Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[River Meadow]

I think the vast majority of people are actually indifferent, because he is extremely forgettable on the ice.

mid as the kids would say

mid af no cap

 

[Mrb1p]

I don't understand how you expect people to take what you say seriously with takes like this one, not to mention the fact that you seem to really take a lot of joy from criticizing Slafkovsky's play.

No, I take joy from seeing Cole Caufield score goals in bunches. Xhekaj destroying people left and right. Carey Price being one of the most dominant hockey player Ive seen.

I take in no joy from the Habs sucking, lol.

If you believe he looks more confident and better right now than he did in his D year, its probably because you did not follow his draft year.

You, rehabs, and maybe 1-2 others are the only one thinking that. Maybe it’s blind hate at this point or an inability to be objective.

Do you have video evidence of him not looking like a total pied-de-celeri ?

 

[Kennerback]

serious question for all the people who think Slaf look great, at what point is it important to you that his play translate to points? Will you change your mind at 1-3 points in 20 games? 5 points in 40? Just wondering

He’s looking better than last season. The last game was better than the game prior. But he’s not “great”.

I for one think he’s not yet reached key benchmarks like driving the puck to the slot. Once he reaches those benchmarks then points will become important. But it matters less to me that he goes on a Kjell Dahlin point streak right now if the underlying fundamentals are not there.

 

[SlafySZN]

No, I take joy from seeing Cole Caufield score goals in bunches. Xhekaj destroying people left and right. Carey Price being one of the most dominant hockey player Ive seen.

I take in no joy from the Habs sucking, lol.

If you believe he looks more confident and better right now than he did in his D year, its probably because you did not follow his draft year.


Do you have video evidence of him not looking like a total pied-de-celeri ?

Pretty much every game he’s played this year. What’s your point?

Would you be happier if he had 4 points in 5 games but was not actually playing good?

 

[Mrb1p]

Pretty much every game he’s played this year. What’s your point?

Would you be happier if he had 4 points in 5 games but was not actually playing good?

Show me video evidence. You know that cognitive bias can go either way ? You can choose to see good thing in a player and ignore the bad, you can choose to be overly positive. You also know that this happens way more often in the case of fans of a team, right ? Well, choose isn't the right word.

He is not actually playing good, but if he had 4 points in 5 games, at least I would have some semblance of positive about him. He had one good game this year and I immediately praised him. Since then, he's reverted back to his overall play of the last year. Contrary to the boogeyman that you and a few others are trying to raise, Im not rooting against Slaf, he's a Hab. I call it as I see it, I know he's young and I know he has talent, but right now, he's not doing good, he's not progressing and he is not in a position to succeed. Leave the empty fanboyism at the rink.

 

[Final Baton]

He needs to release his shot and passes quicker (opposing players manage to get a stick in his way almost all the time).

Hopefully he improves this substantially this year.

 

[Heffyhoof]

So were gonna waste 6 more months of development because "its too early to see".

The question was when one should be worried about his lack of production. Certainly a pace of 1 point per 6 games would be a disaster at 36 games in, but I was making a point about sample size. 36 is close to his 39 last year and would be a good barometer for his development and his production. There should still be a good chunk of AHL games and hopeful postseason left if he's not cutting it.

 

[Jaynki]

Jack Hughes had and has way more offensive potential than any current Habs though.

Without a doubt.

The point is simply that it took him 100 games before really going.

Dubois was barely a PPG in the Q in his D+1.

Started NHL in his D+2. Had 2g, 3a, 5 points in his first 25 games. Ended the season with 48 points.

We see Slaf do things that remind us of the player from the world cup, things we haven't sw last season and they have been a constant since the beginning of training camp.

He is putting it together and with the way he plays, its a matter of time before production comes on a consistent basis.

I don't think he will be anywhere as good as Jack Hughes tho. Still, he can be a dominant two way powerforward in his own style.

 

[The Great Weal]

Man this Hughes talk needs to stop. Hughes is one of the best skaters in the league and had skill to burn. Yes he needed time to put it all together but he always had those elite traits. Slaf on the other hand had a very questionable skillset and besides size and compete, not sure what you can say he's elite at. Definitely need to wait and see because he's gonna be creating offense through his size and compete moreso than his skill like Hughes.

 

[Adam Michaels]

serious question for all the people who think Slaf look great, at what point is it important to you that his play translate to points? Will you change your mind at 1-3 points in 20 games? 5 points in 40? Just wondering

Obviously, the production at some point needs to be there. But I think right now, the more important thing is him putting him more consistent performances. And I think since camp, he's been showing more and more of what he's capable of bringing. His work along the boards is already a big improvement.

He is creating chances. So at this point, that's what's encouraging. But yes, at some point, you need to see ponts on the board.

 

[salbutera]

Man this Hughes talk needs to stop. Hughes is one of the best skaters in the league and had skill to burn. Yes he needed time to put it all together but he always had those elite traits. Slaf on the other hand had a very questionable skillset and besides size and compete, not sure what you can say he's elite at. Definitely need to wait and see because he's gonna be creating offense through his size and compete moreso than his skill like Hughes.

Not sure for reason behind Hughes / Slaf comparison.

ALL the scouts, management types and talking heads projected 2022 to not have any clear cut top line talent.

Pronman doubled down in his article on The Athletic last week ranking Slaf #1 again but with the caveat “The 2022 NHL Draft had an uncertain top of the draft a year ago this time, and it remains uncertain.“

 

[japhi]

Still see the puck following him everywhere and a player struggling with timing. On the 2 on 1 he hesitated, was thinking pass, then muffed the shot. Should have just ripped it.

He is implicated in the play consistently, as much as any forward we have. Could have had multiple points multiple nights this year. But, he has to start making plays. He seems so close to me but I'd like to see some pucks go in soon.

 

[absolute garbage]

The discussion here is quite different from that when Galchenyuk was a young player.

AG27 had outstanding production, but worries began to accumulate about his weak defensive play and some of his lazy habits like not moving often enough.

With Slaf, he's not producing, but the fundamentals appear more positive.

I disagree. It's exactly the fundamentals that are the problem with him.

It's funny. Games where Slaf doesn't accomplish anything and is mostly invisible, while that's a problem of its own kind, the broken fundamentals are kind of hidden. But then in games where he actually manages to create things and make plays, the broken fundamentals are at the forefront.

When you combine those two, it's no surprise he's not producing.

 

[Jaynki]

Leo Carlsson is healthy scratched by the Ducks.

They want to ease him in the NHL.

He should not be better served playing top minutes in the SHL or the AHL dominating instead?

There are major upside with being eased and developed in the NHL.

 

[Jaynki]

One: Initial breakaway, nice, but he fans on the shot and it's an easy stop for the Sabres goaltender.

Funny how you focus on the missed shot but you ignore that he stole the puck from, and outskated Rasmus Dahlin.

Also, correct me if i am wrong (im not), his breakaway led to Barron goal 20 second later.

 

[Mrb1p]

Funny how you focus on the missed shot but you ignore that he stole the puck from, and outskated Rasmus Dahlin.

I said it was nice , no? Good instincts and burst of speed.

The shot though is laughable at best.

 

[Jaynki]

I said it was nice , no? Good instincts and burst of speed.

The shot though is laughable at best.

It was pretty impressive to be honest to see him outpower Dahlin like that.

What i think of Slaf so far (from start of TC) is that he generates much more and is way more involved than he was last hear. He is not a passenger anymore. But yes, it has not translated to offensive production yet.

At the start of his DY in the Liiga, Slaf had 2 points in 11 games while Kemell was killing the league. Still, from an advanced stats pov, Slaf was the rookie that generated the most chances both for him and his teammates. (I have a charts to prove this point.) We know how is season ended. Maybe we have a repeat of history here?

 

[Ozmodiar]

The point is simply that it took him 100 games before really going.

Not really.

He was excellent in transition in his rookie season - among the best in the league. Bad defense and bad linemates, but the talent was obvious.

Let’s get Jack Hughes’ name outta this thread. lol

 

[BaseballCoach]

Anyways, KK did get miss managed by both Julien and Ducharme.

Not thrilled with the misogynistic comment.


Relax, just kidding

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

No, I take joy from seeing Cole Caufield score goals in bunches. Xhekaj destroying people left and right. Carey Price being one of the most dominant hockey player Ive seen.

I take in no joy from the Habs sucking, lol.

If you believe he looks more confident and better right now than he did in his D year, its probably because you did not follow his draft year.


Do you have video evidence of him not looking like a total pied-de-celeri ?

" great shift , he did a normal pass"
He's getting there.

Quoting from last GDT.

How about something on the scoreboard or we just jump of joy because of normal nhl basic plays.

Im like you , We don't see any WoW factor

 

[Tyson]

" great shift , he did a normal pass"
He's getting there.

Quoting from last GDT.

How about something on the scoreboard or we just jump of joy because of normal nhl basic plays.

Im like you , We don't see any WoW factor

I said the exact same stuff last week but he was very good last night. He shouldn't be in the NHL, that's the problem. I do see some good progress though.

 

[River Meadow]

" great shift , he did a normal pass"
He's getting there.

Quoting from last GDT.

How about something on the scoreboard or we just jump of joy because of normal nhl basic plays.

Im like you , We don't see any WoW factor

If Slaf had scored the goal Pearson scored, that would have been talked about here for a month by some..

Because scrub Pearson scored it though, it's meh.

 

[Ozmodiar]

Newhook has produced with 5 different players, Slaf has produced with no one.

When do we start blaming Slaf for actually not producing ? I haven't watched last game, but Slaf is an anchor out there. He doesn't tilt the ice, he doesn't make positive plays, he's not good at retrieving pucks, he doesn't shoot, he doesn't drive the net, he doesn't intimidate, he doesn't play good defense, basically whats his strength ?

Trying him out with Caufield and Suzuki could flush out what he needs to work on. They’re good offensive players, and if he can’t work well with them, we’ll see why. They’re good at finding space, supporting, going to the middle of the ice … and how they time it all, which is key.

Defensively- tougher competition, perhaps. Again, it will flush out what he needs to work on. How’s his positioning, how’s he using his body, how does he react to switches or high rolls … those types of things.

They might find he has to work on A, B and C. … and maybe the best place to work on them is a mix of 1st line, 3rd line and AHL.

 

[ReHabs]

If Slaf had scored the goal Pearson scored, that would have been talked about here for a month by some..

Because scrub Pearson scored it though, it's meh.

The sneering! The bleating! The gloating!

Imagine if Slaf had more than 1 point in 5 games? Imagine the cacophony? I can practically hear it.

 

[BaseballCoach]

" great shift , he did a normal pass"
He's getting there.

Quoting from last GDT.

How about something on the scoreboard or we just jump of joy because of normal nhl basic plays.

Im like you , We don't see any WoW factor

You are seeing more plays that result in scoring chances, and much fewer plays that result in scoring chances given up, compared to last year, but also compared to our other forwards this year. Slafkovsky is getting the 4th most ES time on ice among forwards, and the scoring chances for the club are much greater than the scoring chances against.

I feel bad if you have the kid in hockey pools or something, but for me I do not measure his progress only by points, and especially not in a 5 game stretch where he had 4 good to very good games.