Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[Kennerback]

Well I think you might be touching on the issue right there.

Having the opinion that you think Slafkovsky should be in the AHL is fine.

But revelling in him struggling in the NHL because you feel it reinforces your stannce...

That's another story.

I think the discussion surrounding where Slafkovsky should be playing requires much more nuance then yes or no.

I think there’s

Every management type, scout and talking head leading up to 2022 draft. All were unanimous there was no elite talent at top end of the draft, many calling it the weakest since 2000.

Even last week Corey Pronman in his article on The Athletic placed Slaf still as 1OA for 2022 draft stating:

I’m hyper-critical about Slaf but this was a poor draft class. Slaf is flawed but the others are too. It’s a question of degree. Cooley has 4 assists in 5 games but I think 3 were second assists, and one was because he won a face off while playing tons of first line minutes unlike Slafkofsky.
I’d be encouraged but I would still have some concerns about Cooley. Can his shot regularly beat a pro goalie? Can he be the number one Center to make you win in the playoffs at 5:10? IDK

 

[Mrb1p]

revelling

See. You just did it again, lol. Before you bring out ridiculous accusation as such, why don't you bring proof ?

I see Slafkovsky sucking, I say Slafkovsky is sucking, you call it revelling in Slafkovskys failure, or whatever. Ridiculous.

2 things…

1. What you (or I, or anyone here ) thinks is the best way to develop him is irrelevant and inconsequential to the organization. That in itself should never serve as the barometer of whether or not they're doing the right thing. They need to do what THEY feel is the best thing for the player and stick to their convictions. They shouldn't worry about pleasing individual fans desires because that's an impossible task.

2. I find they're taking their time with him, if anything, I don’t think they're challenging him enough!

1. What happens when theyre wrong like Bergevin was about Kotkaniemi ?

 

[417]

I’m hyper-critical about Slaf but this was a poor draft class. Slaf is flawed but the others are too. It’s a question of degree. Cooley has 4 assists in 5 games but I think 3 were second assists, and one was because he won a face off while playing tons of first line minutes unlike Slafkofsky.
I’d be encouraged but I would still have some concerns about Cooley. Can his shot regularly beat a pro goalie? Can he be the number one Center to make you win in the playoffs at 5:10? IDK

I think we all want immediate results and answers to our own insecurities about the draft pick.

Unfortunately, we’re just going to have to wait…i know that's a difficult conclusion to reach given our fanbase thirst for success and an identifiable star player to build around.

But that's just the way it's gonna have to be lol I argued the same thing with Kotkaniemi a few years ago.

He's 23yrs old and were starting to see the player he was drafted to be.

Does this fanbase have the patience to wait another 3-5 years to find out truly what Slafkovsky is going to be?

IMO, Nope…

Just hope management isn't influenced by this unlike previous regimes.

 

[417]

See. You just did it again, lol. Before you bring out ridiculous accusation as such, why don't you bring proof ?

Sorry I read that again and it seems like I'm talking about you but I'm just talking in the general sense and using the context you provided. I'm not aware or don't recall specific posts you may have made where you rebelled in his failure, I was just expanding on the context you provided.

There's no “you did it again” I haven't called you a hater once lol

I think there are some clear haters in this thread and they are easily identified, at least IMO, but I wouldn't put either you or WS in that category.

You can be sarcastic and confrontational with your takes but I never thought you were hating on Slafkovsky.

I see Slafkovsky sucking, I say Slafkovsky is sucking, you call it revelling in Slafkovskys failure, or whatever. Ridiculous.

Breathe…

1. What happens when theyre wrong like Bergevin was about Kotkaniemi ?

Was he wrong? Or just lacked patience?

It's impossible to prove if they had kept him in Finland another year and then played him in Laval for a year or two that he’d be a different player today.

IMO, he'd be the exact same player he is today except he’d still be a Montreal Canadiens and we’d be as hyped about him as Canes fans are today.

 

[Ezpz]

Getzlaf, Perry, Thompson, Giroux, St-Louis, Robitaille theres a ton

They will sign him cheap in 2 years or give him a bridge deal, no big deal. but i wouldve let him play AHL for minimum 2 years, like getzlaf and perry did

All those guys palyed their d+1 in junior or the AHL. Getzlaf and Perry made the NHL their d+3. That's more my point that Slaf shouldn't have even seen the NHL til next year.

 

[Toene]

Cooley’s TOI has dropped consistently after game 2 - going from 19-min to 15-min last night

I don't even have an opinion on which of Cooley or Slafkovsky is going to be better. But Cooley had a dynamite d+1, and he's showing flashes of brilliance in the bigs. Slafkovsky had an okay d+1, and shows flashes of being okay.

I'm not blaming anyone, I'm not making any prediction, I'm just saying I don't have a lot to go on as far as being hyped for him. In fact, my stomach sinks everytime I think about how we may have blown the 1st overall, which is 50/50 imo. I'm just Pavlov-trained to expect mediocrity with this sorry ass hockey club.

Maybe the guys on here saying he's progressing are right and I'm just looking for highlight reel plays and forgetting about the big picture.
One thing I'd like to see from him is sustained possession. We know he's a great passer (when he actually identifies the option) but I want him to hold on to the puck and get scoring chances more often. His line (TBF, Suzy-Cole are struggling with this too) has trouble maintaining possession in the o-zone. They get in and get out in an instant if they didnt get a chance on the rush. When he was with Dach in the first game we saw it. Hope they find someone who can help him with the cycle game.

 

[SlafySZN]

I don't even have an opinion on which of Cooley or Slafkovsky is going to be better. But Cooley had a dynamite d+1, and he's showing flashes of brilliance in the bigs. Slafkovsky had an okay d+1, and shows flashes of being okay.

I'm not blaming anyone, I'm not making any prediction, I'm just saying I don't have a lot to go on as far as being hyped for him. In fact, my stomach sinks everytime I think about how we may have blown the 1st overall, which is 50/50 imo. I'm just Pavlov-trained to expect mediocrity with this sorry ass hockey club.

Maybe the guys on here saying he's progressing are right and I'm just looking for highlight reel plays and forgetting about the big picture.
One thing I'd like to see from him is sustained possession. We know he's a great passer (when he actually identifies the option) but I want him to hold on to the puck and get scoring chances more often. His line (TBF, Suzy-Cole are struggling with this too) has trouble maintaining possession in the o-zone. They get in and get out in an instant if they didnt get a chance on the rush. When he was with Dach in the first game we saw it. Hope they find someone who can help him with the cycle game.

It’s exactly that. For now he needs someone who’s able to keep possession of the puck so he can have the chance to have it on his stick more often (like most young players) and in that situation we already saw he can make pretty good plays.

 

[417]

All those guys palyed their d+1 in junior or the AHL. Getzlaf and Perry made the NHL their d+3. That's more my point that Slaf shouldn't have even seen the NHL til next year.

Different times though and Getzlaf and Perry were both drafted out of the CHL and couldn't play in the AHL post draft if they wanted too.

Additionally, Perry played a total of 19 AHL games and Getzlaf a total of 17 AHL games and I'm pretty sure that was because of the lockout.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Yeah I'm not enjoying anyone's failures either that is absurd, I couldn't care less about whether or not my suspicions are right, I want us to win games, and I want to see our young players do well. I would love to be proven wrong every step of the way.

I want Hughes to fleece every trade and nail every draft pick, but pretending everything is going perfectly according to plan isn't the answer

 

[Toene]

It’s exactly that. For now he needs someone who’s able to keep possession of the puck so he can have the chance to have it on his stick more often (like most young players) and in that situation we already saw he can make pretty good plays.

Yup. Maybe the Monahan the Veteran can show him da way? They could try Monahan with Slaf and maybe Anderson? for a game.

 

[morhilane]

Does this fanbase have the patience to wait another 3-5 years to find out truly what Slafkovsky is going to be?

IMO, Nope…

The fanbase will have to endure the next 3-5 years of the rebuild anyhow....

Yup. Maybe the Monahan the Veteran can show him da way? They could try Monahan with Slaf and maybe Anderson? for a game.

Anderson is a bad, never put him with Slaf again.

 

[SlafySZN]

Yup. Maybe the Monahan the Veteran can show him da way? They could try Monahan with Slaf and maybe Anderson? for a game.

I’d keep him with Newhook but yes Monahan should go with them just to have some real support.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Yup. Maybe the Monahan the Veteran can show him da way? They could try Monahan with Slaf and maybe Anderson? for a game.

They were our best line for a few games until Monahan got hurt last year, I would be happy going back to it, put Newhook on the top line and see if they can create offensive zone pressure

 

[Toene]

I’d keep him with Newhook but yes Monahan should go with them just to have some real support.

But then, if they do that, they need someone to step in as a center. Right now we have 14, 91, 15 and 71 as true centers since 77 is hurt. When does Dvorak come back?

 

[nhlfan9191]

I think we all want immediate results and answers to our own insecurities about the draft pick.

Unfortunately, we’re just going to have to wait…i know that's a difficult conclusion to reach given our fanbase thirst for success and an identifiable star player to build around.

But that's just the way it's gonna have to be lol I argued the same thing with Kotkaniemi a few years ago.

He's 23yrs old and were starting to see the player he was drafted to be.

Does this fanbase have the patience to wait another 3-5 years to find out truly what Slafkovsky is going to be?

IMO, Nope…

Just hope management isn't influenced by this unlike previous regimes.

To be honest, the fanbase doesn’t have a choice with the bolded. That lies on management. We can bitch and moan all we want on here, it really doesn’t matter. If there really is a 5 year plan, they’ll wait out the full five years. I guess one of the positives of being in a rebuild is the expectations are lower for everyone. And it seems like there’s a lot more fans willing to be patient with Slafkovsky then they have with other prospects in the past so I’m not worried he’ll be chased out of town before he has a chance to hit that potential.

 

[SlafySZN]

But then, if they do that, they need someone to step in as a center. Right now we have 14, 91, 15 and 71 as true centers since 77 is hurt. When does Dvorak comes back?

I think Dvorak is ready but has to wait until november 2nd if i’m not mistaken

 

[admiralcadillac]

You don't get to discredit me. If I'm going to be known as a "notorious hater", you might as well accept I've had the exact same evaluation of Slafkovsky (which has been so far correct) from before the 2022 draft. It's not hindsight, it's foresight.

And in my defence, I don't think I'm a hater of Slafkovsky. If anything I have more hate for Molson, Gorton, Hughes, and Bobrov than I could ever have for any player. HuGoBoMo deserve zero credit until they earn it. What they've done with the 1OA is going to be a legendary bag fumble and so many of you would rather get mad at us pointing it out than them.

Enjoy reposting your take on credit earned 100x a day from the start of a rebuild until the rebuild is over.

 

[morhilane]

I think Dvorak is ready but has to wait until november 2nd if i’m not mistaken

It was November 4th game the last time a media guy talked about it (I don't remember which one).

 

[417]

To be honest, the fanbase doesn’t have a choice with the bolded. That lies on management. We can bitch and moan all we want on here, it really doesn’t matter. If there really is a 5 year plan, they’ll wait out the full five years. I guess one of the positives of being in a rebuild is the expectations are lower for everyone. And it seems like there’s a lot more fans willing to be patient with Slafkovsky then they have with other prospects in the past so I’m not worried he’ll be chased out of town before he has a chance to hit that potential.

You're 100% right, all the more reason why I never understood the previous regimes propensity to be swayed by public opinion like they were IMO.

That being said, the only part of your post I don't quite agree with is that expectations in this market are low.

They never are.

But as long as the expectation is managed internally, it's all good IMO.

 

[Legend123]

can we send him down to the A and let him play with Roy. This dude needs to develop properly before its too late

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

can we send him down to the A and let him play with Roy. This dude needs to develop properly before its too late

Hater alert!!! Get him boys!!

 

[salbutera]

But then thats not the top end, thats their failure to assess top end talent.

Jagger Firkus, David Jiricek, Logan Cooley, Pavel Mintyukov all look like future elite players.

All specifically stated the top-5 including Jiricek & Cooley were not top-5 picks in drafts with top end players

 

[JeffreyLFC]

One thing I have realised in this market (and therefore an extention to this board) is that patience is not a virtue.

 

[Mrb1p]

All specifically stated the top-5 including Jiricek & Cooley were not top-5 picks in drafts with top end players

Hence, "failure to assess elite talent".

 

[417]

Hater alert!!! Get him boys!!

It's actually hilarious that a few of you have decided to take up this cause about being labelled Slaf haters on the premise that you simply want him to play in the AHL.

Stop lol