Slaf Got A Talking to

[Hins77]

What’s I hate about Slafkovsky personnally is the way he is playing well/be productive against bad team and invisible against tough team. Like
He got points against : Columbus, Buffalo, Pittsburgh x 2, Seattle, NYI, Ottawa and Rangers.

He got donuts against : NYI, Boston, Utah, Vegas, Edmonton, Minnesota, Toronto

He needs to be better against tougher competition

 

[Durvann]

He should bring him and a few others out for game of bowling.

 

[Skip Bayless]

He needs to finish his checks and show fight to gain body positioning going into puck battles. Basic things he seems to be over with. In his mind, If he can't get the puck, then not worth it to put effort, but what about the guys you're playing with, how does that help them?

I'm glad Kent told him what was what in his face. We need more of that in the organization, f*** the power of friendship.

 

[Treb]

I never understood why these kids get so much money for 1 year of success

Cap management.

If you give him a 2-3 years bridge and he does well, you`re looking at a 10M+ contract with the growing cap and UFA years bought.

 

[Heffyhoof]

Oh look, another narrative article by Basu. I can't stand his writing.

 

[Habs]

Because you'll pay through the teeth a few years later when they breakout in their bridge contract. Example: Subban

It worked fine with Suzuki and Caufield. Next year will be the first of his new contract. By the time he's at year 3 or 4, 7,6mil will equate a very good second line player salary.

Unless there's planetary turmoil, the cap will keep going up and that 7.6 mil will equate a lesser percentage of the cap.

I guess because I value money so much, ... like give me a few years of points before I pay you. I know this is how it works, but man.. these top picks better pan out or.. it's just going to hurt the team

Cap management.

If you give him a 2-3 years bridge and he does well, you`re looking at a 10M+ contract with the growing cap and UFA years bought.

Let's hope he turns it around

 

[The Last Red]

Newhook is working his a** off, it is embarrassing that he has become a whipping boy for the mob around here.

He obviously has lost some confidence and has made some poor plays but if he continues working hard it will eventually turn around.



How some people can't grasp this is beyond me.

Most people understand the financial-related reasoning behind it. It still feels ridiculous, however, because Slaf hasn’t really earned the contract that he signed, it’s just a decision by the team to avoid an even worse financial situation down the road.

 

[Egresch]

What’s I hate about Slafkovsky personnally is the way he is playing well/be productive against bad team and invisible against tough team. Like
He got points against : Columbus, Buffalo, Pittsburgh x 2, Seattle, NYI, Ottawa and Rangers.

He got donuts against : NYI, Boston, Utah, Vegas, Edmonton, Minnesota, Toronto

He needs to be better against tougher competition

He had one of his best games vs NYI with 1 shot and 6 hits. vs LAK zero points, but 5 hits and 4 blocks, his game is not only about points. Of course, he can play way better, but I guess constant line changes affect him heavily. In the end, he is still just 20 with 143 NHL games under his belt. He needs some stability to perform constantly.

 

[ExReHabs]

What's shocking is that he's pacing for fewer about as many points than he got last year. And last year he basically didn't produce until after January, so the drop off seems doubly bad. Hughes has every right to be mad, but he should be more mad at himself for jumping the gun to throw tens of millions in guaranteed money at a player who seemingly can't motivate himself to play.

Is this the sort of team culture we have under MSL and HuGo?

 

[Heffyhoof]

What's shocking is that he's pacing for fewer points than he got last year. And last year he basically didn't produce until after January, so the drop off is doubly bad. Hughes has every right to be mad, but he should be more mad at himself for jumping the gun to throw tens of millions in guaranteed money at a player who seemingly can't motivate himself to play.

Is this the sort of team culture we have under MSL and HuGo?

You know I don't agree with how you're describing Slaf, but I actually agree with the overall sentiment. If Hughes is apparently so mad, and Slaf deserves all his demotions, the 100+ articles about how he sucks recently, and even playing Dach in OT ahead of our recent 1OA pick, then why not trade him?

If he's everything I'm being told, unlike Dach who needs all our patience, then get rid of him while his value is highest.

 

[Egresch]

What's shocking is that he's pacing for fewer points than he got last year.

Seriously? He is on pace for 50 points in 79 games which is better than last year (50 in 82).
Give him some stable linemates and he will produce..

 

[ExReHabs]

Seriously? He is on pace for 50 points in 79 games which is better than last year (50 in 82).
Give him some stable linemates and he will produce..

My mistake, I thought he got 55pts last year but that 55 was his PIMs. Thanks for catching that.

The fact is he did most of his production in about half a season last year and he looked great doing so. This year even his biggest fans (and it seems his GM) admit he looks worse so he’s coming off as (1) half-as productive and (2) with a lower effort.

 

[hvac412]

What's shocking is that he's pacing for fewer about as many points than he got last year. And last year he basically didn't produce until after January, so the drop off seems doubly bad. Hughes has every right to be mad, but he should be more mad at himself for jumping the gun to throw tens of millions in guaranteed money at a player who seemingly can't motivate himself to play.

Is this the sort of team culture we have under MSL and HuGo?

WTF did Hughes expect when he decided to have an entirely rookie coaching staff guide a rebuild,time to look at his own bad decisions!!! it has never been done in the history of the NHL....what could possibly go wrong

 

[Egresch]

My mistake, I thought he got 55pts last year but that 55 was his PIMs. Thanks for catching that.

The fact is he did most of his production in about half a season last year and he looked great doing so. This year even his biggest fans (and it seems his GM) admit he looks worse so he’s coming off as (1) half-as productive and (2) with a lower effort.

No worries, you are welcome
Correct, he did most of his points 2nd half of the season, because he was playing in a stable line with Suzuki and CC. It is incredibly easy to fix this and alarming that nobody from coaching staff sees it. We had one working line and yet they were able to ruin it.

 

[nhlfan9191]

What's shocking is that he's pacing for fewer about as many points than he got last year. And last year he basically didn't produce until after January, so the drop off seems doubly bad. Hughes has every right to be mad, but he should be more mad at himself for jumping the gun to throw tens of millions in guaranteed money at a player who seemingly can't motivate himself to play.

Is this the sort of team culture we have under MSL and HuGo?

He had 11 points in his first 13 games this year in comparison to just 2 points in 15 games last season so he got off to a much better start production wise this season despite not playing very well. Putting stats aside he needs to get it together. If he gets back to where he was last season, he’ll be worth every bit of that contract. There’s no reason to think he just forgot how to play over the off-season.

 

[HabbyGuy]

I don't think anyone is happy with Slaf's play this season as a whole, even if he has looked better in the last couple. While disappointing, none of it should be all that surprising. The NHL is historically littered with young big bodied kids who have struggled with consistency early in their careers. Quinton Byfield is having similar issues in Los Angeles this season as well.

He needs to be better but it's really nothing to panic about. I find it ironic that Hughes had a chat with him, when he himself warned us (the fans) that this sort of thing could very well happen with Slaf this season.

That said, here's hoping the talk did him some good.

As for the contract, Slaf was identified early as a huge cog in this teams rebuild just by virtue of his draft position. They're betting on him being the guy they selected him to be at 1st overall. Getting him at a reasonable hit through his early prime if he pans out is a great decision, if Slaf doesn't work out, the rebuild would take a crippling due to the colossal miss at the 1 spot anyway.

They're just doubling down on their own assertion that they got it right when they selected him. It makes perfect sense.

 

[FrankMTL]

I always find it amusing when a player needs to be "talked to" in this market. If you don't feel the pressure to give more effort from the 21,000+ fans at the Bell Centre and the millions of fans talking about you on a daily basis, then I don't know what to say.

This is not a direct criticism to Slaf either as he's still very young....just a general observation of any player for the Canadiens.

 

[Shred]

What’s I hate about Slafkovsky personnally is the way he is playing well/be productive against bad team and invisible against tough team. Like
He got points against : Columbus, Buffalo, Pittsburgh x 2, Seattle, NYI, Ottawa and Rangers.

He got donuts against : NYI, Boston, Utah, Vegas, Edmonton, Minnesota, Toronto

He needs to be better against tougher competition

Kazakhstan all over again

 

[Deebs]

I have no problem with management talking to any of the players.

My issue with Slaf is his carefree attitude on the ice. His mentality. It's one of the reasons why I love 3rd and 4th line players in the minors who make it and become pieces all cup contending teams desire and need to reach their final destination.

They've never been talented enough to be big time scorers in any league but they keep making i because they work their ass off and have that dog mentality. They'll do anything to help the team. Guys like Slaf and others have always been so talented, they didn't need to give their all every shift....think Gallagher.

I don't think he'll ever become that guy but I do hope he one day understands he's 6'3, 240lbs and he has the chance to impose his will on his opponents whenever he wants. He's so young there is time to become this player and one I hope he does, otherwise he's Joel Armia.

 

[the]

When will Kent Hughes have a talk with Newhook and Barron?

That’s something that Jeff Gorton will personally handle.

 

[Toene]

Became many don’t even watch the game, and just repeat , oh newhook sucked , oh gally is crap , and Anderson a donkey .
Most are on these boards for a good conversation, but some are here so they feel good about themselves while knocking others , and how easy it is to knock the usually suspects , they will feel great when everyone else agrees

It's mostly just venting. It's okay. Habs fans are passionate and need somewhere to let go of some steam.

There's tons of well-thought, well-written comments and many knowledgeable posters. There's also a shitload of people reacting irrationally. I'm fine with it. You can easily identify which is which.

 

[eklund the clown]

WTF did Hughes expect when he decided to have an entirely rookie coaching staff guide a rebuild,time to look at his own bad decisions!!! it has never been done in the history of the NHL....what could possibly go wrong

I was going to say the exact same thing.Isn't this Marty's job to get the players motivated?Why would the GM be doing this ?Well you know the way i feel about our coaching situation from past comments but it looks like that ship has sailed.They are sticking with the tankmaster again this year

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

He's huge and does not have amazing first overall puck skills , I still got time for him not too worried , the physical play is not my main gripe , My main issue is we need this guy to drive the net or come out of the corner and take it to the net or at least get some shot attempts , I don't think playing with Laine is gonna unlock that either because Slaf just loves to dish the puck , at least he's a very good passer

 

[Prettyisland]

What was he supposed to do? Tell him playing fine and give him cookies and milk? I for one am glad a standard is being set if this is true. The mental gymnastics and goal post moving on this board should be studied

 

[Justsayin]

I wouldn't be surprised if the "talk" Hughes gave him was more along the lines of - don't worry about all the noise coming from the media/fans: keep working and it will come around: we expected this to take time and we expect things will get better as long as you put the work in.