He did!
It’s all about who the real Slaf is. Is the Liiga Slaf the real one or the other?
You could be right but we still have those examples of dominance in the international tourneys. I’m not saying that’s a guarantee but we can’t completely hand waive that either. I mean you can lol.
I see it. Some others do. Some don’t.
Would you be that shocked if he becomes a star? Genuinely asking
We can refer to his pre-draft pedigree all you want but it's just as bad as it is good. His infamous Liiga production is as brutal as his tournament production is impressive. Do you agree? I don't refer to his Liiga stats any more because it's in the past.
At this point the past should be weighed less than the present performances. After 69 NHL games over two seasons we have a rich phenotype of Slafkovsky now.
He's playing better than I've ever seen him.
Would I be shocked if he becomes a star? Define 'star' and I'll give you an honest answer.
I mean, there is no debate any more. He's in the NHL. We don't have any disagreements in kind (Condition A vs Condition B), but rather disagreements in degrees (Condition A vs Condition A). He's not going to develop elsewhere, that disagreement is settled: I thought the new-management Habs wouldn't rush an incredibly raw, self-proclaimed 'project' player to the the NHL...
I was wrong! I lost!
The question is now simply how far he will develop on his current track in the NHL. You can't impose on me to think he will become a 100pt forward as I can't impose on you to think he will be the worst 1OA in modern history (not that I necessarily feel this way... yet). We simply don't know. We have stats and models but they're descriptive not predictive.
If he becomes a relevant, useful player for the Habs in the NHL, which he already is showing he can be, we can't be unsatisfied with him in the end. Draft positions don't matter after a while. If Slaf manages to be relevant to the success of our team, that's good. Most of my ire is and continues to be directed at Kent Hughes and team. I distrust them and their decision making and I feel like they've squandered a rebuild opportunity worse than at any point under Bergevin. Slafkovsky himself, I wish him the best even if he turns out to be a let down for a 1OA.