Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[Shawnathon]

He plays exactly like someone who produced 5+5 in 31 games in Liiga in his draft year. I don't even want to talk about the beer leaguers olympics and the goals against Tunisia. There's nothing exceptional about him. No, his size and speed combination isn't exceptional either.

Scouts liked what they saw in international tournaments that had old David Desharnais skating around in it. He doesn’t do anything special. People are expecting him to learn how to be a different hockey player. He looks destined to be a bottom 6 player if that.

 

[Jaynki]

because beating Team Kazakhstan doesn’t impress anybody.

Except when its Michkov beating the constituent of team kazahkstan in the KHL.

That puts the fomo through the roof.

 

[Jaynki]

There are two way to view it.

1. The olympic games where old davey skated...

2. On the flip side, the olympic games where Slaf outscored Owen Power, Mason Mactavish and Matty Beniers combined. Despite being younger than all top 3 picks of the 2021 draft.

We will draw the same conclusion tho. Nothing to see here. Nothing special.

 

[Jaynki]

Scouts liked what they saw in international tournaments that had old David Desharnais skating around in it. He doesn’t do anything special. People are expecting him to learn how to be a different hockey player. He looks destined to be a bottom 6 player if that.

The same Olympic games that had Owen Power, Matty Beniers and Mason MacTavish combine for less points than Slafkovsky?

You talking bout this tournament right ?

 

[BaseballCoach]

Don't offer sheet Aho and the Canes don't offer sheet Kotkaniemi. Simple as that. They were looking for revenge and I don't care if they say they were not.

What fans don't know is when the Canes contacted KK's agent. Newhook or Dach could have been offer sheeted bud. This problem with KK/Canes comes from the Aho offer sheet.

* Newhook signed his deal on July 11th
* Dach signed his deal on Sept 7th
* KK signed his deal on Aug 28th.

The Offer Sheet for Aho was outright embarrassing.

If you have done your research and are willing to bet your job on one particular horse, then make a REAL offer sheet, one that the other team is heavily likely to not want to match. Better yet, tell the GM that and make a strong trade offer. You can't be Bargain Bin when doing offer sheets (at least not at the star level - not talking about $2M guys).

 

[BaseballCoach]

There are two way to view it.

1. The olympic games where old davey skated...

2. On the flip side, the olympic games where Slaf outscored Owen Power, Mason Mactavish and Matty Beniers combined. Despite being younger than all top 3 picks of the 2021 draft.

We will draw the same conclusion tho. Nothing to see here. Nothing special.

Some, though not all, of the fans here have the attitude: "We" tanked. Yay us. Where's our friggin' reward?

It doesn't work that way 95% of the time.

 

[ReHabs]

Except when its Michkov beating the constituent of team kazahkstan in the KHL.

That puts the fomo through the roof.

Michkov’s league performance is contextualized with his age and historic comparable performances. There is no need to lie and suggest his performance is celebrated in and of itself — though, I haven’t kept up but I think he’s performing well in the KHL in general.

You have bet too many chips on the over-performance of Slovakia and Slafkovsky in two weak tournaments and you ignored his glaring red flags and inability to function in structured league play. Not our fault.

The tough truth is that hasn’t looked like a worthy 1OA draft pick at any point. And it isn’t his fault. He was not ready for NHL action, he was rushed.

Will rushing ruin him? I hope not, but I think it will if it hasn’t already.

Can he improve considerably and be a serious NHL player in 2-3 years? Yes of course he can and yes we want him. That said, the things we believe he needs to improve (decision making, playmaking, IQ) seem so far removed from his current skillset that it seems unlikely he can catch on and catch up whilst in the NHL. I’m not the only one who thinks so.

There are two way to view it.

1. The olympic games where old davey skated...

2. On the flip side, the olympic games where Slaf outscored Owen Power, Mason Mactavish and Matty Beniers combined. Despite being younger than all top 3 picks of the 2021 draft.

We will draw the same conclusion tho. Nothing to see here. Nothing special.

3. Tournament play is not indicative of anything. Joel Armia plays well for Finland. He is waiver tier in the NHL.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Except when its Michkov beating the constituent of team kazahkstan in the KHL.

That puts the fomo through the roof.

When the fomo sweats are extended to Benson and Leonard, oy vey!

 

[salbutera]

The Offer Sheet for Aho was outright embarrassing.

If you have done your research and are willing to bet your job on one particular horse, then make a REAL offer sheet, one that the other team is heavily likely to not want to match. Better yet, tell the GM that and make a strong trade offer. You can't be Bargain Bin when doing offer sheets (at least not at the star level - not talking about $2M guys).

The “research” part was the error - the orgs research told them owner Dundon was in financial trouble due to XFL amongst other business / financial issues. They thought they could swoop in like vultures to pick the carcass

Keep in mind who likely has most access to such info / innuendo, along with final say?

Not hockey ops / GM types…. It’s the owner who in the Habs case, happens to be a member of the NHL Executive Committee - which is led by big wig Jacobs (Bruins owner) and they only let “their people” into this exclusive club - 8-of-32 owners.

Other members are all power brokers / NHL boys club: Tannenbaum (Leafs), Liepold (Minny), Samueli (Ana), Leonsis (Caps), Vinik (TBay), and one of Lord Thompson’s conditions for buying Jets was installing Chipman on the committee

I have no way of knowing for sure, but wouldn’t be shocked if it was in fact Molson who whispered it into MBs ear as a strategy he wants pursued

Fans like to think hockey ops heads (Pres / GMs) live in this independent republic with exclusive powers & authority…

 

[Shawnathon]

The same Olympic games that had Owen Power, Matty Beniers and Mason MacTavish combine for less points than Slafkovsky?

You talking bout this tournament right ?

The same tournament that superstars like Sami Manninen, Adam Tambellini, and Teemu Hartikainen were all able to be leading scorers in. I’m talking about that tournament yes.

 

[Mrb1p]

To add, some people have this weird perception that a rebuild is a 2-3 year process and we should be back in the playoffs this season or next. I also think this has a lot to do with the frustration at our recent prospects.

This rebuild started with no #1 goalie, no #1D, let alone a contending top-4, and several horrible contracts.

If you play your cards right, 3 years of accumulation is enough. Chicago is tracking that way, after being ridiculed for moving Dach and Cat.

Rangers had 4 years of accumulation.
Dallas had one.
Chicago are probably goingnto only need one more.
Tampa needed 5
Toronto needed 4

Long rebuilds are the norm because of incompetence.

 

[salbutera]

If you play your cards right, 3 years of accumulation is enough. Chicago is tracking that way, after being ridiculed for moving Dach and Cat.

Rangers had 4 years of accumulation.
Dallas had one.
Chicago are probably goingnto only need one more.
Tampa needed 5
Toronto needed 4

Long rebuilds are the norm because of incompetence.

NYR also had 2-core elements they acquired for a pittance because they wouldn’t play with any other team and a 3rd component for free via UFA. Their only standout player presently via rebuild drafting process is Miller …

There’s also luck factor - how’s the Leafs rebuild look if they had to choose between Jiricek, Cooley, Slaf or Nemec vs Matthews? I’d venture to guess Leafs rebuild would’ve needed another 3-4 years

 

[Mrb1p]

NYR also had 2-core elements they acquired for a pittance because they wouldn’t play with any other team and a 3rd component for free via UFA. Their only standout player presently via rebuild drafting process is Miller …

Thats still an accumulation phase. No matter how you twist it, its a rebuild.

 

[salbutera]

Thats still an accumulation phase. No matter how you twist it, its a rebuild.

Without the 3-gift cards NYR rebuild would’ve taken an additional 3-4 years…

 

[Habs 4 Life]

To add, some people have this weird perception that a rebuild is a 2-3 year process and we should be back in the playoffs this season or next. I also think this has a lot to do with the frustration at our recent prospects.

This rebuild started with no #1 goalie, no #1D, let alone a contending top-4, and several horrible contracts.

If you draft the right players, it's hard anyway to accomplish but it's possible. To be honest, imagine how worse we would have been since last year without the Dach and Newhook trades.. I think KH needs more trades of that magnitude at least 2 more before the start of next season. Then we will be in good shape.

 

[Egresch]

If you play your cards right, 3 years of accumulation is enough. Chicago is tracking that way, after being ridiculed for moving Dach and Cat.

Rangers had 4 years of accumulation.
Dallas had one.
Chicago are probably goingnto only need one more.
Tampa needed 5
Toronto needed 4

Long rebuilds are the norm because of incompetence.

And that is exactly where we are heading, to 3-4 year rebuild. 1OA in 22, 5OA in 23, probably top 10 in 24. It is realistic expectation that this team will fight for PO in 24-25 season (if it was not Atlantic division I would say we make PO).

 

[ReHabs]

To add, some people have this weird perception that a rebuild is a 2-3 year process and we should be back in the playoffs this season or next. I also think this has a lot to do with the frustration at our recent prospects.

This rebuild started with no #1 goalie, no #1D, let alone a contending top-4, and several horrible contracts.

If rebuilds are ultra-long processes then there is no excuse for

1) Retaining Anderson
2) Acquiring Dach
3) Acquiring Newhook

Between the three of them that's at least five 1st and 2nd round picks (prospects) Hughes gave up to remain more competitive and speed the rebuild along. The rebuild started with Suzuki, Caufield, Guhle, the 1OA pick, the 33OA picks, and the return from his trade deadline firesale (multiple picks, etc).

If you really think rebuilds are meant to take five years then you should be livid they've rushed Slafkovsky and risked all the negative outcomes that could come with having a play in the NHL so many years before he's meant to thrive in this league.

 

[nhlfan9191]

If rebuilds are ultra-long processes then there is no excuse for

1) Retaining Anderson
2) Acquiring Dach
3) Acquiring Newhook

Between the three of them that's at least five 1st and 2nd round picks (prospects) Hughes gave up to remain more competitive and speed the rebuild along. The rebuild started with Suzuki, Caufield, Guhle, the 1OA pick, the 33OA picks, and the return from his trade deadline firesale (multiple picks, etc).

If you really think rebuilds are meant to take five years then you should be livid they've rushed Slafkovsky and risked all the negative outcomes that could come with having a play in the NHL so many years before he's meant to thrive in this league.

Dach and Newhook weren’t brought in too speed up anything, they were brought in as part of the rebuild. They valued those two players more to the rebuild then whatever players were available with the draft picks they gave up. And you’re being too impatient with Anderson. We don’t know as fans what’s actually happening behind the scenes with that trade. If they were getting something fair, he’d be gone. $5.5 million is steep for somebody who plays like Anderson so it could be a case of teams wanting retention and Hughes not being interested in doing that over the course of 4 years.

 

[Mrb1p]

Without the 3-gift cards NYR rebuild would’ve taken an additional 3-4 years…

Why ? Because of drafting and development incompetence ? Yes, my point.

 

[waitin425]

And when the rebuild is over how many original knee ligaments will they have between them?

Long rebuilds are devastating for a variety of reasons. It doesn't help to see Slafkovsky has already suffered a major injury and now Dach has joined him. That means Caufield, Guhle, Slafkovsky, and Dach are already less than 100% and the playoffs haven't even been on our lips.

Performance and Return to Sport After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in National Hockey League Players - PMC

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a significant injury in male National Hockey League (NHL) players. To determine (1) the return to sport (RTS) rate in the NHL following ACL reconstruction, (2) performance on RTS, and (3) the difference in ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

worth a read

 

[BaseballCoach]

Dach and Newhook are 22 years old man. They are part of our future and part of our rebuild.

When I hear the term rebuild, I expect a 5 year period from the start until Cup contention - if of course, things go well. Some teams never compete for the Cup. They keep sucking, keep getting their consolation prizes most years, but never get to the 11 strong players they need.

I see the rebuild starting when Hughes arrived - January 2022. If things go well, we should be competing for the Cup in 2026-27. Working backwards, that means likely one playoff win in 2025-26 and strong push for the playoffs next year.

All this being said, there is nothing automatic about this process - no such thing as "suck for X years and you are guaranteed to become a contender in Y years."

Hughes started with Suzuki-Caufield-Guhle, as young Top 11 pieces and Toffoli-Petry as older ones that needed conversion to younger assets. Anderson is in-between age-wise and unclear if Top-11 material. Hughes needed more time to see if his cap hit would make sense when we would be ready to compete. I expect Hughes to make a decision about Anderson after this season.

We have now added Matheson, Dach, Monahan and likely Newhook to the strong player group and hopefully Slafkovsky joins them. That's potentially 8-9 impactful guys 30 and under by end of next year, We seem to be in line for competing for a playoff spot by then.

Can we bring aboard another 3 pieces, net of any who are traded, fail to re-sign or lose their mojo? That's they key question because the main rebuild phase is not yet complete.

 

[417]

The same tournament that superstars like Sami Manninen, Adam Tambellini, and Teemu Hartikainen were all able to be leading scorers in. I’m talking about that tournament yes.

Using this logic, no player is worth being picked because you know…

Draft eligible players aren't playing against NHL players their draft years?

Logan Cooley played his draft year against USHL players

Jeremy Milner, Stephen Halliday and Mitchell Miller we’re the leading scorers in the USHL the year Cooleh got drafted.

Let's look at the top scorers in the Slovak league for Simon Nemec in case that's the player you would have preferred.

Samuel Bucek, Brant Harris, William Rapuzzi.

We could repeat this exercise for any player we could have picked 1st overall.

For me the ironic part is we shit on Slafkovsky for beating up on weak teams at the Olympics

While simultaneously coming on here every day for him to be played in the AHL where our 5th round pick from 3 years ago is the leading scorer.

Wild stuff

 

[Jaynki]

Using this logic, no player is worth being picked because you know…

Draft eligible players aren't playing against NHL players their draft years?

Logan Cooley played his draft year against USHL players

Jeremy Milner, Stephen Halliday and Mitchell Miller we’re the leading scorers in the USHL the year Cooleh got drafted.

Let's look at the top scorers in the Slovak league for Simon Nemec in case that's the player you would have preferred.

Samuel Bucek, Brant Harris, William Rapuzzi.

We could repeat this exercise for any player we could have picked 1st overall.

For me the ironic part is we shit on Slafkovsky for beating up on weak teams at the Olympics

While simultaneously coming on here every day for him to be played in the AHL where our 5th round pick from 3 years ago is the leading scorer.

Wild stuff

The exercice is simply to deny everything that Slaf has done in his career with every fallacious argument possible. It kills the flavour of the debate.

There are valid reasons for concern but there is also a plethora of valid reasons to be excited. Going in any extreme kills the debate.

 

[Shawnathon]

Using this logic, no player is worth being picked because you know…

Draft eligible players aren't playing against NHL players their draft years?

Logan Cooley played his draft year against USHL players

Jeremy Milner, Stephen Halliday and Mitchell Miller we’re the leading scorers in the USHL the year Cooleh got drafted.

Let's look at the top scorers in the Slovak league for Simon Nemec in case that's the player you would have preferred.

Samuel Bucek, Brant Harris, William Rapuzzi.

We could repeat this exercise for any player we could have picked 1st overall.

For me the ironic part is we shit on Slafkovsky for beating up on weak teams at the Olympics

While simultaneously coming on here every day for him to be played in the AHL where our 5th round pick from 3 years ago is the leading scorer.

Wild stuff

You’re comparing league play to a 7 game tournament. You need to use Slafkovsky’s Liiga numbers for your argument to work and it gets a WHOLE lot uglier for you if you do.

 

[417]

You’re comparing league play to a 7 game tournament. You need to use Slafkovsky’s Liiga numbers for your argument to work and it gets a WHOLE lot uglier for you if you do.

But you never talked about numbers…you talked about the quality of competition that Slafkovsjy faced at the Olympics.

If producing against France and Kazakhstan is meaningless…

Then producing against the Fargo Force and Chicago Steel is what?