Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[cave troll]

Im here for the laughs and the debate too.

1. Debatable and it remains to be seen. I am not sure if he ends up his career with more points than Cooley. I think a two way powerforward like him is a very rare assets. I think he has a two way impact that Wright and Cooley won't have.

Yes. There is a big chance he'll develop into Matt Martin.

 

[417]

Then who were you talking about? @ them.

I have @ them lol wtf you actually think people are scared of online message board profiles?

Get real man lol stay on the topic at hand man.

 

[waffledave]

I remember the usual apologists were saying 50 points was a realistic and probably number for Slaf this year. At this point it's a stretch for him to get 20. I always said his best years will be in the 50 point range - starting to think I overestimated him.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Heavens to Betsy this thread

 

[Lshap]

It's possible to balance two concepts at the same time: 1) Slafkovsky is very young and should be judged on progress; 2) Forwards are primarily judged on offensive production.

Up until now, we've been judging Slaf's progress by "Close", "Almost", "If he had better usage/linemates/luck". That grace period is fair, but not infinite. Pretty soon those "Almosts" have to be converted into actual points, or it's no longer real progress. When is "Pretty soon" and how many points = progress? How about 8 more points before the New Year, for a total of 10 pts in about 30 games. Enough wiggle-room for the kid to figure out the game without being rushed; enough points on the board to show concrete evidence of progress.

Now I'm off to the Middle East to broker a lasting peace.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I don't know why we are fighting eachother , most posters who are critical of him just want him to be sent down so he can be the main guy with the puck on his stick.

Sure he looks "passable" out there. But the mistakes he makes seem to be puck skill mistakes like the flubbed 2 on 1 or letting go of the puck too early when he has more time.
Not to mention he still gets plastered at least once a game. Pointing this out does not make you a hater.

Also I'm sure all the guys who are critical of him are more than open to eating crow if the kid ends up a star.

The pompoms for a pointless game and acceptable 5on5 play is a bit much but so are the posters calling him a total scrub or saying he doesn't belong in the NHL.

 

[NotProkofievian]

It's possible to balance two concepts at the same time: 1) Slafkovsky is very young and should be judged on progress; 2) Forwards are primarily judged on offensive production.

Up until now, we've been judging Slaf's progress by "Close", "Almost", "If he had better usage/linemates/luck". But pretty soon those "Almosts" have to be converted into actual points, or it's no longer real progress. When is "Pretty soon" and how many points = progress? How about 8 more points before the New Year, for a total of 10 pts in about 30 games. Enough wiggle-room for the kid to figure out the game without being rushed; enough points on the board to show concrete evidence of progress.

Now I'm off to the Middle East to broker a lasting peace.

This is a fantastic question (actually, no sarcasm at all), and I'm holding my breath for people to answer. Wish me luck (some sarcasm may apply).

 

[Whitesnake]

The only thing negative for Slaf yesterday...how a big man like that keeps getting rocked. 2 huge hits. While I will get the reply that he was not the one hurtin on that 2nd hit, he still fell hard. Don't remember if it was a question of head high though. Or at one point over the years, he will have to work on his balance and leg strength.

 

[417]

It's possible to balance two concepts at the same time: 1) Slafkovsky is very young and should be judged on progress; 2) Forwards are primarily judged on offensive production.

Up until now, we've been judging Slaf's progress by "Close", "Almost", "If he had better usage/linemates/luck". But pretty soon those "Almosts" have to be converted into actual points, or it's no longer real progress. When is "Pretty soon" and how many points = progress? How about 8 more points before the New Year, for a total of 10 pts in about 30 games. Enough wiggle-room for the kid to figure out the game without being rushed; enough points on the board to show concrete evidence of progress.

Now I'm off to the Middle East to broker a lasting peace.

I mean sure at some points the production has to be there…

But let's remember the context, unless your name is Suzuki/Caufield/Monahan/Matheson…points are difficult to come by on this team at this moment.

So is it fair to heap that kind of expectation on him when the the majority of the team isn’t pulling its weight?

They're supposed to prop HIM up, not the other way around. 1st OA pick, or not. This isn't a single struggling player, in a lineup full of productive players.

 

[Kennerback]

1- I believe he had an excellent game yesterday.

2- While everyone else practiced their shot release these past years, Slaf was testing recipes.

3- I need to suspend disbelief that the guy that doesn’t know how to score will be our scoring powerhouse in a couple of seasons.

4- Otherwise he looks improved and not out of place.

 

[Whitesnake]

I don't know why we are fighting eachother , most posters who are critical of him just want him to be sent down so he can be the main guy with the puck on his stick.

Sure he looks "passable" out there. But the mistakes he makes seem to be puck skill mistakes like the flubbed 2 on 1 or letting go of the puck too early when he has more time.
Not to mention he still gets plastered at least once a game. Pointing this out does not make you a hater.

Also I'm sure all the guys who are critical of him are more than open to eating crow if the kid ends up a star.

The pompoms for a pointless game and acceptable 5on5 play is a bit much but so are the posters calling him a total scrub or saying he doesn't belong in the NHL.

Game, set and match. Nobody sane will call him a bust. And my take was that I want him to succeed and be confidence. And the way I think he can do that is just slow the game down a bit in the AHL. And then be brought up to never look bad. I will never understand how it's that bad of a take...lol.

 

[417]

Game, set and match. Nobody sane will call him a bust. And my take was that I want him to succeed and be confidence. And the way I think he can do that is just slow the game down a bit in the AHL. And then be brought up to never look bad. I will never understand how it's that bad of a take...lol.

Who said it's a bad take though? Lol

Literally EVERYONE keeps saying that, it's almost like if we keep writing it, we’ll will it to happen lol.

Maybe it's just time to accept the coaching staff sees it differently and just deal with the fact that he's here.

Maybe it will help with looking at everything through that lense all the damn time.

Perfect example is your post from last night a few posts up where you say he's going to have to work on his balance and leg strength..

I mean isn't that obvious? He's a teenager lol, even the most performing 18-19 years olds in the NHL right now need to continue to work on that aspect.

 

[Whitesnake]

I mean isn't that obvious? He's a teenager lol, even the most performing 18-19 years olds in the NHL right now need to continue to work on that aspect.

And yet, I don't see those teenagers more often than not be on that bad side of huge hits. I'm not talking about fighting along the boards here.

What's also obvious is that players will evolve through their career....till they start descending.

But my main point was the fact that he often keeps getting rocked. And before he gets seriously injured, I still think a trip down would be the way to go. Mind you, he was able to not be hit that much lately...yesterday though, in his best game of the year, was a sign that this is not settled.

As far as accepting what the coaching staff tells us it's best....sorry. I can't. Not always and blindly. Especially not with the fact they use Anderson on the PP.

 

[Jaynki]

Yes. There is a big chance he'll develop into Matt Martin.

As much chance as Cooley becoming the next tyler ennis i guess

 

[Whitesnake]

I remember the usual apologists were saying 50 points was a realistic and probably number for Slaf this year. At this point it's a stretch for him to get 20. I always said his best years will be in the 50 point range - starting to think I overestimated him.

Frankly, I wouldn't think that way just yet. I see stuff that paired with confidence could have him become the player we hope he'll be. His main problem, like some kids, is to take faster decisions. He takes way too much time. And when he doesn't, his shot isn't precise. Once that compass is fixed....why couldn't he take the Tuch/Thompson type of development? Players that did see some AHL time though....

 

[Lshap]

I mean sure at some points the production has to be there…

But let's remember the context, unless your name is Suzuki/Caufield/Monahan/Matheson…points are difficult to come by on this team at this moment.

So is it fair to heap that kind of expectation on him when the the majority of the team isn’t pulling its weight?

They're supposed to prop HIM up, not the other way around. 1st OA pick, or not. This isn't a single struggling player, in a lineup full of productive players.

I said "Pretty soon". You used "At some point". We're saying the same thing – Slafkovsky's progress must start translating into real production. Not tomorrow, but... um... pretty soon and at some point. It's fair to set markers for his progress – x-amount of goals and assists over x-amount of time – since producing goals and assists are the main job of an NHL winger.

I pulled '8 points before the New Year' out of my ass. What's your expectation for him?

 

[Tyson]

Actually, he should be ppg right now because his linemates also should have set him up for 7 or 8 chances that he definitely would have buried. So actually, he's outscoring Cooley when you really think about it.

Cooley is a great talent no doubt but he stepped into the NHL right onto the 1st PP wave and top line minutes. Also a smart idea to have Cooley play one season in college which is probably the best place to develop players, not as many games, lots of practices and gym time.

 

[Jeune Poulet]

I remember the usual apologists were saying 50 points was a realistic and probably number for Slaf this year. At this point it's a stretch for him to get 20. I always said his best years will be in the 50 point range - starting to think I overestimated him.

The goal post is moving down all the time with the apologists.

The last two games, some of the compliments have been about him "playing a heavy game" (lol, WTF) and "starting to look like a hockey player".

I'm pretty sure he'll get a gold star for breathing soon.

With being said, there is potential for a really effective top 6 winger. But he'd be much better off playing a top role against AHLers at this stage.

 

[417]

And yet, I don't see those teenagers more often than not be on that bad side of huge hits. I'm not talking about fighting along the boards here.

Maybe you're not watching. Cause I certainly have.

What's also obvious is that players will evolve through their career....till they start descending.

Obvious? Reading posts in here, this seems like a foreign concept.

A lot of “Prisoner of the moment” takes in here.

But my main point was the fact that he often keeps getting rocked. And before he gets seriously injured, I still think a trip down would be the way to go. Mind you, he was able to not be hit that much lately...yesterday though, in his best game of the year, was a sign that this is not settled.

Kaiden Guhle gets rocked a lot too…its an adjustment to make, especially when your big and used to just dominating physically, it can take more than just 50 games to get used to that.

I know that's like an eternity around here but man, we’re just scratching the surface of what is hopefully a very long and productive career.

I'm not all rainbows and lollipops, I'm well aware of the concerns surrounding his game and his pedigree heading into the draft and I'd be lying if I said that's not a concern for me, it is.

But can we have some perspective and a birds eye view for once? Is there zero ability for projectability here?

As far as accepting what the coaching staff tells us it's best....sorry. I can't. Not always and blindly. Especially not with the fact they use Anderson on the PP.

Has nothing to do with accepting what the coaching staff is telling us blindly.

I’m not talking about when MSL steps up to the podium and says “Slafkovsky isn't struggling”.

That's a coach protecting his player and that's his job.

I'm talking about accepting a REALITY, which is that he’s not going to the AHL anytime soon.

That's like trying to argue that it's too early for snow in mid November.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I pulled '8 points before the New Year' out of my ass. What's your expectation for him?

That's quite lofty. How many games left till then? 20 or less?

 

[nhlfan9191]

That's quite lofty. How many games left till then? 20 or less?

21 games are left. Assuming he’s playing with one or two of Suzuki/Caufield/Monahan during that stretch, expecting around .5 PPG production shouldn’t be unrealistic. Whether he does it or not is another story.

 

[Lshap]

That's quite lofty. How many games left till then? 20 or less?

21 games left before the New Year.

So 8 points in the next 21 GP for a total of 10 pts. in 36 GP. Very slightly better than his pace last season. I'm honestly not sure if you're being sarcastic when you call that "Lofty".

 

[CHfan1]

That's quite lofty. How many games left till then? 20 or less?

The Habs have 21 games left in 2023. I don’t think 8 points in 21 games is too big of a goal for a player in the top 6 with some power play time (same goes for Anderson).

 

[NotProkofievian]

That's the neat thing, if you never give a concrete number you never have to admit that something's going wrong. You can just say some nonsense like ''there are so many more variables you're not considering, development's not linear.''

 

[nhlfan9191]

That's the neat thing, if you never give a concrete number you never have to admit that something's going wrong. You can just say some nonsense like ''there are so many more variables you're not considering, development's not linear.''

There’s a few posters in here, won’t go by name, that carefully select how they’re wording things hoping they can avoid eating crow a few years from now if Slaf doesn’t work out.