Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[417]

I’m still barely more impressed with Cooley. 3 assists. 2 of them secondary by virtue of being Center on the 1st line/PP and logging tons of minutes. I’ll give it a couple more games before I crown him.

Cooley has also played more than 19 mins in EVERY game so far.

 

[ReHabs]

I’m still barely more impressed with Cooley. 3 assists. 2 of them secondary by virtue of being Center on the 1st line/PP and logging tons of minutes. I’ll give it a couple more games before I crown him.

He’s a rookie on a bad team. I don’t particularly care but I bet you Arizona is pleased with him so far and don’t have to come up with excuses for his play and performance like our organization, media, and fans have to for our 2022 first round picks.

 

[habdynasty]

He’s a rookie on a bad team. I don’t particularly care but I bet you Arizona is pleased with him so far and don’t have to come up with excuses for his play and performance like our organization, media, and fans have to for our 2022 first round picks.

delete

 

[Captain Mountain]

Did he show enough in the 39 games he played last season? Just because he played more games than other 2022 pick doesn't mean he should have. Maybe it was a huge blunder by our God like management team?

What does "show enough" actually mean? Development doesn't just happen during games. Just because Slafkovsky struggled in his rookie season does not mean it was a mistake to have him in the NHL. I'd have preferred he play in the AHL, but these reactions are over the top.

We may not ever know if it was an error or not. We also heard how it was an irreparable error to rush Latendresse, Price, Pacioretty, Galchenyuk, and Kotaniemi. As it turns out, rushing Latendresse was and error, rushing Price and Pacioretty was not irreparable and may have not been an error, rushing Galchenyuk may have been an error and its looking like the issue with Kotkaniemi may not that he was rushed.

Montreal. is. in. the. middle. of. a. rebuild. I'm not sure where the urgency is coming from within the fanbase, but the amount of complaining less than 50 games into a players career, that is ONLY happening within pockets of this fanbase, is ridiculous.

 

[LaP]

What does "show enough" actually mean? Development doesn't just happen during games. Just because Slafkovsky struggled in his rookie season does not mean it was a mistake to have him in the NHL. I'd have preferred he play in the AHL, but these reactions are over the top.

We may not ever know if it was an error or not. We also heard how it was an irreparable error to rush Latendresse, Price, Pacioretty, Galchenyuk, and Kotaniemi. As it turns out, rushing Latendresse was and error, rushing Price and Pacioretty was not irreparable and may have not been an error, rushing Galchenyuk may have been an error and its looking like the issue with Kotkaniemi may not that he was rushed.

Montreal. is. in. the. middle. of. a. rebuild. I'm not sure where the urgency is coming from within the fanbase, but the amount of complaining less than 50 games into a players career, that is ONLY happening within pockets of this fanbase, is ridiculous.

The whole rushing thing is ridiculous at best. Players who are good enough will make it. Players who are not good enough wont. Even if you rush a player and it slows down his development if he got what it takes he'll go play in Europe and do well there and then sign a NHL contract come back and will eventually blossom into the player he can be. It can have an impact for lesser players or mentally weak players but elite talent who can win will eventually make it no matter what. What can happen when you rush a player is if you are not patient enough and then you trade him and then he blossoms somewhere else like Markus Naslund.

 

[Scriptor]

The whole rushing thing is ridiculous at best. Players who are good enough will make it. Players who are not good enough wont. Even if you rush a player and it slows down his development if he got what it takes he'll go play in Europe and do well there and then sign a NHL contract come back and will eventually blossom into the player he can be. It can have an impact for lesser players or mentally weak players but elite talent who can win will eventually make it no matter what. What can happen when you rush a player is if you are not patient enough and then you trade him and then he blossoms somewhere else like Markus Naslund.

Or Marcel Hossa. Of course, by blossom, I mean, become as good as you can be, not good, necessarily...

 

[LaP]

Yakupov had way more impact early. Lafreniere was also on pace for 30 points his first season as well. It’s comfortably Slafkovsky.

Yakupov produced points early on. He never ever had any impact though. There's a difference between offensive production in a losing team and having an impact. I'd argue Zegras impact has been so far meh. He's producing points but he doesn't have the impact Crosby or Malkin or Ovy had at the same age. When Ovy was 22 he lead a pretty bad Caps lineup to a 2nd round participation. Go look at that lineup with hindsight it was awful outside of Backstrom : Washington Capitals 2008-09 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com. Guys like Semin and Green were 100% Ovechkin/Backstrom fabrication.

Points (alone) while playing 18+ minutes on a losing team is always misleading. As long as the team doesn't win it should be taken with a grain of salt. I'm always very cautious when kids are producing early on while playing so so defense 18+ minutes a game with no pressure whatsoever on a losing team. It doesn't mean the kid doesn't have what it takes cause the team is not winning it just means he's not there yet when it comes to be an impactful leader of a winning team. You still need to add.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Jack Hughes and Alexis Lafreniere.

The Hughes example might die real fast.

Slaf needs 41 points in 75 games to catch-up Hughes after his sophomore season (51 pts in 117 games).

The gap will just widen with every season afterward. 97 pts in his next 124 games to catch-up Hughes after his 3rd season.

 

[WeThreeKings]

The Hughes example might die real fast.

Slaf needs 41 points in 75 games to catch-up Hughes after his sophomore season (51 pts in 117 games).

The gap will just widen with every season afterward. 97 pts in his next 124 games to catch-up Hughes after his 3rd season.

He won't ever get to Hughes production, nor was he ever billed as the same level of prospect.

But the guy asked a question and that's a veritable fact. Jack Hughes was terrible in his first year and he was better but still not great in year 2.

Development happens, it takes time, Blake Wheeler took a long time as a top 5 pick to become what he was thought to be by the Coyotes.

The biggest thing here is patience and it's quite apparent that patience doesn't exist with the majority of the fan base. Nor can they calibrate their expectations cause they see 1OA and think all 1OA are the same but every draft class is different.

Does it suck we won it with Slaf and not Bedard? Absolutely. But it's just the way the lottery works. Ask Detroit.

 

[rve24]

I don't care if he's the best option right now, I am worried about his long term development over if we finish 30th or 25th this year.

NHL is not a development league but I guess we'll see.

Slaf playing isn't going to have the team move up 5 spots lol.

Players in the NHL CAN develop. They CAN progress, no matter what age they enter the league. Every player is different, yes. But the NHL is very much a place players continue to develop, or at least you hope so.
Some players don't develop or get better in Minor hockey, CHL, College, AHL either.

 

[417]

He won't ever get to Hughes production, nor was he ever billed as the same level of prospect.

But the guy asked a question and that's a veritable fact. Jack Hughes was terrible in his first year and he was better but still not great in year 2.

Development happens, it takes time, Blake Wheeler took a long time as a top 5 pick to become what he was thought to be by the Coyotes.

The biggest thing here is patience and it's quite apparent that patience doesn't exist with the majority of the fan base. Nor can they calibrate their expectations cause they see 1OA and think all 1OA are the same but every draft class is different.

Does it suck we won it with Slaf and not Bedard? Absolutely. But it's just the way the lottery works. Ask Detroit.

Which is odd given the fanbase is pretty unanimous about wanting a rebuild.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He won't ever get to Hughes production, nor was he ever billed as the same level of prospect.

But the guy asked a question and that's a veritable fact. Jack Hughes was terrible in his first year and he was better but still not great in year 2.

Development happens, it takes time, Blake Wheeler took a long time as a top 5 pick to become what he was thought to be by the Coyotes.

The biggest thing here is patience and it's quite apparent that patience doesn't exist with the majority of the fan base. Nor can they calibrate their expectations cause they see 1OA and think all 1OA are the same but every draft class is different.

Does it suck we won it with Slaf and not Bedard? Absolutely. But it's just the way the lottery works. Ask Detroit.

Yep. It's gonna be years before we know how good these guys really are.

 

[morhilane]

Which is odd given the fanbase is pretty unanimous about wanting a rebuild.

The fanbase want a rebuild, but they wanted it done by yesterday.

 

[Naslundforever]

Like a ”Prime next day” rebuild at worst or I return it.

If Slaf stays healthy he’ll get ice. All the habs are breaking.

 

[Artaud]

I don't get the "project" label. Every prospect is a project. He's a kid drafted above other kids who all have a lot to learn before they reach their potential. What does Slaf have that makes him more of a project? Right, he's big and he skates. But if that's all it takes to be a project then it's not much of a resume. Especially given that, for all his vaunted size, Slaf is one of the least balanced "big guys" to ever put on a Habs jersey.

My 2cents is that he's way too aloof. He plays like that old guy in your beer league without shoulder pads, that doesn't skate because he's a lifetime smoker and is only there because he's the goalie's father. He has no urgency and is just waiting to crack open a beer in the locker room. Too often Slaf watches the play with his feet in cement. Put some f'ing smelling salts in his Gatorade or something. His billing as a power forward makes no sense to me. He has no energy and body checks like a fourteen year old ballerina.

He looks more like a finesse player to me. Great playmaker already, loves the perimeter. His absolute upside is like Jaromir Jagr without that legendary booty, which it turns out might be a very mediocre player.

 

[River Meadow]

Players in the NHL CAN develop. They CAN progress, no matter what age they enter the league. Every player is different, yes. But the NHL is very much a place players continue to develop, or at least you hope so.
Some players don't develop or get better in Minor hockey, CHL, College, AHL either.

I think the biggest reason why I'm nervous with Slaf...

It's not like he dominated any league he was in... not even close, at all.

So therefore why rush to play him in the NHL?

Is he fully ready?

I have a hard time believing he's fully ready for the NHL.

 

[morhilane]

I think the biggest reason why I'm nervous with Slaf...

It's not like he dominated any league he was in... not even close, at all.

So therefore why rush to play him in the NHL?

Is he fully ready?

I have a hard time believing he's fully ready or the NHL.

Slaf is in the NHL because MSL wanted to coach him personally. You don't need to look farther than that. MSL is the only one who talks to him (about hockey) according to Friedman.

 

[River Meadow]

Slaf is in the NHL because MSL wanted to coach him personally. You don't need to look farther than that. MSL is the only one who talks to him (about hockey) according to Friedman.

That's fair.

MSL has a lot of wisdom to impart on him.. concepts and all.

 

[Bombshell11]

After watching Laval, there's no shame in sending Slaf down. He could really dominate down there and play againts opponents more to his level.

 

[BaseballCoach]

After watching Laval, there's no shame in sending Slaf down. He could really dominate down there and play againts opponents more to his level.

You'd personally feel better if he "dominated"somewhere?

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

You'd personally feel better if he "dominated"somewhere?

I'd personally feel better if you understood development by increments, but you obviously don't, which leaves way for ridiculous posts like the one I'm replying to.

 

[Habs Halifax]

He’s a rookie on a bad team. I don’t particularly care but I bet you Arizona is pleased with him so far and don’t have to come up with excuses for his play and performance like our organization, media, and fans have to for our 2022 first round picks.

Slaf was a rookie on a bad team last year too. This game of trying to track who is better at this stage is foolish. It's usually a rollercoaster ride and the true evaluation is much deeper than just the points.

Have you checked out Slaf's takeaways/60 and hits/60 so far this year? Or are you too busy looking for things to pump up others?

 

[Habs Halifax]

After watching Laval, there's no shame in sending Slaf down. He could really dominate down there and play againts opponents more to his level.

I only think the Habs will do this if he fades or moves backwards in his momentum/confidence. The time to play him in Laval was last season. He's clearly showing progress in his 2nd season so I think MSL is going to support his momentum/confidence in NHL games as a priority. Far too many fans looking at goals and assists and MSL is looking at how he plays without the puck. He has skill and a very good shot so the goals/assists will come but playing the right way is the focus right now.

Not sure how long this lasts but Slaf's takeaways/60 is very good. Him and Evans are a clear notch ahead of the entire team in that area. A stat I will continue to monitor as the season moves deeper. I believe Slaf's takeaways/60 (4.07) is 35th in the entire NHL so far. Yeah, it's early but a good sign.

 

[ReHabs]

Slaf was a rookie on a bad team last year too. This game of trying to track who is better at this stage is foolish. It's usually a rollercoaster ride and the true evaluation is much deeper than just the points.

If Slaf was playing 19min a night and was PPG (even if only PP points) I don't think anyone, much less me, would've criticised his handling. What I criticised was the simple fact that he (1) underproduced, (2) underperformed, and (3) couldn't earn much TOI on a terrible team. He only got toward the low teens in TOI when half the roster was injured. He was in over his head and kept there until he was taken out with a big injury.

But that's in the past -- this season he has to show something more than he has in his past two 10pt seasons. He has to show growth.

I don't expect him to keep up and track along with Cooley's production -- and as you say there is no point or way to compare the two -- but I do think it's only right to expect him to show more than last year. So we can evaluate at different checkpoints, 10gp, 20gp, etc. to see if there's a pattern. I expect to see at least a more comfortable player on the ice, which so far in the regular season is a TBD. Earlier I said 30pts was my benchmark, anything more would be a genuine surprise, anything less would be a disappointment and worrying. I think I've seen a few commentators bandy around that 30-35pts expectation, so I think we're not far from the mark.

The only point to bring up Cooley now is to pour cold water on the 2022 Draft minimizers. It might've been a weaker draft but there is no excusing the Habs if they got it wrong.

 

[Habs Halifax]

If Slaf was playing 19min a night and was PPG (even if only PP points) I don't think anyone, much less me, would've criticised his handling. What I criticised was the simple fact that he (1) underproduced, (2) underperformed, and (3) couldn't earn much TOI on a terrible team. He only got toward the low teens in TOI when half the roster was injured. He was in over his head and kept there until he was taken out with a big injury.

But that's in the past -- this season he has to show something more than he has in his past two 10pt seasons. He has to show growth.

I don't expect him to keep up and track along with Cooley's production -- and as you say there is no point or way to compare the two -- but I do think it's only right to expect him to show more than last year. So we can evaluate at different checkpoints, 10gp, 20gp, etc. to see if there's a pattern. I expect to see at least a more comfortable player on the ice, which so far in the regular season is a TBD. Earlier I said 30pts was my benchmark, anything more would be a genuine surprise, anything less would be a disappointment and worrying. I think I've seen a few commentators bandy around that 30-35pts expectation, so I think we're not far from the mark.

The only point to bring up Cooley now is to pour cold water on the 2022 Draft minimizers. It might've been a weaker draft but there is no excusing the Habs if they got it wrong.

It's clear at this stage with all the things you have said. You will look for things to pump/defend Cooley with and look for things to deflate/criticize with Slaf.

You have a pre determined agenda on this bud. I'm not saying you will be wrong for sure on Slaf but I just personally think it's premature.