communication remains strong and he remains positive & engaged in the process, it's all good. The tools are there, the (albeit slow) progression is there, the mouth-watering potential is there.

I'd say he's exactly where he needs to be right now. Patience will be rewarded.

Future is Bright

 

[Canad13ns]

Cooley has 10 pts in 14 games. Slafkovsky 12 in 53 games.

We want Slaf to become good; we don't need him to be good faster than Cooley becomes good. Tage Thompson had 26 points in his first 104 games, similar pace to Slaf. Thompson seems to have developed into a legit first-line NHLer and if that's the path Slaf takes, and if that's the kind of player he becomes, I'm good with it.

That said, it is frustrating to watch Slaf right now but big guys are supposed to take longer to develop so why are we mad when that happens? He should be in the AHL where the game is slower so he can learn and improve without all the attention and pressure.

 

[Canad13ns]

He played “heavy” tonight if that makes any sense.…man would it be nice to see Dach in the middle of Slaf and Caufield though.


He's here and doesn't seem to be going anywhere whether we like it or not.

At what point can the conversation move onto something else though? Seems like we’re there…

Agree Slaf played better tonight. At one point he actually knocked two players down while staying on his feet and got the puck. Usually I think he's noticeably lost in the middle of the ice and ineffective on the boards. Tonight he, and most of the team, played well enough that it makes me wonder why they don't play that way more often.

 

[Guillermo]

Totally agree. He has a very good one-timer. But either hasn't had many chances to let it go or has elected not too. But his wrister totally needs to be fixed in the terms you mentioned. I see an eager learner in him. And a good attitude. So I'm confident he's going to make those adjustments. I'm actually quite excited about what's to come.

One major adjustment already. I don't see him with his head down!

 

[NORiculous]

We want Slaf to become good; we don't need him to be good faster than Cooley becomes good. Tage Thompson had 26 points in his first 104 games, similar pace to Slaf. Thompson seems to have developed into a legit first-line NHLer and if that's the path Slaf takes, and if that's the kind of player he becomes, I'm good with it.

That said, it is frustrating to watch Slaf right now but big guys are supposed to take longer to develop so why are we mad when that happens? He should be in the AHL where the game is slower so he can learn and improve without all the attention and pressure.

Please don’t compare Slafkovsky to Tage Thompson…

Why?

How many big guys in the history of the league turned out like Tage?

 

[Canad13ns]

That’s the thing, of the 14 games he’s played, there may be only a handful of games you can say he’s been bad. He’s played relatively well with what he’s had to work with. It’s the usage and his inability to create any kind of momentum for himself that’s driving me insane. I want to see what looks like when he’s playing with some swagger. I think we saw a bit of that when he was with Monahan last year and guess who he hasn’t been playing with. Lol gluing him to the bench to win games in November to keep us .500 also is mind numbingly stupid.

To me, Slaf has been playing well for a 19 year old who is not yet processing the game at the same speed as the other players and who is still learning how to use his size, balance on his skates, protect his head etc. The good: he sometimes makes a good pass or intercepts a pass, so we see a flash of why he drafted him.

So far this season, he loses most board battles, doesn't seem to even commit in these battles and doesn't use his size effectively. When the puck is in our end, he often glides around with one hand on his stick and doesn't seem to know where he should be; it looks like he's trying to figure it out. In the offensive end, when the puck comes to him with an open lane, he takes too long to get the shot off.

However, he's 19 and in a higher league than he should be. He showed some good things in tonight's game, like winning some board battles. About him being sat at the end of a tight game, I'm fine with it. He can watch and learn from others who know how to defend when the game's on the line. Effective pedagogy involves matching the challenge to the student's level. When he has shown in the rest of the game that he understands defence, positioning etc. and can win board battles, then trying his skills when the game's on the line will be an appropriate challenge and recognition of how much he's improved.