When Will We Begin The Slafkovsky Discussion? - UPDATE: Hatrick Against Philadelphia April 9, 2024

[Frank Drebin]

Habs fans were in love with Kirby Dach after a hot streak.

Still in love with Kirby Dach. Kid cannot afford any more lengthy injuries after this one though.

 

[Jee]

Habs fans were in love with Kirby Dach after a hot streak.

We still are... Dude is a beast and makes this team that much better when he's healthy.

 

[CTHabsfan]

If you take a players hottest streak of the season and extrapolate it over a full season - lots of players look pretty impressive.

Agreed, however we are talking about a 19-year-old who has been getting better as the season has progressed (even when he wasn't registering points), not a random 29-year-old who is on the best streak of their career.

 

[Elvs]

You could say he has 19 points in his last 21 games. You could also say he has 7 points in his last 13 games. You could also say that he has 6 points in his last 5 games. Or 37 in his last 68 games.

In other words, well done cherry-picking a suitable stat line for your argument.

But where was this thread 2 weeks ago when he had 1 points in his last 8 games? Didn't fit the narrative, I guess.

Looking forward to the next thread after the next hot streak.

Cool, so are there a lot of 19 year olds in the NHL with more than 37 points this season?

 

[JoelWarlord]

Hab fans: 80+ games is too small of a sample size
also Hab fans: everybody LOOK! 19 points in 21 games!

Well no, it was 39 games last year and he's been on the top line since early December. At this point it's approximately 30P in 45 games depending on where you decide to count from.

The point of saying 39 was too small a sample is because he was 18, the physical tools are obvious, and teenage hockey players develop. Pointing out that he's now developed and taking advantage of the physical tools is not a contradiction whatsoever.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

hmmm.
Who knew a 19 year old playing in a big market would have growing pains.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

hmmm.
Who knew a 19 year old playing in a big market would have growing pains.

not only that, but one that was ALWAYS said to be raw and a bit of a project.

Even when he started the year ranked 4-5 or whatever, it was always known that he was raw with big upside. Then nobody really had a true #1 OA type season and he popped off a bit in big moments, so almost deFacto he was the #1 pick. In a normal year, he would probably be capped at top 3 or something just because of how raw he was.

Seems like he is on his way to realizing that upside and he still *could* very well become a star who was worthy of a #1 pick. Even his biggest supporters said he was going to take time. I think most of them/us (I am one of those people) are surprised he's actually as good as he is this season. But nothing is guaranteed yet, he still needs to show that this is his normal, and hopefully build on this year and play an entire season at the level he has been at for the last 30 games. Which is a pretty tall task that might still not happen that soon.

 

[Andrei79]

Habs fans were in love with Kirby Dach after a hot streak.

And still are. Was there a point to your post or still salty most of what Hawks fans said about him was garbage ?

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Cool, so are there a lot of 19 year olds in the NHL with more than 37 points this season?

Exactly. Lets say slaf ends up with 45 points (its reasonable) - 45+ points has only been done 20 times in the last 10 years, and the vasy majority of all of those guys are at least star level players now.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Exactly. Lets say slaf ends up with 45 points (its reasonable) - 45+ points has only been done 20 times in the last 10 years, and the vasy majority of all of those guys are at least star level players now.

where can a guy look this list up?

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

where can a guy look this list up?

go to eliteprospects, sort the leaders by age and choose U20. Then select "all time/season" on the tabs and then select from 2014-15 to 2023-24

 

[Crow]

And still are. Was there a point to your post or still salty most of what Hawks fans said about him was garbage ?

Like that he is injury prone and mediocre?

 

[Frank Drebin]

Like that he is injury prone and mediocre?

You felt he was injury prone when he was traded?

 

[Crow]

You felt he was injury prone when he was traded?

Yes. His on ice awareness was alarmingly poor. He kept getting lit up.

 

[Seb]

Welcome to HFBoards, where Kirby Dach is being trashed in a Slafkovsky thread.

 

[sigma six]

It's always nice to see when players figure it out and start playing well. Many on this site have little or no patience. We're talking about teenagers here, immediate success in the NHL is not a given even if they're drafted high.

Disappointing to see Wright inevitably dragged into the thread, but what else did I expect.

 

[JimmyApples]

... It's really not.

Very few teenagers were able to establish themselves are regulars during the O-6 era. Gordie Howe was one. Jean Beliveau almost certainly would've, but he was perfectly fine playing in Quebec and would only join the Canadiens full-time when the league he played in was purchased by the Canadiens specifically to obtain Beliveau's rights.

Other than those two, Bobby Hull (on a bad team), Bobby Orr (on a bad team), Ken Reardon (on a bad Habs team), Harry Lumley (during the War years, with somewhat depleted rosters) and Jimmy Thomson (during the post-war years, with the league not quite back to previous levels, and he did turn 20 during the season) really made it. Notice the two trends : bad teams (something the Habs were not really at any point for a 50 year stretch, when scoring 40 points as a teenager was actually possible) and depleted rosters due to WW.

At the beginning of the Amateur draft, players were drafted at 19-20 years old, so players couldn't reach the NHL before turning 20, so Guy Lafleur couldn't score more than 40 points as a teenager, because he wasn't allowed to play in the NHL as a teenager. Guy Lafleur scored over 60 points in his rookie season. Also, from 1945 to 1995, the Canadiens were a very, very good team, posting a winning record every season except two (and in one of them, they reached the Wales Conference Finals anyway). That means there's very little open spots in the lineup, and the team doesn't have much incentive to take risks. This also explains why the best Habs teenager (Mario Tremblay) was support a mid-sixer and not a first line or top-6 skill player... And, possibly, also why the management was always more conservative than the average NHL franchise.

And then of course shit drafting happened. Mark Napier instead of Mike Bossy, Doug Wickenheiser instead of Denis Savard, Someone like Galchenyuk may have been able to score 40 pts on his rookie season, but it was a shortened season. Also, whenever the Habs picked forwards early, it tended to be in weak crops (Galchenyuk, Kotkaniemi and Slafkovksy). Then there are also circumstancial elements, like Kotkaniemi being passed by a better U21 player on the Habs center depth chart AND getting injured during his second season (while still a teenager)

Then why care that he broke your 19 year old most points in a season record? Lol

 

[Andrei79]

Like that he is injury prone and mediocre?

I know Hawks fans have been in denial since the trade, but he hasn't been mediocre since coming to Montreal. He's exactly what every team in the league looks for. Chicago just decided to give him away.

 

[malcb33]

hmmm.
Who knew a 19 year old playing in a big market would have growing pains.

What’s wild is there is a decent number of people who have very little perspective or the ability to think long-term, but still proclaim to have a high level of knowledge in this sport. Truly mind blowing IMO.

 

[MXD]

Then why care that he broke your 19 year old most points in a season record? Lol

Because little brother asked a question.

 

[Rude Dog]

Post like these are gold , your team got slapped around easily by little baby caufield suzuki + danault and here you are spewing that slafkovsky is gonna be patches haha.

Your posts always make me smile and feel good thanks. Leafs fans can't talk until they do something else than embarrass themselves every year


Well our team hasn't sucked for a decade we've just had shitters at forward since forever

So a patches level of career is not good? You honestly think he will be better than that? See how it plays out. You are all so senstive when it comes to your little 1st over-all pick.

He loves the bright lights and has had to adjust to it prior to the draft in Slovakia. He is much more defensively responsible and physical than Patches, and I loved Patches. Just not a great comparison imo

Sorry, I should have defined the comparison. I am not comparing him to Patches at all. What I am saying is that is the type of stardom I see for this kid. A good player. Just no where near elite which is what I have actually heard from a few Hab fans.

 

[Crow]

I know Hawks fans have been in denial since the trade, but he hasn't been mediocre since coming to Montreal. He's exactly what every team in the league looks for. Chicago just decided to give him away.

Strange take. That trade helped get us Bedard and Nazar. I’d make it again today, especially after knowing what happened.

 

[Channelcat]

I hate to say it, but the Habs off been off the radar for a while.

 

[Nicko999]

I know Hawks fans have been in denial since the trade, but he hasn't been mediocre since coming to Montreal. He's exactly what every team in the league looks for. Chicago just decided to give him away.

Chicago made him available because he was injury prone more so because he was horrible. If Dach was healthy and didn't have those injuries, Hawks would not have made him available for the 13th overall pick.
They were after a bigger prize which they won so that automatically makes the trade a win for them.

 

[Frank Drebin]

So a patches level of career is not good? You honestly think he will be better than that? See how it plays out. You are all so senstive when it comes to your little 1st over-all pick.


Sorry, I should have defined the comparison. I am not comparing him to Patches at all. What I am saying is that is the type of stardom I see for this kid. A good player. Just no where near elite which is what I have actually heard from a few Hab fans.

Pacioretty didn't play in the NHL regularly till he was 20-21 wasn't an impact player in the league till he was 23/24 years old. Any reason you chose him as a comparable beside playing for the same team as Slaf?

Chicago made him available because he was injury prone more so because he was horrible. If Dach was healthy and didn't have those injuries, Hawks would not have made him available for the 13th overall pick.
They were after a bigger prize which they won so that automatically makes the trade a win for them.

No, you forgot. They traded Dach because he was too old at the time (21) to fit their competitive window.