Player Discussion The Slaf Thread - Parabolic Growth Edition

[Miller Time]

Hockey IQ has never and never will.be an asset, let's not lie. If he had high IQ he'd be a Malkin level player.

He's being lucky with his production. It doesn't mean much to me. Just like Caufields production.

What a terrible take.

 

[Mrb1p]

What a terrible take.

Okay Mike's Mom.

Malkin has HOF IQ. There's someone in between that and low IQ. low IQ, mid IQ, high IQ, elite IQ, HOF IQ, generational IQ. Slaf definitely has higher than average IQ.

Nah, he has about average IQ for a NHL player, which is below average for a top 6er.

The main reason why he's always a step behind is his IQ, it's not his physical skills. It's fine too, he doesn't need to be a high IQ player to be a great player and I still believe in him. I'm just not sure why we have to bury our head in the sand and act like it's all perfect in La la land.

Man shit f***ing sucks in here these days.

 

[Mrb1p]

Many will castigate you for this perspective, but, really, if you watch Slafkovsky play absent bias and the natural desire to see him perform well to justify his selection, his performance this year has been radically sub-par. There have been precious few standout moments or demonstrations of skill; eleven points in seventeen games with only a single goal is radically disappointing in the extreme, particularly when he's generating no scoring chances and rarely seems to even be able to get off a shot, averaging just over one per game.

Frankly, the conclusion to his previous year is looking more like a fluke statistical anomaly considering how poor his hockey sense and decision making has been from the outset - one of his great deficiencies that led him to taking so many massive hits in the first year.

Meh, Slaf is still a good player with good potential and I doubt it was a fluke. The regression IS scary though and despite all his known short comings? Slaf is still marginally the same player he was at the start of last year. I understand they can't transplant a new brain in him, hes always going to have slightly slower processing speed and he's not going to be balls to the wall all the time. His shot still being this poor though?

The coaching and management staff is utterly disappointing.

 

[Miller Time]

Okay Mike's Mom.

On the one hand, you claim Slaf has "low hockey IQ"

On the other hand, you're disappointed because in D3 he's pacing for 60pts when you expected more...

Kucherov D3 - 18pts
Rantanen D3 -38pts
MacKinnon D3 - 52pts
Barkov D3 - 59pts

Etc
Etc

Having unrealistic expectations is one thing...
Being disappointed when those unrealistic expectations aren't met is pretty foolish...

Having wholly incoherent takes that are devoid of any logic or rational coherence is... The root of your terrible takes.

Even Mike's mom can figure that out.

Carry on with the nonsense posts

The coaching and management staff is utterly disappointing.

Only to posters without a clue about sport or team performance lol

 

[Mrb1p]

On the one hand, you claim Slaf has "low hockey IQ"

On the other hand, you're disappointed because in D3 he's pacing for 60pts when you expected more...

Kucherov D3 - 18pts
Rantanen D3 -38pts
MacKinnon D3 - 52pts
Barkov D3 - 59pts

Etc
Etc

Having unrealistic expectations is one thing...
Being disappointed when those unrealistic expectations aren't met is pretty foolish...

Having wholly incoherent takes that are devoid of any logic or rational coherence is... The root of your terrible takes.

Even Mike's mom can figure that out.

Carry on with the nonsense posts



Only to posters without a clue about sport or team performance lol

Man if you only read one second instead of being all up in Mike Mathesons panties you may understand the coherence in my argument.

But it's a lot easier to take out the pitchfork, aint it?

 

[Miller Time]

Man if you only read one second instead of being all up in Mike Mathesons panties you may understand the coherence in my argument.

But it's a lot easier to take out the pitchfork, aint it?

Speaking of "reading", What's with your obsession about Matheson? Wholly irrelevant to anything discussed here.

There is no coherence to your "argument". It's an empty rant, pitchfork indeed lol.

you think Slaf has "low hockey IQ", yet you expected production from him outpacing some of the highest IQ forwards in the game at the same age.... Incoherent.

You claim "luck" for Slaf's (& Caufield) production this far, yet your disappointed in him for not producing more... Incoherent.

Your frustrated with coaching and management for not getting more out of players you see as "lucky" to produce what they are producing... Incoherent.

The lack of basic reasoning in your rants and hot takes is actually impressive in its absurdity.

Can't even agree to disagree with this kind of nonsense "argument"... There's no actual argument, just irrational complaining.

As you pointed out in the guhle thread, getting called out for garbage takes is the price of admission on a message board. Don't like it, try offering an argument that is at least remotely coherent.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Meh, Slaf is still a good player with good potential and I doubt it was a fluke. The regression IS scary though and despite all his known short comings? Slaf is still marginally the same player he was at the start of last year. I understand they can't transplant a new brain in him, hes always going to have slightly slower processing speed and he's not going to be balls to the wall all the time. His shot still being this poor though?

The coaching and management staff is utterly disappointing.

Slaf makes way too many quick nifty passes to trot this ‘low processing speed’ thing all the time. But you’re hella smart so if you have a real argument as to why that’s not related to processing speed/IQ, I’m genuinely all ears.

He’s still a kid in a giant’s body who’s producing not that bad despite not playing well. That’s usually a good sign lol.

There does seem to be something going on with the team as a whole. Whether it’s conditioning or the non stop injuries making them a little shook, who knows.

 

[KevSkillz4]

I think he just need to keep his game simple with great forecheck.

The perfect exemple it's against Buffalo, he played his real identity. Great forecheck.

Slaf have great offensive ability, we all see that, he just need to know using his shot at good times. This guy have everything to succeed and become a high productive player.

 

[Mrb1p]

Speaking of "reading", What's with your obsession about Matheson? Wholly irrelevant to anything discussed here.

There is no coherence to your "argument". It's an empty rant, pitchfork indeed lol.

you think Slaf has "low hockey IQ", yet you expected production from him outpacing some of the highest IQ forwards in the game at the same age.... Incoherent.

You claim "luck" for Slaf's (& Caufield) production this far, yet your disappointed in him for not producing more... Incoherent.

Your frustrated with coaching and management for not getting more out of players you see as "lucky" to produce what they are producing... Incoherent.

The lack of basic reasoning in your rants and hot takes is actually impressive in its absurdity.

Can't even agree to disagree with this kind of nonsense "argument"... There's no actual argument, just irrational complaining.

As you pointed out in the guhle thread, getting called out for garbage takes is the price of admission on a message board. Don't like it, try offering an argument that is at least remotely coherent.

You can be a lower IQ player and be a very good player. Don't you see a discrepancy between Suzuki, Perry, Roy and Slafs? Brady Tkachuk I'd also class as lower IQ, even Mackinnon, for his peers, which is like the top 5 players in the league.

It's a skill like any other. I don't see why people are so insulted. Kucherov is small, nobody cares, he's still great. Panarin is soft, nobody cares. Mark Stone is slow. Quinn Hughes has no shot. Players are players and they have different strengths and weaknesses.

I'm disappointed in the management's ability to make our young players progress.

 

[Mrb1p]

Slaf makes way too many quick nifty passes to trot this ‘low processing speed’ thing all the time. But you’re hella smart so if you have a real argument as to why that’s not related to processing speed/IQ, I’m genuinely all ears.

He’s still a kid in a giant’s body who’s producing not that bad despite not playing well. That’s usually a good sign lol.

There does seem to be something going on with the team as a whole. Whether it’s conditioning or the non stop injuries making them a little shook, who knows.

Slaf has great vision, he's one of the best passer on the team. He's also very good at exploiting space. That's vision.

What he's not good at is recognizing patterns, openings, being proactive and reacting to rapid changes in situation. You can see he works well when his mind is stream-lined. It's also why we often feel like he's not moving his feet enough.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Slaf has been playing hurt for weeks now.

Upper body, that's why the shot isn't there right now

Resume the progression talk when he looks like himself again.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848737835509023199

 

[Kennedys]

Slaf has been playing hurt for weeks now.

Upper body, that's why the shot isn't there right now

Resume the progression talk when he looks like himself again.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848737835509023199

They should just sit him for a while. The team is terrible anyway

 

[Miller Time]

You can be a lower IQ player and be a very good player. Don't you see a discrepancy between Suzuki, Perry, Roy and Slafs? Brady Tkachuk I'd also class as lower IQ, even Mackinnon, for his peers, which is like the top 5 players in the league.

Sure

Now look at how those players did early in their careers vs your expectations of Slaf...

Do you see how the two assessments don't fit?

It's a skill like any other. I don't see why people are so insulted.

Leave the strawman to the crows.

Kucherov is small, nobody cares, he's still great. Panarin is soft, nobody cares. Mark Stone is slow. Quinn Hughes has no shot. Players are players and they have different strengths and weaknesses.

Sure. That's a completely discussion.

The common denominator of players able to be productive at the NHL level at 19-20 is hockey IQ.

You think Slaf's is low, yet your disappointed that he's not hitting your expectations... Expectations that are out of whack given your own assessment of the player...

That inconsistency makes your argument incoherent.

I'm disappointed in the management's ability to make our young players progress.

And yet
Suzuki, Caufield, Slaf, Newhook, Strubble and Guhle are all ahead of their draft peer pedigree (performing or producing at levels higher than their relative draft spot).

Hutson is a Calder candidate and far ahead of his draft spot.

Xhekaj, undrafted 23 year old performing at a level on par or ahead of most 1 St Rd dmen of his draft year

Our 25U players and their relative progress is the most obvious success of our management and coaching group. The weakness of our roster is in the over 25 group of players... Of which your personal favorite, Matheson, is BY FAR the best asset they have to work with (until Laine plays, at least). I'd have though that obvious to you given how little you think of our best veteran player lol

Again here, your stated disappointment appears tied to misguided expectations rather than a coherent argument.

And, I'd argue strongly, no management team or coach "makes" a player progress... Some create an environment that supports player development, others create environments that interfere or reduce the odds of progression.

No real argument to be made that this management group is anything short of elite in that respect... If anything, many around here criticize them for not doing more to add veteran players (at the expense of the game and role opportunities out 25U group is getting).

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Slaf has great vision, he's one of the best passer on the team. He's also very good at exploiting space. That's vision.

What he's not good at is recognizing patterns, openings, being proactive and reacting to rapid changes in situation. You can see he works well when his mind is stream-lined. It's also why we often feel like he's not moving his feet enough.

Ehhhh…around the net I’ve seen the puck get on his stick and get off it lightning quick with a gorgeous pass that can mostly be attributed to raw processing power.

Average IQ 20 year olds aren’t pulling off those plays.