Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[crosbyshow]

Indeed...

Laf was the clear 1OA at the time, not sure any team/GM would or could have passed on him.

Byfield looks well on his way to being the better player.

The best player is Tim Stutzle..3rd overall..and I must admit..way before the draft Snake Boisvert told it again and again.


Byfield was awesome yesterday..but Slaf was for me even better...yes he scored 2 goals..but Slaf was dominant for 2 period against an awesome defense.

Slaf at 19 is way better than Laf and Byfield at the same age

 

[Whitesnake]

Could it be that it was not a bad thing to take the approach they did?

Don't disagree with anything you wrote, but that precaution piece I would understand to mean being careful not to break the player's confidence.

While some point to Slaf's production as a sign he's lacking in confidence, I see a player that has bought in to a deliberate approach, one that has him focused on growing his overall game (at the explicit "cost" of a short term negative effect on his ability to be comfortable/fluid and focus on scoring). I also hear an athlete that sounds confident & even appreciative of the direction, yet still hungry for more/better output.

That tells me the precaution, while absolutely important to be mindful of, in this specific case has been handled effectively. That's why I don't see the case to be made that going the AHL route would've been better for his long term development... And quite potentially would've had a bigger cost in shifting his focus on scoring (it's one thing to be ok with low output in the best league in the world while working on your game... Ego drive would likely change playing a level below, where things are easier and you want to earn your ticket up) & away from the specific individual & tactical fundamentals they are helping him refine.

Granted, there's no way to 100% validate which approach "would've" been better... But if the benefit was to ensure his confidence remained intact as he acclimated to NA pro hockey, I think we can say that this has been accomplished with the direction they took.

Sure. I guess it might not be a bad thing. Just like spending time in tihe AHL would not have been a bad thing. I know that at 18 year old, when he was giving himself to open to be concussed 2 times a game, looking at his feet instead of up because it was going too fast, we might have been lucky that he was not hurt as much as he did.

To me, from the moment I started posting about it, it was never about points. I'm talking for myself only here.

 

[417]

Sure. I guess it might not be a bad thing. Just like spending time in tihe AHL would not have been a bad thing. I know that at 18 year old, when he was giving himself to open to be concussed 2 times a game, looking at his feet instead of up because it was going too fast, we might have been lucky that he was not hurt as much as he did.

To me, from the moment I started posting about it, it was never about points. I'm talking for myself only here.

If you agree that both outcomes could not have been a bad thing...how can you then argue that the AHL experience would outweigh the NHL experience, in this specific situation?

 

[BaseballCoach]

Pretty sure that if you are on an operating table, you would wish that your surgeon operating you would have made most of his learning at school.....and not on you.

Or maybe I would rather a resident who has been learning under the best surgeon with great supervision rather than a guiy hjeld back loinger as an intern so he can spend more time doing stitches and gain confidence for one to two years.

 

[Kennerback]

Lafreniere was one shy of 20 goals in his D2 and he had 31 points playing on New Yorks 3rd and 4th line. I’d agree Slafkovsky was better then Byfield at the same age but don’t agree with Lafreniere. The main difference between Lafreniere and Slafkovsky are the expectations. People were surprised Laf wasn’t better then he was while a lot of people outside our fanbase have expected him to fail since the start.

How did Lafreniere look much worse than Slaf in D2 but massively outproduce Slaf? Why is Slaf looking amazing right now but is the furthest thing from a Superstar? Mike Ramsay identified the problem and “ordered him’ to shoot. Why can’t MSL make Slaf shoot?

 

[Whitesnake]

It's not in hindsight because as you well know, I've always questioned about whether or not the AHL is absolutely and in every case, the optimal environment for development. I've brought this up several times.

What's good for Mailloux or Roy or Farrell, isn't what's necessarily good for Slafkovsky...not to mention that well, they can't all be in Montreal obviously.

This is a terrible analogy...the difference between Slafkovsky playing in the NHL or having played 50 AHL games before, isn't life and death.

Come on man lol

You said that Laval is prooving to not be the environment we want in development. You say what's good for one, isn't necessarily good for the others, still wondering how's a bad development environment is good for anyone....And if it's that bad...what is the management waiting on? Losing 1 full year of bad development?

Geez man, is going under the knife always just a question of life and death? lol.

Point is this...while you ALWAYS learn no matter where you are whether it's at school or at work, both have different purposes, even though you always learn no matter where you are.

Yes, the league is going younger and younger. Even if you would keep a player in the AHL 2 years after his draft and have him at 20 in the NHL.....he's still just 20. So he would still be quietly learning the game. But he would come with a more solid basis. That was my whole point. And I have no idea how it's an issue....lol.

Or maybe I would rather a resident who has been learning under the best surgeon with great supervision rather than him having spent time doing stitches to gain confidence for one to two years.

lol. Being a resident is actually the AHL. Being a doctor is the NHL. You wonder who appoint the people in Laval. Do they appoint themselves? Or do they not have Hughes and Gorton as bosses who supervise them?

Unless we really think that the boss in Laval is freakin Nick Carrière.....which...if true.......you hope that Hughes/Gorton will wake up and clean the house soon.

 

[417]

You said that Laval is prooving to not be the environment we want in development. You say what's good for one, isn't necessarily good for the others, still wondering how's a bad development environment is good for anyone....And if it's that bad...what is the management waiting on? Losing 1 full year of bad development?

That's a question for management. I can't answer that.

But mostly, player's need to play...guys like Mailloux, Roy, Farrell, there wouldn't be icetime for them in Montreal.

There is for Slafkovsky.

So you can't apply the same thinking to all.

Geez man, is going under the knife always just a question of life and death? lol.

Why would you let someone with no qualification/certification perform any kind of surgery on you? lol on that note, I got a guy who does vasectomies out of the back of his van, let me know if you're looking for one.

5% finders fee goes to me

Point is this...while you ALWAYS learn no matter where you are whether it's at school or at work, both have different purposes, even though you always learn no matter where you are.

Yes, the league is going younger and younger. Even if you would keep a player in the AHL 2 years after his draft and have him at 20 in the NHL.....he's still just 20. So he would still be quietly learning the game. But he would come with a more solid basis. That was my whole point. And I have no idea how it's an issue....lol.

It's not an issue, it's just not the fix all you think it is...how much time as Jesse Ylonen played in the AHL?

He's still scratching every day to be a NHL regular...that doesn't diminish from the experience he gained in Laval, as we both agree, you're always learning/developing. But opportunity and circumstances are far bigger factors then people think IMO.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Being a resident is actually the AHL. Being a doctor is the NHL. You wonder who appoint the people in Laval. Do they appoint themselves? Or do they not have Hughes and Gorton as bosses who supervise them?

Unless we really think that the boss in Laval is freakin Nick Carrière.....which...if true.......you hope that Hughes/Gorton will wake up and clean the house soon.

Gorton and Hughes are not capable of elevating the game experience in the AHL to what NHL players require to become stars in time.

The AHL has always been for guys who can't handle a 4th line or 3rd pair role in the NHL. They need to play on the 5th or 6th line or 4th/5th pairing until ready for the next step.

 

[Whitesnake]

If you agree that both outcomes could not have been a bad thing...how can you then argue that the AHL experience would outweigh the NHL experience, in this specific situation?

We see it,s not a bad outcome in hinsight. We didn,t have that luxury before it happens. But if your point is....''whatever Hughes/Gorton'' decides, it's the right thing...what can I add to this....I guess so, till proven otherwise. Which I guess I will have also the ability of hindsight.....

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

It is a kind of a miracle of what is happening with Slaf right now.

You look at him him now and 3 weeks ago and it s like 2 different human being on the ice.

I am dead serious....during the second period last night....I said to myself....: is there 5 or 10 players in the league as good as he is along the boards?

Crosby is for me the best maybe in history along the board. His puck protection technique is unreal since his days in Rimouski.

...Slaf...its not just his strength ... he has always his head up to make a pass from the board. His quick feet to change direction is surprising.

Also, he is able to make good hard passes from his backhand. Even in the Nhl all players are able to make short pass with their backhand but guys like Mcdavid and Crosby for example are so good to make 40 feet passes with strength tape to tape.

His gonna be lethal soon cause he is tough to play against right now and he will help the team so much on puck time possession in the offensive zone something that Suzuki and Caufield were not very good. They are good on the rush.

i watched l'antichambre last night and I was so upset...Brunet and Therrien smashed the team the entire time and they did not talked about Slaf at all

About your antichambre point ,everybody on antichambre are absolute inbred idiots.

On the RDS broadcast they kept saying how Slaf was the best player on the habs 2 games in a row. I was happy to hear that because god knows most casual fans in the province take RDS and Antichambre analysis as gospel and regurgitate it.

The broadcast talking well about him is more important than the nincompoop neanderthals on antichambre anyways.


I mean speak to any casual fan about the team , they know absolutely nothing its quite sad/embarassing actually and one of the main reasons I come here to talk about the sport

 

[417]

We see it,s not a bad outcome in hinsight. We didn,t have that luxury before it happens.

But I was arguing this before.

But if your point is....''whatever Hughes/Gorton'' decides, it's the right thing...what can I add to this....I guess so, till proven otherwise. Which I guess I will have also the ability of hindsight.....

Not sure where you got this is my point, I never even mentioned Hughes/Gorton.

We'll never be able to know whether or not what they decided with Slafkovsky was right/wrong and we spend way too much time trying to act like we know either way and not enough time actually talking about how he's improving every game.

If anyone thinks he's the same player he was last year or this September or this October or 2 weeks ago...i'm not sure what to say. Keep burying your head in the sand I guess.

 

[Sorinth]

Not for me. I want to see kids learn at their pace. And I would take extra precaution with guys coming from Europe. To me, smaller schedules, larger ice surface, different style of play, it,s an additional layer that a kid at 18 should take slower than others UNLESS we are talking about exceptional players. That, for me, is my sole and only take.

Right now, that ship has sailed. Kid is not going down and I'm NOT advocating for him to go down anymore. I will always believe though that it would not have been a bad thing to do so.

Has anyone actually argued that going to the AHL would have been bad? Personally I was fine with him starting in the NHL but I also would've been fine with him starting in the AHL too. And I think most people who supported starting him in the NHL have the same view.

Seeing him start in the NHL as "good" does not equal seeing him start in the AHL as "bad".

 

[Whitesnake]

Gorton and Hughes are not capable of elevating the game experience in the AHL to what NHL players require to become stars in time.

The AHL has always been for guys who can't handle a 4th line or 3rd pair role in the NHL. They need to play on the 5th or 6th line or 4th/5th pairing until ready for the next step.

There are a plethora of start or producing players that played in the AHL. Besides, my point isn't solely about the AHL. It,s about the age that you come in the NHL. So if it means playing one more year of Juniors. Or one more year in the NCAA. They can also benefit from that. More maturity. Time and ability to workout even more etc.

 

[sampollock]

keep him on the top line, give him top minutes .. he needs ice time

 

[Whitesnake]

Has anyone actually argued that going to the AHL would have been bad? Personally I was fine with him starting in the NHL but I also would've been fine with him starting in the AHL too. And I think most people who supported starting him in the NHL have the same view.

Seeing him start in the NHL as "good" does not equal seeing him start in the AHL as "bad".

Well as far as I'm concerned, some people are on my case because I said that I would have preferred him to go to the AHL. They are more on my case than on people who called him a bust already...lol. Strange things happening here.

 

[Kennerback]

We see it,s not a bad outcome in hinsight. We didn,t have that luxury before it happens. But if your point is....''whatever Hughes/Gorton'' decides, it's the right thing...what can I add to this....I guess so, till proven otherwise. Which I guess I will have also the ability of hindsight.....

Besides my semi serious ramblings that he’s not shooting enough, I suspect he might even be the best 2022 player. But he’s just a small part of the way there and Hugues/Gorton still hold the ultimate responsibly he does get there.

 

[Whitesnake]

keep him on the top line, give him top minutes .. he needs ice time

Right now, it's that. With Suzuki and Caufield. Some PP No1. All in.

Besides my semi serious ramblings that he’s not shooting enough, I suspect he might even be the best 2022 player. But he’s just a small part of the way there and Hugues/Gorton still hold the ultimate responsibly he does get there.

As I said at the draft, my choice was Cooley but was perfectly fine with the pick. If so, it means that I thought he could be the best or amongst the 2 best players of the draft. There is NOTHING that makes me think less of him right now.

He just needs to find a compass for the net. Once he does....we,ve got a serious one here.

 

[Sorinth]

Well as far as I'm concerned, some people are on my case because I said that I would have preferred him to go to the AHL. They are more on my case than on people who called him a bust already...lol. Strange things happening here.

That's probably because they think you can be reasoned with whereas the he's a bust crowd are just hopeless

 

[417]

Well as far as I'm concerned, some people are on my case because I said that I would have preferred him to go to the AHL. They are more on my case than on people who called him a bust already...lol. Strange things happening here.

Not sure if you’re referring to me here but for the 100th time, I would have started him in the AHL at 18, but Its not even close to being the make or break a lot of people are claiming it to be.

 

[ReHabs]

That's probably because they think you can be reasoned with whereas the he's a bust crowd are just hopeless

Who's called him a bust? I've so rarely seen that on here. Twitter, sure, but not here.

 

[Scriptor]

Someone makes a substantive comment talking only about hockey and this is the sort of response you have? Is this normal?

You mean, "Someone said something I agree with -- which I therefore automatically interpret to be a substantive comment about hockey -- and this is the sort of response you have?"

Personally, I think it's grasping at straws as an interpretation of Slafkovsky's play of late. Wouldn't say it's 'lmao' worthy, but it's a redundant comment that doesn't honestly take into account the kid's last 10 games, IMO.

Sounds more like doubling down at any cost on a previous position about Slafkovsky needing to play int he AHL, rather than anything substantive or worthwhile as a comment.

But, to each his own...

 

[Miller Time]

The best player is Tim Stutzle..3rd overall..and I must admit..way before the draft Snake Boisvert told it again and again.


Byfield was awesome yesterday..but Slaf was for me even better...yes he scored 2 goals..but Slaf was dominant for 2 period against an awesome defense.

Slaf at 19 is way better than Laf and Byfield at the same age

stutzle has certainly been the best/most productive of that draft class... so far.

Will be interesting to see how the next ~200 games plays out.

and I'd agree, Slaf is showing things in D2 that few players his age can do, including Cooley

will be fun to watch what it looks like when it starts to come together completely, Slaf's ceiling remains incredibly high, but with the approach they've taken (him & the coaches), all he's done is cement that the floor will be damn high as well.

 

[Miller Time]

Sure. I guess it might not be a bad thing. Just like spending time in tihe AHL would not have been a bad thing. I know that at 18 year old, when he was giving himself to open to be concussed 2 times a game, looking at his feet instead of up because it was going too fast, we might have been lucky that he was not hurt as much as he did.

To me, from the moment I started posting about it, it was never about points. I'm talking for myself only here.

see... that still seems like odd reasoning to me. Do you really think he'd have less injury/concussion risk in the AHL? I think, if anything, it's likely the opposite... he'd have had a bigger target on his back in the A than in the NHL, and while the game is perhaps a bit slower in the AHL, i don't think he'd have been any less prone to "looking at his feet" as you put it...

but in any case, he's where he is now and, imo, showing some very positive signs that can be directly correlated to the impact of the hands on coaching approach he's benefited from playing and practicing with the big team.

Future is bright!

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Not for me. I want to see kids learn at their pace. And I would take extra precaution with guys coming from Europe. To me, smaller schedules, larger ice surface, different style of play, it,s an additional layer that a kid at 18 should take slower than others UNLESS we are talking about exceptional players. That, for me, is my sole and only take.

Right now, that ship has sailed. Kid is not going down and I'm NOT advocating for him to go down anymore. I will always believe though that it would not have been a bad thing to do so.

Yeah, I still feel like he would’ve benefited from being in Europe or the minors last year. At this point though, what’s done is done. He’s improving now and that’s all that really matters.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]