Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[BenchBrawl]

Did you just respond to yourself?

Just an addendum.

 

[crosbyshow]

I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure Eric Lindros was 6'4'' - 225 during his draft year (I could be wrong but I don't think so). Lindros was a freaking beast/monster

I am 48 years old and I remember Lindros in the Juniors so well.

That basterd was at 6.5 and 230 pounds at the draft.

He was a f..beast and a lot more stronger at 16 than Slaf is now.....can you believe it.

In fact nobody have seen a beast like Lindros before or after.

Everybody remember and talk about when Stevens crushed him..and Kasparatis after that...and it was basically the end of wreckmachine Lindros...

...but before that ....Lindros crushed everybody... he was a force.

Hard to compare sports..but Lindros was like a kind of Mike Tyson in the sens that Tyson was heavyweight champion at only 20 years old and everybody feared him...even before the fights started.

Tyson lost at 24 years and never been the same after..

Lindros at 18 was stronger than 100% of 25 years old NHL players.

I had a dinner one day with Patrice Brisebois and he told us that all defensemen were feared of Lindros at the time.

 

[Garnet76]

Any evidence? Any study to back your claim?

Joe thornton

 

[Andy]

Any evidence? Any study to back your claim?

Lekhonen?

 

[Adam Michaels]

As @CHwest said, they learn to read the play faster.

That makes sense. Third line players (playing in the NHL) generally play faster than 5th and 6th line players (and worse) who are playing in the AHL.

It's why Armia can be a scoring machine in Laval and not do much in the NHL.

Suzuki started his pro career on the wing of the 4th line playing with Nate Thompson before he slowly started to move up the line and play more and given more responsibilities.

Lecavalier has also said the best thing for him in his rookie year was starting on the 3rd line and spending time there before moving up and taking up the role they saw for him as the 1st overall instead of just thrusting him there to start.

Starting lower in the line-up can be beneficial because as you say, they're getting to learn the pace and the nuisances of being a player in the NHL.

It's also similar to defensemen starting on the 2nd or 3rd pair before becoming a top pair defenseman.

 

[Jaaanosik]

...
Yes, i think everyone knows that the best way to develop a hockey player is by putting him in a league where he can play the most minutes. Are you refuting that?
...

That can be easily refuted.
We'll recruit Slaf to play in our beer league, he can stay on the ice the whole game.
Are you sure he is going to develop as a hockey player?
Sure, his beer belly will grow!

 

[Garnet76]

What skills do players develop playing on the third line?

I believe it's learning the structure, speed, team mates and figuring out what skills work in the NHL. Every player has to go through this and some adapt quicker than others.

 

[Andrei79]

I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure Eric Lindros was 6'4'' - 225 during his draft year (I could be wrong but I don't think so). Lindros was a freaking beast/monster

No, you're right. We talked about it earlier. I don't know why I thought so. But that's good company, Lindros was a physical freak and so is Slaf.

 

[crosbyshow]

No, you're right. We talked about it earlier. I don't know why I thought so. But that's good company, Lindros was a physical freak and so is Slaf.

Yes!!.

But as I wrote earlier Lindros at 16....was a lot stronger than Slaf is now.

He was so solid on his skates. In fact as a rookie at 19 ...Eric Lindros was the strongest player in the NHL...litterally....a force of nature

 

[BaseballCoach]

Sorry but no they aren't.
Like I said on how many other teams right now would he actually get PP1 minutes.
I'll answer for you since you ignored the point...
Not more than a few.

This remains your opinion.

 

[Tyson]

Yes!!.

But as I wrote earlier Lindros at 16....was a lot stronger than Slaf is now.

He was so solid on his skates. In fact as a rookie at 19 ...Eric Lindros was the strongest player in the NHL...litterally....a force of nature

I saw Lindros in 1992 at the Spectrum as an 18 year old. Someone posted above that he was barely 200 pounds as an 18 year old. The 18 year old I saw in Oct 92 was larger than 200 pounds and was an absolute physical beast.

 

[FerrisRox]

If you go back and check on one of Lindro's rookie cards. You'll see he was listed at 6'4 and 225lbs.

View attachment 795171

Remember that Lindros sat out a full season, so his "rookie year" he was 19.

 

[crosbyshow]

I saw Lindros in 1992 at the Spectrum as an 18 year old. Someone posted above that he was barely 200 pounds as an 18 year old. The 18 year old I saw in Oct 92 was larger than 200 pounds and was an absolute physical beast.

He was drafted at 6 5 and 230 pounds

 

[Rapala]

I saw Lindros in 1992 at the Spectrum as an 18 year old. Someone posted above that he was barely 200 pounds as an 18 year old. The 18 year old I saw in Oct 92 was larger than 200 pounds and was an absolute physical beast.

He was 200 lbs in PeeWee.

 

[FerrisRox]

But as I wrote earlier Lindros at 16....was a lot stronger than Slaf is now.

This is extremely hyperbolic.

Lindros, at 16, was physically mature enough to not only play in the NHL, but actually be a physical presence.

But suggesting he was "a lot stronger than Slaf is now" simultaneously over-rates how physical a 16-year old Lindros was and under-rates how physical Slafkovsky currently is.

Just watching Slafkovsky's board work is a real testament to his physical gifts. He's a little bit reckless because he can afford to be, he often just arrives on the scene in ill temper and uses his size and acceleration to cause havoc and bang people around. He knows he poses all kind of problem because of his size, strength and reach. He's extremely difficult to knock off the puck and he's a problem to just maneouvre around in close quarters.

Recently I've noticed that the opposition's defense are definitely aware when he is on the ice and when they are going into a corner race with him or when he's going to be down low. That was never the case last season, but it's starting to become clear that game-planning for his physical play is part of what the opposition are doing. And he's just like a baby giraffe right now. He doesn't yet understand or trust how his size, speed, strength and reach can be combined to a very rare package.

As promising as that all is, what, to me, is an even more exciting development is how much better defensively he is becoming. In this regard, moreso than offensively, he is using his size and strength to his advantage.

He seems to be taking steps in his game at a regular pace right now. His confidence is continuing to grow and his size and physicality on a line with Cole and Suzuki is an excellent fit.

 

[FerrisRox]

I saw Lindros in 1992 at the Spectrum as an 18 year old. Someone posted above that he was barely 200 pounds as an 18 year old. The 18 year old I saw in Oct 92 was larger than 200 pounds and was an absolute physical beast.

Eric Lindros spent his D+1 year split between Oshawa of the OHL and the Canadian National Team.

He never played in the Spectrum, or the NHL for that matter, as an 18-year old.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Suzuki started his pro career on the wing of the 4th line playing with Nate Thompson before he slowly started to move up the line and play more and given more responsibilities.

Lecavalier has also said the best thing for him in his rookie year was starting on the 3rd line and spending time there before moving up and taking up the role they saw for him as the 1st overall instead of just thrusting him there to start.

Starting lower in the line-up can be beneficial because as you say, they're getting to learn the pace and the nuisances of being a player in the NHL.

It's also similar to defensemen starting on the 2nd or 3rd pair before becoming a top pair defenseman.

Yes to the bolded part, but defencemen don't usually have fans whose stress level depends on how many points their player scores, so there is less angst over minutes.
In addition the particular PTSD some Habs fans suffer fromn does not trace back to defencemen. Always a forward.

 

[rahad]

I'll go further than everyone else here, and claim that not only does Slafkovsky possess exceptional all-around play for his age, be it physical or defense, but that he will become a 100 pts scorer, dominating defenders one-on-one like with that beautiful goal he scored for Slovakia in 2022.

The rest clicked, THIS will click too.

Slafkovsky WILL become a Jagr-like player.

This is my prediction.

He is a good player for sure. But 100 pts player?

 

[Rapala]

He is a good player for sure. But 100 pts player?

BB likes to go "all in" with his takes.

 

[Tyson]

Eric Lindros spent his D+1 year split between Oshawa of the OHL and the Canadian National Team.

He never played in the Spectrum, or the NHL for that matter, as an 18-year old.

Perhaps I am off a year but I promise you he played against the Habs in October 92 in a game the Habs won 7-6. Maybe he was 19. All I know whether he was 18 or 19 he was a beast.

 

[nhlfan9191]

This is extremely hyperbolic.

Lindros, at 16, was physically mature enough to not only play in the NHL, but actually be a physical presence.

But suggesting he was "a lot stronger than Slaf is now" simultaneously over-rates how physical a 16-year old Lindros was and under-rates how physical Slafkovsky currently is.

Just watching Slafkovsky's board work is a real testament to his physical gifts. He's a little bit reckless because he can afford to be, he often just arrives on the scene in ill temper and uses his size and acceleration to cause havoc and bang people around.

Recently I've noticed that the oppositions defense are definitely aware when he is on the ice and when they are going into a corner race with him or when he's going to be down low. That was never the case last season, but it's starting to become clear that game-planning for his physical play is part of what the opposition are doing. And he's just like a baby giraffe right now. He doesn't yet understand or trust how his size, speed and reach can be combined to a very rare package.

As promising as that all is, what, to me, is an even more exciting development is how much better defensively he is becoming. In this regard, moreso than offensively, he is using his size and strength to his advantage.

He seems to be taking steps in his game at a regular pace right now. His confidence is continuing to grow and his size and physicality on a line with Cole and Suzuki is an excellent fit.

It makes me laugh when I read posts in this thread say “I can’t wait until a few years from now when he gets his adult strength.” He’s a 6’3 230-240 pound 19 year old and he’s been that size for a few years now. He’s an anomaly. He’s had his adult strength for awhile. It was just a matter of learning how to use it and that’s why I think he’s been able to flip the switch so quick on how he looked from the beginning of the year until the last dozen or more games.

 

[Don D]

Good article on Slaf (towards the end) on RDS by the Francois Gagnon (yes him!!)!

Canadiens : Juraj Slafkovsky : le meilleur s'en vient (chronique de François Gagnon) | RDS

Le Canadien méritait pleinement la victoire de 4-3 qu’il a signée mardi soir à Dallas.

www.rds.ca

"Slafkovsky est incisif. Il affiche de plus en plus de confiance. Ça saute aux yeux."
Slafkovsky is incisive. He displays more and more confidence. It is obvious.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Perhaps I am off a year but I promise you he played against the Habs in October 92 in a game the Habs won 7-6. Maybe he was 19. All I know whether he was 18 or 19 he was a beast.

He did and was 19.7 years old at the time.

 

[Tyson]

He did and was 19.7 years old at the time.

It's been over 30 years, memory was off by a year. It was a fun game. When you remember the score you know it's memorable. Lindros actually scored that night. I think Roussel started and got yanked. Racicot was in nets for the Habs. Patrick Roy always struggled against the Flyers. Fun times

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I'll go further than everyone else here, and claim that not only does Slafkovsky possess exceptional all-around play for his age, be it physical or defense, but that he will become a 100 pts scorer, dominating defenders one-on-one like with that beautiful goal he scored for Slovakia in 2022.

The rest clicked, THIS will click too.

Slafkovsky WILL become a Jagr-like player.

This is my prediction.

I’m super bullish on him myself.

Can he be a 100 point player AND still play like he does defensively?

I don’t know about that. That’s a huge task.

I do think he can be a top end forward in this league but there does seem to be a lot of star forwards now. I don’t know where he can end up.

But the thing is, with his absurd size, skating skill combo the upside is enormous.

The Lindros talk scares me because there’s gonna be a lot of punishing players who are gonna wanna make a name for themselves trying to take him out a la Lindros.

If he can stay reasonably healthy it’s hard to put a cap on his ceiling at this point.