Juraj Slafkovsky - Year Two

[River Meadow]

While everyone keeps bickering,

Slafkovsky has quietly just tied Cooley for goals scored this year.

 

[ReHabs]

That's where we disagree. I think it's clear he's an NHL player, but not an above average one at all. He's also certainly not at the level we'd all hope of a 1OA at this stage would be. I just wonder if our mediocre AHL team would really be the better environment to develop in.

Thankfully it's early on in the year and Montreal can easily afford another ~15 games before deciding on what to do with Slaf for the rest of the year.

I understand your perspective. My thinking is that he is not a top6 player right now, therefore I don't see the point of having him struggle in the NHL. Putting up points is vital, it is the most important thing, so tonight is a net-good for his growth. With that said, I don't see how (if not for our own awful roster) he can justify remaining on an NHL team's top6. His performances are erratic and immature... in other words raw. Which is totally fine at this stage (I wouldn't have drafted a no-toolbox player with the 1OA, but we all know this is water under the bridge) but I think being put in a slower-paced-than-the-best-in-the-sport league with a ton more minutes would allow him to play his game and work on his game... which is a skill game in a large-framed player's body. It's hard to play such a game when you're constantly and consistently struggling to keep up with the play. Adapting to the speed of the NHL is one thing but when the time comes to impose yourself in the game, it might be too little too late. Plenty of otherwise skill players find ways to adapt and keep their heads above water in the NHL but simplify their game into oblivion -- out of pure survival instinct.

If Norris-winning PK Subban can be brutally called out for a turnover which wasn't even his fault (fault was with Max Pacioretty) then Slafkovsky's brutal turnovers should be called out as well -- that is, IF you're willing to argue he's currently an NHL top6 player. If he is, then the standards should be consistent. You have to expect a certain level of reliability from an NHL player... this is why Drouin and Hoffman and Dadanov were so infuriating to watch.

Anyway, no point yammering on about the AHL, we know Kent Hughes super genius GM is smarter than anyone in any room and knows better. We have to let go of the dream of normal prospect development, the genius is running the show now.

I pledge to stop arguing for the transfer to the AHL. It's not happening.

 

[NotProkofievian]

A Slaf multipoint game!

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

Glad to see that he got two points, hopefully, it's the start of great things.

 

[cave troll]

The counterproductive aspect isn't that he wouldn't score, it's that he would focus on scoring instead of focusing on the things that they actually want him to get better at. Earlier in the article he even talks specifically about how "you’ll be naturally inclined to rely more on what you’ve always done rather than what you’ve learned through correction". That's the concern they had with Slaf in the AHL being the go to guy, he'd be more likely to be doing things that work at lower levels but won't translate in the NHL.

As an example Drouin going back to the Q after being drafted caused him to just double down on putting up points doing stuff that works in juniors but doesn't work in the NHL. So rather then learning the pro-habits he needed to learn to be successful in the NHL he reinforced the junior habits that would prevent him from reaching his potential.

I just wanna point out that Hughes said those things almost a year ago.
So, almost a year passed and Slaf's progress moves at snail's pace in NHL.
If you point out Droiun and the fact that playing in juniors reinforced junior hockey habits then we can already send Mesar back to home in Slovakia since the kid is in juniors in his D+2 season.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I just wanna point out that Hughes said those things almost a year ago.
So, almost a year passed and Slaf's progress moves at snail's pace in NHL.

Please… Slaf only played like 30 games last year. He’s played less than 60 games in his career.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I understand your perspective. My thinking is that he is not a top6 player right now, therefore I don't see the point of having him struggle in the NHL. Putting up points is vital, it is the most important thing, so tonight is a net-good for his growth. With that said, I don't see how (if not for our own awful roster) he can justify remaining on an NHL team's top6. His performances are erratic and immature... in other words raw. Which is totally fine at this stage (I wouldn't have drafted a no-toolbox player with the 1OA, but we all know this is water under the bridge) but I think being put in a slower-paced-than-the-best-in-the-sport league with a ton more minutes would allow him to play his game and work on his game... which is a skill game in a large-framed player's body. It's hard to play such a game when you're constantly and consistently struggling to keep up with the play. Adapting to the speed of the NHL is one thing but when the time comes to impose yourself in the game, it might be too little too late. Plenty of otherwise skill players find ways to adapt and keep their heads above water in the NHL but simplify their game into oblivion -- out of pure survival instinct.

If Norris-winning PK Subban can be brutally called out for a turnover which wasn't even his fault (fault was with Max Pacioretty) then Slafkovsky's brutal turnovers should be called out as well -- that is, IF you're willing to argue he's currently an NHL top6 player. If he is, then the standards should be consistent. You have to expect a certain level of reliability from an NHL player... this is why Drouin and Hoffman and Dadanov were so infuriating to watch.

Anyway, no point yammering on about the AHL, we know Kent Hughes super genius GM is smarter than anyone in any room and knows better. We have to let go of the dream of normal prospect development, the genius is running the show now.

I pledge to stop arguing for the transfer to the AHL. It's not happening.

I don’t think because Michel Therrien (worst coach in Habs history and a bully) called out Subban means we should be repeating those mistakes with Slaf.

A good rule to follow is: take whatever Michel Therrien did and then do the opposite

 

[tazsub3]

I don’t think because Michel Therrien (worst coach in Habs history and a bully) called out Subban means we should be repeating those mistakes with Slaf.

A good rule to follow is: take whatever Michel Therrien did and then do the opposite

While I beleive Therrien is the biggest bully in habs history and a very bad coach . Worst coach in habs history goes to dumb dom Ducharme . And by far

 

[cave troll]

Please… Slaf only played like 30 games last year. He’s played less than 60 games in his career.

Yes. 15 more games and he'll surpass Patrik Stefan.
But the thing is, development in AHL is not good cause things will not translate in NHL properly. Why are we playing Roy and Mailloux there?
Development in juniors is not good cause kids are not developing pro habits. Why is our 1st round pick in juniors 2 years after the draft?
Playing in Europe is not good cause players won't accostume to smaller ice and NHL pace. They why is our 5th OA still in Europe?
These are the named reasons why ppl say Slaf should be developed in NHL and he is developed in the same way Gorton was "developing" Kakko. No pressure, no need to shoot, points will come, he's big dude so let him learn playing on the boards, no need to excel immediately, let's make it easier for him and switch him between 2nd and 3rd line. We all see how it went.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

While I beleive Therrien is the biggest bully in habs history and a very bad coach . Worst coach in habs history goes to dumb dom Ducharme . And by far

Naw, dom was a terrible coach, but Therrien was franchise altering bad imo. He was so bad that life long fans of the team didn’t even want to watch anymore. Myself being one, there were many in my circle alone that felt similarly. Between him and MB they set this franchise back a decade imo.

I’m just finally able to watch the games again. We are still a very bad team and I think that we will pick in the 5-10 range again. The foxhole buddies left this franchise in the worst state it’s been in since the salary cap implementation for sure. So much of the cap spent on injured and deadweight contracts. You’d be hard pressed to find a GM coming into a worse situation than Hughes imo. He made the best of all the valueless assets we had imo. I still think we are an off-season away before we start trying to add meaningful pieces.

 

[cphabs]

A Slaf multipoint game!

Lmfao thank you!

 

[sandviper]

While everyone keeps bickering,

Slafkovsky has quietly just tied Cooley for goals scored this year.

He also matched Anderson’s total points this season in last night’s game.

 

[Andy]

I find he’s been playing extremely well. Im surprised he hasnt started to dispel some concerns

 

[Jaynki]

I find he’s been playing extremely well. Im surprised he hasnt started to dispel some concerns

Imagine being concerned instead of excited by a player with his skills and profile who is an NHL regular at 19yo.

A big number of HFHabs poster are even higher on Roy than Slafkovsky

 

[ReHabs]

I don’t think because Michel Therrien (worst coach in Habs history and a bully) called out Subban means we should be repeating those mistakes with Slaf.

A good rule to follow is: take whatever Michel Therrien did and then do the opposite

I never said that; how in the world did you come to this conclusion?

If we (commentators) have to treat Slafkovsky as though he's a real, genuine top6 NHL player then we should rightfully criticise and take into account his brutal puck-decisions and giveaways. As we do Gallagher's costly penalties or Drouin's soft-as-butter plays.

If he's an NHLer, then we should expect NHLer performances from him. That means don't keep mum when he makes catastrophic mistakes. Don't lower standards.

 

[cave troll]

Imagine being concerned instead of excited by a player with his skills and profile who is an NHL regular at 19yo.

A big number of HFHabs poster are even higher on Roy than Slafkovsky

I'm pretty sure Thrashers fans were excited like this while watching their 19yr old 1OA showing skill and racking some points here and there.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I find he’s been playing extremely well. Im surprised he hasnt started to dispel some concerns

He definitely has. Unfortunately he wasn’t rewarded for it. Last night he didn’t do much (nobody did) but he got two points. Funny how that happens.

Anyways, I’m hoping that stupid slump is over because he should’ve had more points by now already. Hopefully karma goes the other way now and he starts getting on the scoreboard more.

 

[NORiculous]

Imagine being concerned instead of excited by a player with his skills and profile who is an NHL regular at 19yo.

He hasn’t been a regular because of merit though, and that is why there is concern.

That can cause trouble in his development and in the team.

But if he plays well long enough, these concerns will leave. If he doesn’t, they will stay. Pretty simple.

 

[Jaynki]

He hasn’t been a regular because of merit though, and that is why there is concern.

That can cause trouble in his development and in the team.

But if he plays well long enough, these concerns will leave. If he doesn’t, they will stay. Pretty simple.

Agree for the two last paragraph. But the 2nd is related with the 1st.

Not sure about the 1st. Its debatable i would say.

 

[417]

He hasn’t been a regular because of merit though, and that is why there is concern.

That can cause trouble in his development and in the team.

But if he plays well long enough, these concerns will leave. If he doesn’t, they will stay. Pretty simple.

Who on this team has merited it more?

 

[RandomTask26]

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

While everyone keeps bickering,

Slafkovsky has quietly just tied Cooley for goals scored this year.

Cooley is good but the guys talking about him like he was amazing and we missed out on a 1C are super cringe I've watched the kid , great talent but very weak.

 

[NORiculous]

Agree for the two last paragraph. But the 2nd is related with the 1st.

Not sure about the 1st. Its debatable i would say.

Remove the last 5 ish games and I would guess the people who thought he was playing well were pretty marginal.

 

[Lshap]

I understand your perspective. My thinking is that he is not a top6 player right now, therefore I don't see the point of having him struggle in the NHL. Putting up points is vital, it is the most important thing, so tonight is a net-good for his growth. With that said, I don't see how (if not for our own awful roster) he can justify remaining on an NHL team's top6. His performances are erratic and immature... in other words raw. Which is totally fine at this stage (I wouldn't have drafted a no-toolbox player with the 1OA, but we all know this is water under the bridge) but I think being put in a slower-paced-than-the-best-in-the-sport league with a ton more minutes would allow him to play his game and work on his game... which is a skill game in a large-framed player's body. It's hard to play such a game when you're constantly and consistently struggling to keep up with the play. Adapting to the speed of the NHL is one thing but when the time comes to impose yourself in the game, it might be too little too late. Plenty of otherwise skill players find ways to adapt and keep their heads above water in the NHL but simplify their game into oblivion -- out of pure survival instinct.

If Norris-winning PK Subban can be brutally called out for a turnover which wasn't even his fault (fault was with Max Pacioretty) then Slafkovsky's brutal turnovers should be called out as well -- that is, IF you're willing to argue he's currently an NHL top6 player. If he is, then the standards should be consistent. You have to expect a certain level of reliability from an NHL player... this is why Drouin and Hoffman and Dadanov were so infuriating to watch.

Anyway, no point yammering on about the AHL, we know Kent Hughes super genius GM is smarter than anyone in any room and knows better. We have to let go of the dream of normal prospect development, the genius is running the show now.

I pledge to stop arguing for the transfer to the AHL. It's not happening.

Nobody is immune from criticism, but Slafkovsky's performance comes with the caveat that he hasn't even played a full 82 games in the league. Subban, Pacioretty, Drouin, etc. – all had been around much longer than Slaf by the time we started obsessing over their mistakes.

For me, mistakes aren't an issue for a kid his age. With coaching and maturity mistakes can be fixed. My issue with Slaf was he wasn't showing flashes of skill. But recently we're starting to get a glimpse of the player he could become... even if it's not at the level of a typical 1OA. So for now I'll shelve my suggestion to send him to the AHL.

It sounds like your biggest issue is with Kent Hughes. Is it him you dislike, or is it people's perception of him that rubs you the wrong way?

 

[Guy Larose]

Imagine being concerned instead of excited by a player with his skills and profile who is an NHL regular at 19yo.

A big number of HFHabs poster are even higher on Roy than Slafkovsky

That's because a whole bunch of people on this site have nothing better to do but post all day and whine.