Slaf got a talking to

[malcb33]

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.

But, but, but how would you know this by looking at the box scores...

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

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 tank masters were Bergevin and Ducharme. The former for the very weak roster he left and the latter for being completely unable to squeeze out the best out of that lineup.

People seem to forget Ducharme was pacing us to an all-time Habs record of suckitude, with a 42 points (,256) prorated season before getting canned. With only a handful of mid additions and sideway moves, MSL was able to bring them close to ,500. He should've been given the benefit of doubt with what happened last season, but Habs fans around these parts are irrational and wholly impatient.

 

[Sorinth]

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.

Good post but I'm not so sure what's ironic about Hughes having a chat with him. I very much doubt the talk was anything like is being speculated if for no other reason then it's simply not Hughes style to try and be a "bad cop".

It seems pretty normal to me that a GM will talk with key players when things aren't going so well. I would imagine Hughes had several talks with Caufield last season when it seemed like he couldn't buy a goal. It's far more likely the talk was Hughes trying to see if there was anything he could to do to help Slaf turn things around in the same way a player agent would want/try to help his client.

 

[SwiftyHab]

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.

Maybe. Or maybe he's just a guy who skates fast and looks like hes doing something. Theres a real possibility that Hughes overestimated his ceiling and im fine with that. We have to assume that most of the players we draft or trade for wont hit that ceiling.
I think Slaf has a 75% chance, Dach 50%, and Newhook 25% to reach their potential as top 6 players. Newhook may be a 3rd or 4th line guy

 

[schwang26]

Not sure if this has been posted already but apparently from what i read Kent Hughes had a chat with Slaf and basically told him to start acting like a player that he just gave an 8 mil contract to.
In his latest paper for The Athletic, Arpon Basu spoke about Juraj Slafkovsky and revealed why the young Slovak was so pleased with his performance last night. It has to be said the power forward hasn't necessarily had it easy this season, he's been hurt, he's bounced around the lineup a bit and his production has dipped.

Yesterday, Slafkovsky didn't get on the scoresheet, but that's not the only way to have a positive impact on the game. In that dual with the New York Islanders he played big, He took that big frame of his and he put it to good use.

Landing six hits on one game, he was able to cause turnover and retrieve pucks for the Canadiens that he once upon a time wouldn't have been able to get. Speaking to Basu after the game last night, he confessed he received a swift talking to.

Surprisingly, it wasn't coach Martin St-Louis who did the talking on the team's day off on Monday, no, it was general manager Kent Hughes. The GM has a lot riding on Slafkovsky, afterall, he made him the first overall pick of the 2022 NHL draft, the first draft of the Hughes era and last off-season, he also gave him an eight-year contract with a $7.6 M cap hit which mean's he could be with Montreal until the end of the 2032-33 season.

The Slovak is a huge part of the Canadiens' rebuilt and it's not surprising that Hughes is keeping a close eye on his investment, especially considering he had already made it clear to Slafkovsky he needed him to take the next step at his exit meeting last season.

It's interesting that the youngster made the information public, he could have kept it to himself but he didn't, that's a great sign of accountability and honesty, two qualities which are very important in a player you wish to be part of your core.

Excellent. Took them long enough to boot him in the ass. I’ve been generally disappointed in his game this year.

 

[Treb]

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



Let's hope he turns it around

Not worried. Still pacing for 50 points while on his ELC after a rough patch.

With the rising cap, his contract will soon be 2nd liner money anyway.

 

[Runner77]

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.

It’s been my experience that it’s not as clear cut. Some posters try to provide levity or traffic in repartee in one thread and engage more seriously in others.

The downside of several so-called serious comments is that they are unnecessarily wordy, repetitive and poorly edited. If I want to read something of substance, I’d rather reach for a book.

 

[Rapala]

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.

This is one of the aspects of his game he can improve on.
I actually brought it up in the GDT against The Rangers.
Slaf was in on the fore check against Fox got there in plenty of time but barely touched him on a fly by.
He has to finish that check. When you have a chance to get a lick in on Adam Fox you have to take it.
You know damn well they won't hesitate on Hutson or Guhle.

I was at the Isles game and yes his physicality was on display particularly in the first period.
The entire line was good early on.
More Please.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

It’s been my experience that it’s not as clear cut. Some posters try to provide levity or traffic in repartee in one thread and engage more seriously in others.

The downside of several so-called serious comments is that they are unnecessarily wordy, repetitive and poorly edited. If I want to read something of substance, I’d rather reach for a book.

Walls of text are a pain. You'd need to respond with a further longer wall of text. If you need so much text to justify something, you're probably building a narrative and narratives are tiresome. They always devolve into debating more and more points.

 

[Rapala]

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.

"Swiftly"

 

[Picaroon]

I was thinking watching the last game, even though Slaf didn't produce, his play reminded me of how he looked early last year just before the offensive breakout. He was making smart plays at both ends of the ice, winning board battles and moving his feet. You could tell then, as you can now imo, that he's close to getting rewarded.

 

[BLONG7]

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

When they identify who they want on their core, the agents and GM's go to work.
It's crazy how the kids get paid so quickly these days................that said sometimes they sign for less AAV than they could have had they been patient also.......
Huge game of negotiation.

Once the Oilers started doing it years back, it changed the narrative from bridge style contracts.

 

[The Real Timo]

It’s been my experience that it’s not as clear cut. Some posters try to provide levity or traffic in repartee in one thread and engage more seriously in others.

The downside of several so-called serious comments is that they are unnecessarily wordy, repetitive and poorly edited. If I want to read something of substance, I’d rather reach for a book.

Personally I prefer pictures. Of pretty ladies. Now, that's substance.

 

[Habs]

When they identify who they want on their core, the agents and GM's go to work.
It's crazy how the kids get paid so quickly these days................that said sometimes they sign for less AAV than they could have had they been patient also.......
Huge game of negotiation.

Once the Oilers started doing it years back, it changed the narrative from bridge style contracts.

Back in the 90's - 2000's it took like 4 years of a track record to get paid, a couple contracts then payday. It's like the GM's have no fear of your top prospect busting and being stuck with an 8million dollar crutch, but it's not uncommon for these kids not to underperform by a mile. You are right about the Oilers, so true.

 

[BLONG7]

Back in the 90's - 2000's it took like 4 years of a track record to get paid, a couple contracts then payday. It's like the GM's have no fear of your top prospect busting and being stuck with an 8million dollar crutch, but it's not uncommon for these kids not to underperform by a mile. You are right about the Oilers, so true.

A GM can really stick his neck out for a kid, or kids that he decides are his core group.

 

[CHwest]

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

I think that Hughes thought that Slaf had the character to handle it. I too did not think the contract would go to his head and for all I know it maybe didn't, but I am sure that there are players he would not hand something like that to.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Did he take Slaf for a walk by the river at least?

No that will be saved for Arnia and Dvorak

 

[JianYang]

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.

Aside from that, I remember many times last year during his upswing thinking about where slaf was heavily involved in a play where it doesn't show up on the goals and assists. Whether it means slaf being a disruptor on the forcheck leading to a goal, or creating havoc infront of the net.

That's not to say that I think he is in great form right now, but just a general thought that goals and assists don't tell as much of a story for him as it might for other top 6 guys.

 

[schwang26]

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.

It’s all about drive

 

[Team_Spirit]

It's the McDonalds ad curse nobody told him?

 

[Tyson]

I never expected that his effort would be questioned but here we are. He is only 20 though.

 

[The Real Timo]

It's the McDonalds ad curse nobody told him?

I never expected that his effort would be questioned but here we are. He is only 20 though.

I wonder what Kenny told him... I will take your 8M back? Something like that?

 

[ReHabs]

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.

It’s more about the continuation from the end of last season (more or less outstanding) to the first third of this season (more or less shocking, in a bad way).

Glad he’s picking up points despite his erratic effort levels, it’s a sign of a talented player in my books.

 

[KFlint]

Well, he must understand that being physical needs to be consistently a part of his game. The talent is there but he is so often out of position, behind the play or gliding…

 

[Habs]

I never expected that his effort would be questioned but here we are. He is only 20 though.

I guess this is what separates the McDavid and Crosby's of the world, they work so hard all the time, they despise losing and awful hockey by their own team. They bring players around them up a level by showing how it's done. I hope Slaf finds his game again