Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[BaseballCoach]

You don't think a defenseman prospect who's basically breaking offensive records left and right is not a blue chip prospect?

If a guy is scoring a ton of points, and is still a minus player, he is giving up even MORE goals against.

 

[417]

You didn’t post what you did because you thought what he said was “mature and thoughtful.” You made it to discredit people who don’t agree with you.

You're not in a position to tell me the intention behind my posts anymore than I am with yours.

I posted that because his thoughts were mature and thoughtful and frankly, coming from a 19yr old show more perspective than a lot of folks on our fanbase.

It might be news to you, but our fanbase exists is much larger numbers outside of this forum.

I said what I said and I said it with with my whole chest. If you feel like I was talking about you, that's a YOU problem.

I don’t have time to respond to every single one of your bullet points. I’ve answered to everything you’ve said in some way or another if you scroll up. You want people to ignore point production going as far to calling it “low hanging fruit.” Not happening. It will always be something fans will claim too unless he truly becomes a unicorn where his intangibles become more valuable then his offensive output. He isn’t at that point yet.

I never said people should ignore point production, you came up with that all on your own.

 

[admiralcadillac]

If a guy is scoring a ton of points, and is still a minus player, he is giving up even MORE goals against.

That’s not how plus minus works.

Watching him every chance I get.

I’m not questioning that, I’m asking you what makes you say he can’t defend? What are the metrics you’re looking at? Anything specific?

 

[nhlfan9191]

https://x.com/antho_martineau/status/1732428985907253369?s=46

He's gonna be alright, shows more maturity and perspective then a lot of people in our fanbase.

How is one suppose to take this post. You’re taking a shot at the part of the fanbase you don’t agree with. Why mention the fanbase at all? Like common man. Lol

 

[Miller Time]

Are you saying that Slafkovsky was playing well last year?

Slaf played well enough in camp for them to feel his best place was in Montreal, and progressed well enough prior to being injured for them to keep him there.

They explained it about as clearly as they could.

As Xhekaj's AHL assignment suggests, they will adapt based on evolving progression and team circumstances.

Mesar, also picked in the 1st round, got sent to OHL in back to back years.

This management group has shown quite clearly that they aim to adapt development pathway to the individual (or what they assess to be the best situation for the individual), where possible.

 

[417]

How is one suppose to take this post.

However the hell you want too wtf lol

You’re taking a shot at the part of the fanbase you don’t agree with. Why mention the fanbase at all? Like common man. Lol

and you've taken shots at me, you were out here telling me my opinion here isn't welcomed because I didn't play hockey growing up. maybe you shouldn't be so liberal with your shots if you're not able to take them.

And once more, if the shoe fits, wear it...if it doesn't, don't.

I mean, what I said about this fanbase isn't exactly a state secret. You be aight lol

 

[Miller Time]

I mean it’s hard not to see Slafkovsky as a blue chip prospect with his current play. We’ll see if it continues.

Also, is Lane Hutson not a blue chip at this point?

Beauty is always in the eye of ge beholder.

Depends on what one considers "blue chip".

I'd frame it as a player whose floor is top 6 / top 4 regular/everyday NHLer, with a realistic ceiling of being in the top tier of the NHL in their position in their prime.

So Mesar, who has that ceiling, but also a floor of not making it as an NHL regular, wouldn't fit .

Slaf I think does.
Hutson... Borderline. floor might be as low as a MABergeron type PP specialist, though I think he's steadily showing that his game is multi-dimensional enough that top 4 regular floor appears more of a lock by the week.

Roy might be pushing himself into that territory.

RB is there imo, though many seem overly pessimistic based on his 12 game, injury affected D1 showing so far.

How is one suppose to take this post. You’re taking a shot at the part of the fanbase you don’t agree with. Why mention the fanbase at all? Like common man. Lol

Nothing wrong with calling out bad takes... It's a message board.

Have a take, don't suck. If your take sucks, don't be offended by it... Come up with a better take.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

This poster was not here to talk about points when he had 5 points in 7-8 games playing with Dvorak and Caufield.

I guess also his great game against the Kraken with Suzuki and Caufield doesn’t count since it’s better to stat watch

If he stays in the first line, I think we’d see a pace of 35-40 points. They don’t seem to want to put him on the first PP unit.

 

[nhlfan9191]

However the hell you want too wtf lol

and you've taken shots at me, you were out here telling me my opinion here isn't welcomed because I didn't play hockey growing up. maybe you shouldn't be so liberal with your shots if you're not able to take them.

And once more, if the shoe fits, wear it...if it doesn't, don't.

I mean, what I said about this fanbase isn't exactly a state secret. You be aight lol

I never once said your opinion is not welcome. Stop quote tweeting me with the same argument we’ve had before. You believe development isn’t a thing. That’s fine. Stay away from me with that argument.

Beauty is always in the eye of ge beholder.

Depends on what one considers "blue chip".

I'd frame it as a player whose floor is top 6 / top 4 regular/everyday NHLer, with a realistic ceiling of being in the top tier of the NHL in their position in their prime.

So Mesar, who has that ceiling, but also a floor of not making it as an NHL regular, wouldn't fit .

Slaf I think does.
Hutson... Borderline. floor might be as low as a MABergeron type PP specialist, though I think he's steadily showing that his game is multi-dimensional enough that top 4 regular floor appears more of a lock by the week.

Roy might be pushing himself into that territory.

RB is there imo, though many seem overly pessimistic based on his 12 game, injury affected D1 showing so far.



Nothing wrong with calling out bad takes... It's a message board.

Have a take, don't suck. If your take sucks, don't be offended by it... Come up with a better take.

Who made you judge, jury, and executioner on bad takes? We’ve had this conversation before. It definitely isn’t you which is why you stopped talking last time I pointed that out.

 

[BaseballCoach]

That’s not how plus minus works.


I’m not questioning that, I’m asking you what makes you say he can’t defend? What are the metrics you’re looking at? Anything specific?

The number of times he is on the ice for goals against where he did not make the right play.

He gets beat a lot because his backward skating and pivots are weak.

He doesdn't muscle guys off the puck. Teams can cycle effectively when he is on the ice.

 

[417]

I never once said your opinion is not welcome. Stop quote tweeting me with the same argument we’ve had before.

You literally said that because I didn't play hockey that my opinion here wasn't valid.(mod)

It's all good, didn't bother me.

You believe development isn’t a thing. That’s fine. Stay away from me with that argument.

I never said such a thing...I see you've resorted to making up fairytales to try to discredit me lol I legit live rent free in your head.

I've been one of the few here who has argued against the "theory" that the NHL is not a developmental league, i've been a proponent of believing that development happens at every level and doesn't have to be sequential like you hockey experts think.

So miss me with that...you're just saying things to say things right now.

You're just mad that what I have been saying is manifesting itself, and you can't handle it.

 

[bcv]

If a guy is scoring a ton of points, and is still a minus player, he is giving up even MORE goals against.

plus/minus is a terrible stat.

 

[Toene]

What do you mean not quite? He’s been playing with one of or both of Suzuki/Caufield for most of the last 10 or so games. What is incorrect about what I said there? If you’re deemed good enough to play in the top 6 in the NHL, 20-30 point production is not good regardless of how well you think he’s be playing when he touches the puck. He’s still not shooting the puck anywhere near an acceptable pace and that leads to forced passes.

And I wouldn’t consider production a low hanging fruit. This is the NHL man. Top 6 forwards, which is what role Slafkovsky is being played in, are for the most part evaluated by what they can bring offensively. Which is measured by production. How can you blame posters for mentioning it?

I don’t have the quote for a post you just made, but you said Slafkovsky has “more maturity and perspective then a lot of people in our fanbase.” That’s just a way for you to take a shot at people who don’t agree with your opinion. And it makes you a bit hypocritical because somebody could just as easily turn something like that around on you and the way you go about your opinions.

Savage. Great post.

 

[BaseballCoach]

That’s not how plus minus works.

Well, it is a simple calculation of even-strength goals for and against while on the ice.

Hutson is on the ice for a lot of goals scored at even strength. He is on the ice for even MORE goals against. If his points scored are very high relative to the league, then what kind of defensive records must he be breaking (in a bad way)?

plus/minus is a terrible stat.

Tell that to the league. They use plus/minus (including special teams) to determine which team wins each game. Except for very rare flukes, most players contribute to their teams' offesnive and defensive results only when they are on the ice.

By the way, do you like Corsi and Fenwick?

 

[Toene]

"He's playing better!", "He's more involved physically!".

Lol. So he slightly improved from being really bad, and hasn't produced shit. And we're basing this on a game where he played with our two best forwards.

The standards are so low, I think the only way we could reach them is by mining the depths of Moria.

 

[Miller Time]

I never once said your opinion is not welcome. Stop quote tweeting me with the same argument we’ve had before. You believe development isn’t a thing. That’s fine. Stay away from me with that argument.


Who made you judge, jury, and executioner on bad takes? We’ve had this conversation before. It definitely isn’t you which is why you stopped talking last time I pointed that out.

Dude, you're the one complaining nonstop.

If your complaint has no merit, that's not a me problem...

Care to provide the evidence that the team kept Slaf in the NHL BECAUSE he was drafted 1OA?

So far, all I've seen is opinion paraded as fact. That's what I would define as a bad take. I'm sure others have their own standards. What's yours?

 

[Miller Time]

"He's playing better!", "He's more involved physically!".

Lol. So he slightly improved from being really bad, and hasn't produced shit. And we're basing this on a game where he played with our two best forwards.

The standards are so low, I think the only way we could reach them is by mining the depths of Moria.

Athlete development isn't for everyone... Patience and perspective non plus

I suspect you'd have been on board with Craig Button's decision to give up on MSL a year before he broke out & went on to a HOF career... At least Button had the good sense to acknowledge his failure to observe the nuances of what made MSL eventually go from mediocre to good & good to great.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

"He's playing better!", "He's more involved physically!".

Lol. So he slightly improved from being really bad, and hasn't produced shit. And we're basing this on a game where he played with our two best forwards.

The standards are so low, I think the only way we could reach them is by mining the depths of Moria.

This is a really bad take.

 

[Shutdown]

"He's playing better!", "He's more involved physically!".

Lol. So he slightly improved from being really bad, and hasn't produced shit. And we're basing this on a game where he played with our two best forwards.

The standards are so low, I think the only way we could reach them is by mining the depths of Moria.

if you're watching the games and coming to these conclusions, this is just willful ignorance

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I literally made the point of playing with one of Suzuki/Caufield which you just conveniently ignored. A hot streak by your standards is around a .5 pace over a small stretch. Stop trying to create arguments I never made.


You didn’t post what you did because you thought what he said was “mature and thoughtful.” You made it to discredit people who don’t agree with you. I don’t have time to respond to every single one of your bullet points. I’ve answered to everything you’ve said in some way or another if you scroll up. You want people to ignore point production going as far to calling it “low hanging fruit.” Not happening. It will always be something fans will claim too unless he truly becomes a unicorn where his intangibles become more valuable then his offensive output. He isn’t at that point yet.

Point production is obviously important. But it’s a lot less important in the early years of a player’s career. I also think it’s important to factor in usage when looking or comparing younger players. The Cooley comparisons made earlier in the thread were a joke for example.

Since coming up with CC he’s pacing for around 5 in 12. Should’ve had more points but that’s the way it goes. The shakes out to be somewhere around 35ish points. To me that’s fine at this stage.

Personally, I expect another big drop soon and he’ll probably go with it. In the meantime though, hopefully he gets a point every other game and continues to improve.

I don’t see how people can’t be at least a little excited about how he’s played in recent weeks.

 

[Paddy17]

If he stays in the first line, I think we’d see a pace of 35-40 points. They don’t seem to want to put him on the first PP unit.

The PP unit with him in Suzuki's spot gives it a whole new dimension. When Suzuki takes that spot, they are way too predictable and try the same play over and over. Get it to Suzuki in motion, he comes down and either shoots or tries to cross pass to Caufield.

With Slaf there, he actually goes down low and becomes an option for Caufield, which frees up Monahan in the bumper position. I prefer Suzuki down low like that too. There are much more options and the unit plays closer to the net instead of each staying in the perimeter, where the D don't have to move at all.

 

[Toene]

This is a really bad take.

if you're watching the games and coming to these conclusions, this is just willful ignorance

I said he played better last game. I'm of those who think he can be a first-liner, he's got monster potential, but I'm not impressed yet. He struggled mightily this year and a good (but pointless) game here and there doesn't mean much to me.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I said he played better last game. I'm of those who think he can be a first-liner, he's got monster potential, but I'm not impressed yet. He struggled mightily this year and a good (but pointless) game here and there doesn't mean much to me.

It’s not just one game. He’s been playing well for weeks now. And I don’t think that’s being said through the lense of a low bar.

 

[Toene]

Athlete development isn't for everyone... Patience and perspective non plus

I suspect you'd have been on board with Craig Button's decision to give up on MSL a year before he broke out & went on to a HOF career... At least Button had the good sense to acknowledge his failure to observe the nuances of what made MSL eventually go from mediocre to good & good to great.

Apples and oranges. MSL was undrafted and came up during the DPE, when dinosaur coaches and GMs were wary of small players. If St-Louis came up in the current era, I believe he would've had a real chance. He was a great college player.

Slaf otoh is a 1st overall pick and we're getting our panties in a bunch because of one decent (not great) game.

It’s not just one game. He’s been playing well for weeks now. And I don’t think that’s being said through the lense of a low bar.

Really? I've watched all of them and I've seen him cough up the puck countless times because it takes him forever to make decisions. He refuses to shoot, and when he does, his release is slow.

 

[417]

I said he played better last game. I'm of those who think he can be a first-liner, he's got monster potential, but I'm not impressed yet. He struggled mightily this year and a good (but pointless) game here and there doesn't mean much to me.

Well it's a good thing that is irrelevant to how he's progressing.