LW Juraj Slafkovsky (2022, 1st, MTL) Part 3

[HabbyGuy]

I’ve said if he doesn’t make an impact it’s a disappointment. That’s all.

No idea if he will or not, but Habs fans saying it’s no big deal if he doesn’t are just lying to themselves. It’s definitely not a good sign.

 

[93LEAFS]

Draisaitl also looked meh in the NHL and did so for the first year.

Big guys need time

It varies. Matthews was a big guy for a high-pick forward and was 2nd in the league in goal scoring in year 1. Laine had a strong year 1. Lindros sat out a year but was an impact player the second he stepped on the ice. I'm not sure elite big guys have an atypical development curve in the modern NHL compared to different-sized players.

 

[Frank Drebin]

It varies. Matthews was a big guy for a high-pick forward and was 2nd in the league in scoring in year 1. Laine had a strong year 1. Lindros sat out a year but was an impact player the second he stepped on the ice. I'm not sure elite big guys have an atypical development curve in the modern NHL compared to different-sized players.

And the Sedins, who were shrimps, took 7 years to become elite players. There is no official roadmap for player development.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Fairly sure I remember NBwingsfan from the Caufield threads

Go back and read his posts from the Johnny Gaudreau prospect threads if you really want a laugh.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Go back and read his posts from the Johnny Gaudreau prospect threads if you really want a laugh.

I can't seem to find any

 

[Garbageyuk]

The hype around dahlin was insane though, to the point that a 44 pointv season from an 18 year old defenseman was "considered" disappointing.

He was talked about as the best defensive prospect in the past 40 years, people were expecting current cale makar play as a rookie.

That said, still a very good season for a #1 pick.

Lol come on dude. Your posts are usually pretty sound and rational, but I’m going to have to call you out here. People were not expecting an 86 point season from an 18 year old defenseman who had yet to play an NHL game. Christ .

 

[Frank Drebin]

Lol come on dude. Your posts are usually pretty sound and rational, but I’m going to have to call you out here. People were not expecting an 86 point season from an 18 year old defenseman who had yet to play an NHL game. Christ .

You don't remember the hype. He was widely referred to the best defensive prospect since Denis Potvin in 1973. More highly touted than Bourque, Lidstrom, Pronger, Hedman were at the same age. The word "generational" was being thrown around at the time.

Hockey Draft Central -- The Promise of Rasmus Dahlin

Feature article on NHL draft prospect Rasmus Dahlin, the best defenseman in the draft since Denis Potvin in 1973.

www.hockeydraftcentral.com

Karlsson, meanwhile, has already declared Dahlin a better player than he was at the same age. Comparing defensemen to forwards is not fair, but Dahlin's hockey sense rivals what Wayne Gretzky brought to the NHK. In other words, this is a player who will think the game two or three steps ahead of everyone else on the ice, which gives him a huge advantage.

We know that a generational defenseman will go No. 1 to the team with the previous year's worst record. That feels just about right. Hockey fans should be both excited and thankful that a player with such potential has arrived at a moment that has not seen his like in at least 45 years.

So, if we were talking about a generational forward, more highly touted than McDavid was, and he comes in the league and plays pretty good hockey and scores 73 points, people aren't going to be a little underwhelmed, even though a 73 point season by an 18 year old is amazingly good?

 

[Dempsey]

Lol come on dude. Your posts are usually pretty sound and rational, but I’m going to have to call you out here. People were not expecting an 86 point season from an 18 year old defenseman who had yet to play an NHL game. Christ .

Maybe not 86 points, but the hype was very real and I remember it well.


44 points straight out of the draft for a defenseman was really good but I think people sort of forgot about him, being that he was in Buffalo and you don't hear a lot about him.

 

[SlapJack]

I think that although 18 year old slafkovsky has shown his inconsistency in the NHL so far, the whole 2022 draft is littered with players through the whole draft who will end up being top10 talents when all said and done.

Slafkovsky has the highest dominance potential out of the whole draft with the best skill set and size. They drafted the right 1st overall and I believe time is 100% going to show us this.

Yeah, people are judging him on his first few meaningless exhibition games as a boy in a new country. He's getting better as training camp goes on, has shown concrete glimpses of what he's going to be, and will be a force in the future. The Rick Nash comparable is valid, and that's a guy who never had that #1 overall franchise defining player tag, but was still a great player who once led the league in goals.

He was the right pick this year at #1 and is going to be really, really, really good.

 

[93LEAFS]

And the Sedins, who were shrimps, took 7 years to become elite players. There is no official roadmap for player development.

Yeah, I feel big guys were held back in the clutch and grab era, especially lanky guys to start like Thornton and Lecavalier. No knock on Slafkovsky as I think at his draft date he was viewed as a project compared to some of the more ready made first overall picks (McDavid, Matthews, Tavares, etc).

 

[Martinez89]

Making opening night roster, it´s official. Congrats!

 

[bsu]

Hope that is best for his development, congrats on making the team!!!

 

[golgoXIII]

Yes!!! Congrats really happy to see him play couples of games in the big show

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Excited to see him play for real!

 

[Akrapovince]

I think we’re going to be surprised with how ready out of the box Slaf is going to be.

Not to say he should be on an every day roster right now, but I think when real games are played those flashes are going to become more common.

 

[Xirik]

Saving this post when Slafkovsky's first rookie game is rookie-ish and people say he's a bust.

 

[SlafCaufield]

love this,, kid is a beast and the best thing for him is to be in the NHL from the start and dominate

 

[Deas]

You don't remember the hype. He was widely referred to the best defensive prospect since Denis Potvin in 1973. More highly touted than Bourque, Lidstrom, Pronger, Hedman were at the same age. The word "generational" was being thrown around at the time.

Hockey Draft Central -- The Promise of Rasmus Dahlin

Feature article on NHL draft prospect Rasmus Dahlin, the best defenseman in the draft since Denis Potvin in 1973.

www.hockeydraftcentral.com

So, if we were talking about a generational forward, more highly touted than McDavid was, and he comes in the league and plays pretty good hockey and scores 73 points, people aren't going to be a little underwhelmed, even though a 73 point season by an 18 year old is amazingly good?

No. People would not have been a little underwhelmed by an 18 year old defenseman scoring 73 points. The hype was enormous but the situation would not have been close to people being underwhelmed. It would’ve blown away the hockey world despite the hype. Also, I disagree the hype was at McDavid level (the selected quotes in question does not mean that was the case overall).

 

[Frank Drebin]

No. People would not have been a little underwhelmed by an 18 year old defenseman scoring 73 points. The hype was enormous but the situation would not have been close to people being underwhelmed. It would’ve blown away the hockey world despite the hype. Also, I disagree the hype was at McDavid level.

An 18 year old "generational" forward scoring 73 points. Not a defenseman. I was simply trying to illustrate the expectations and delusions that a "generational" title has on a player.

 

[Deas]

An 18 year old "generational" forward scoring 73 points. Not a defenseman. I was simply trying to illustrate the expectations and delusions that a "generational" title has on a player.

Oh my apologies. Read that wrong.

 

[start winnin]

Hope he does well, such a tantalizing prospect.

 

[HuGo Sham]

Go back and read his posts from the Johnny Gaudreau prospect threads if you really want a laugh.

he's also in every single habs thread on main board. and i have never ever read anything positive from his posts.

 

[HuGo Sham]

Yeah, people are judging him on his first few meaningless exhibition games as a boy in a new country. He's getting better as training camp goes on, has shown concrete glimpses of what he's going to be, and will be a force in the future. The Rick Nash comparable is valid, and that's a guy who never had that #1 overall franchise defining player tag, but was still a great player who once led the league in goals.

He was the right pick this year at #1 and is going to be really, really, really good.

nice post. I would add he's having early challenges with the rink size and his timing. he's a big, talented kid; he'll make the adjustments

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Give him a few games so he can see what he needs to work on and then send him down to play big minutes in the minors. He’s got lots of talent but needs to be developed properly if he’s ever going to reach his potential.
No need to rush him.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Saving this post when Slafkovsky's first rookie game is rookie-ish and people say he's a bust.

You think he will get a full game before being labeled a bust? Expect a roller coaster ride per shift from the next Armia to the next Jagr, back down to PoolParty

Any that will just be the 1st period