Slafkovski reminds me of Pulju

[toewsintangibles]

Big and strong players with lot of athletic ability, but zero awareness of what do with the puck..

Will he be a big oof for the Habs or can he revamp his game?

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

who knows , he's got some good and some bad , young massive guy. That entire draft is looking stinky. Missing out on michkov will haunt us more in my opinion

 

[ffh]

He reminds you if ginger spice

 

[Xirik]

a thread like this was made before. 0/10

 

[HockeyVirus]

who knows , he's got some good and some bad , young massive guy. That entire draft is looking stinky. Missing out on michkov will haunt us more in my opinion

Doesn't make sense when the Habs need a #1 C for decades and one is there who is on pace for 60+ points and they pass on him for a big winger on pace for 10

 

[Divine]

I think Pulju is more talented than Slav tbh

 

[Fatass]

I think Pulju is more talented than Slav tbh

Yup. But is Slafkoski similar in thinking the game? He just too often seems chasing the game.

 

[sansabri]

revamp his game? guy doesn't even have a full season under his belt

 

[JimmyApples]

He looks baddddd

 

[Tuggy]

One of the youngest players in the league and 57 career games.

I'm willing to give him a couple years before passing too much judgment.

 

[ScarTroy]

One of the youngest players in the league and 57 career games.

I'm willing to give him a couple years before passing too much judgment.

Yup, everyone had written off Laf, and he’s starting to put it together, and he was drafted 2 years prior. Still plenty of time for Slaf

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Yup, everyone had written off Laf, and he’s starting to put it together, and he was drafted 2 years prior. Still plenty of time for Slaf

The problem is that Slaf was never a high end prospect by #1 standards.

 

[MasterMatt25]

The problem is that Slaf was never a high end prospect by #1 standards.

So why are people dog-pilling on him already then? It doesn't make any sense.

 

[HabsQC]

We are so used to see 1st overalls and great young guys come in the NHL and have success right away that we forget it's actually normal to take a few years to really come into his own in the NHL. Let's give him some more time before talking about bust territory.

With that being said, I think the Habs have rushed him because of the 1st Overall tag and also because he played with men before (Olympics, world championships and liiga). He should've spent a year in the AHL, especially after his injury, but that's just my opinion.

 

[ScarTroy]

The problem is that Slaf was never a high end prospect by #1 standards.

Well yeah, but he certainly wasn’t drafted that high to produce at a 22 point pace, so clearly there’s still plenty room for him. He’s young, most kids don’t make the league until 20+.

 

[McShogun99]

Everyone but the Habs knew that he shouldn't have went 1st OA.

 

[Mackiaveli]

Everyone but the Habs knew that he shouldn't have went 1st OA.

This is just categorically false because it was very well known that NJD wanted to draft Slafkovsky, but the price to move up wasn't worth it. The only team that would have passed on him would be maybe Arizona because Cooley was really their guy.

 

[Hunter368]

Both are big guys with all the tools just very poor hockey IQ, too bad. Door isn’t closed on Slaf but sure is disappointing looking for a 1OA pick

 

[HabsQC]

Everyone but the Habs knew that he shouldn't have went 1st OA.

We hired the guys who selected Kravtsov, Kakko and I don't remember who else they took who was a bust as a top 10 pick so no surprise here

 

[TheNumber4]

This is just categorically false because it was very well known that NJD wanted to draft Slafkovsky, but the price to move up wasn't worth it. The only team that would have passed on him would be maybe Arizona because Cooley was really their guy.

Maybe they just asked to move up to give Montreal a false sense of urgency and demand to draft this guy.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Everyone but the Habs knew that he shouldn't have went 1st OA.

Who should have?

 

[Wallet Inspector]

Habs need to learn to stop rushing guys into the NHL, just because they can play in an NHL lineup doesn't mean it's the best thing for their long-term development if they're aiming to be elite players.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

We hired the guys who selected Kravtsov, Kakko and I don't remember who else they took who was a bust as a top 10 pick so no surprise here

Lias Andersson.

But Kakko doesn't belong on that list at all. Kakko was regarded by most as the #2 overall in that draft. After the top two picks that's when there was more mystery. Even though he has disappointed and arguably busted, that's not because he was a bad pick at the time of the draft.

 

[NextYear67]

Bust for sure

 

[Canadienna]

Put me on record that this kid is going to be a beast by 25. He's a teenager and shows glimpses of his talent more and more often.

He likely never reaches the lofty point totals of other first overalls, but I think people need to get past that. Not all draft years have a superstar, it is what it is - but it doesn't mean that his only outcomes are superstar or bust.