Post-Game Talk: Habs vs Buffalo Sabres - Rookie camp (Thursday Sept 15 7PM EST)

[Montreal Impact FC]

For me Slaf oozes elite talent but he is raw.. similar to kotkaniemi... the difference his Slaf hands are far superior to kotkaniemi and size wise its 2 universes apart even tough their both ~6'3" .. I saw some very nice glimps.. he create very very high quality scoring chances in the O zone when he enters it.

Lets not repeat the same mistakes please.. send him to the AHL it will be very beneficial long term. Anyways its tank year for bedard next yeae it will be another story.

 

[MasterD]

What I saw from Slaf.

He is really big on the ice and his line was often in the offensive zone. He is a dominant presence and can make thing happen on his own.

He is behind the play a lot and when the puck is on his stick, does not seem to know where his teammates are most of the time. He made a lot of bad passes that were to either to no one or that put his teammates in bad situations, the last buffalo goal comes to mind.

He look really slow even in a rookie tournament. That is not a good thing. He seem to have a bid tendancy to look at the puck when he’s playing. Nearly got caught real bad 3 or 4 times.

Did not see his shot tonight. Each he took one, it looked like a muffin.

I felt like he looked as much a project as Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi did but it is just 1 game.

He’s got really good hands and when the puck is on his stick, it is really hard to remove it from him. He is definitively making place on the ice for his teammates.

You're not wrong that he made some blindpasses, that we didn't get to see his shot much, and he's a project. Definitely raw, I compare him right now to when whe drafted Kostytsin.

That said, he's definitely not slow. Did you not see him catch up to the dman on the first goal?

I think the biggest difference between him and KK/Galchenyuk - the both apparently had over-bearing fathers that told them not to listen to the coach, while Slaf has been living on its own in apartent since he was 15. He'll figure it out.

 

[admiralcadillac]

We can stop hyping Xhekaj.


He had a good 20 years old season in the OHL.

He's big but always out of position and looks disinterested to play any defense.

He goes for the big hit that put him out of the play.

Nah man, he’s brutal to play against in front of the net, he has very good puck handling, is confident with the puck and skates well.

His positioning can improve.

 

[Goldenhands]

The combination of speed, hands, power, shot, and finesse at his size is a rare breed that you rarely see with sometime that age. I know why he went 1st. He wasn’t slow, there were many times he would explode through center ice.

He is gliding at times, the reason why you will hear some poeple criticize his skating, but once he actives, he can really explode.

 

[le_sean]

What I saw from Slaf.

He is really big on the ice and his line was often in the offensive zone. He is a dominant presence and can make thing happen on his own.

He is behind the play a lot and when the puck is on his stick, does not seem to know where his teammates are most of the time. He made a lot of bad passes that were to either to no one or that put his teammates in bad situations, the last buffalo goal comes to mind.

He look really slow even in a rookie tournament. That is not a good thing. He seem to have a bid tendancy to look at the puck when he’s playing. Nearly got caught real bad 3 or 4 times.

Did not see his shot tonight. Each he took one, it looked like a muffin.

I felt like he looked as much a project as Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi did but it is just 1 game.

He’s got really good hands and when the puck is on his stick, it is really hard to remove it from him. He is definitively making place on the ice for his teammates.

Slow? In what world was he slow tonight? His assist came from great skating.

He is not the level of project of Galchenyuk and KK, that’s just asinine. He clearly thinks the game far better than those two, is about 5x stronger and gives much more effort.

 

[NobleSix]

Well, can we wait 30 games before making a statement?
Like evaluating after 30 games slices. Why being hurry to judge Wright?

I don't think we need to wait 30 games to debunk the rumour that Wright scored 2 goals tonight.

He didn't even play tonight.

 

[Kennerback]

Reviewed the game again looking only at the Ds

1- Bubble guys

Norlinder had the best game offensively. Was very sharp.
Harris played a meat and potatoes game. Very responsible everywhere on the ice.
Barron has the size and the skating. He played well defensively. But was more sloppy offensively than expected.

2- The projects

Xhexaj has nice tools and shows flashes. However, he really gets himself out of the play sometimes when he tries a rush or makes a body check. If he wants to make it, that needs to be fixed.
Tourigny played well and there’s talent there but his size will be a mountain to overcome.
Trudeau is much better offensively than defensively. His speed is fine but his skating mobility is a serious work in progress. Needs to get much heavier and stronger.

 

[Maitz]

Beck is a darkhorse? Since when lol?

For me he is a top 5 prospect for us, not a lot of people have him top 10 so yes he is

These 2 are really good and I like how dynamic and assertive Mesar is. He's a real player. All of them need seasoning but we've got some legit A grades in the farm now. That's really cool. I had such a hard time getting excited about Hudon and the likes

Mesar has top 6 upside for sure and I love the fact that he is going to Kitchener, wouldn’t be surprised to see him score 40 goals and 100 pts. That Hudon era was so depressive, I remember when our top prospects were Scherbak McCarron Hudon De la rose and Andrighetto

 

[Kennerback]

Among the forwards, Beck and Heineman were the big surprises for me.

 

[HabsMD97]

What I saw from Slaf.

He is really big on the ice and his line was often in the offensive zone. He is a dominant presence and can make thing happen on his own.

He is behind the play a lot and when the puck is on his stick, does not seem to know where his teammates are most of the time. He made a lot of bad passes that were to either to no one or that put his teammates in bad situations, the last buffalo goal comes to mind.

He look really slow even in a rookie tournament. That is not a good thing. He seem to have a bid tendancy to look at the puck when he’s playing. Nearly got caught real bad 3 or 4 times.

Did not see his shot tonight. Each he took one, it looked like a muffin.

I felt like he looked as much a project as Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi did but it is just 1 game.

He’s got really good hands and when the puck is on his stick, it is really hard to remove it from him. He is definitively making place on the ice for his teammates.

Umm.. slafkovsky was number 20 in red was he not ? Or was I looking at his evil twin brother Slapkovsky

 

[Scintillating10]

What I saw from Slaf.

He is really big on the ice and his line was often in the offensive zone. He is a dominant presence and can make thing happen on his own.

He is behind the play a lot and when the puck is on his stick, does not seem to know where his teammates are most of the time. He made a lot of bad passes that were to either to no one or that put his teammates in bad situations, the last buffalo goal comes to mind.

He look really slow even in a rookie tournament. That is not a good thing. He seem to have a bid tendancy to look at the puck when he’s playing. Nearly got caught real bad 3 or 4 times.

Did not see his shot tonight. Each he took one, it looked like a muffin.

I felt like he looked as much a project as Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi did but it is just 1 game.

He’s got really good hands and when the puck is on his stick, it is really hard to remove it from him. He is definitively making place on the ice for his teammates.

Already compared to Koktaneimi and Galchenyuk. Not good. The more things change the more they stay the dame

 

[ReHabs]

The combination of speed, hands, power, shot, and finesse at his size is a rare breed that you rarely see with sometime that age. I know why he went 1st. He wasn’t slow, there were many times he would explode through center ice.

Once again, his physical composition is conflated with the results he produces.

A fascinating phenomenon.

He was the best player on the ice because he was the biggest? How does that make any sense?

 

[Tetragrammaton]

Slafkovsky is the real deal, he’s a beast with wicked skills.

 

[Pickles]

Umm.. slafkovsky was number 20 in red was he not ? Or was I looking at his evil twin brother Slapkovsky

Yeah that assessment wasn't what I saw at all. He skates very well for a big man. He went into the corner with 2 other guys to get the puck. He's a beast, a real power forward. He was the driving force on his line. Anyone comparing this kid to Galchenyuk or KK is out to lunch. Those two were projects this kid is NHL ready right now. He just has a few bad habits and that can be coached.

I was really impressed with Owen Beck as well he could be a real steal for a 2nd rounder.

 

[Zam Boni]

Heineman saying here that they're not sure if he stays or goes back to Sweden. I imagine he just didn't want to flat out and say he'll go back if he doesn't make the NHL.

Heineman looks like, and conducts himself, like a young Mats Sundin. Maybe it's some kind of Swedishnes to him.

 

[Rapala]

Some people were saying he’s a 4th line scrub, he has way more talent than that.

Yeah but so was Lehky.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Yeah that assessment wasn't what I saw at all. He skates very well for a big man. He went into the corner with 2 other guys to get the puck. He's a beast, a real power forward. He was the driving force on his line. Anyone comparing this kid to Galchenyuk or KK is out to lunch. Those two were projects this kid is NHL ready right now. He just has a few bad habits and that can be coached.

I was really impressed with Owen Beck as well he could be a real steal for a 2nd rounder.

Beck was impressive, displaying his noted 200 foot game. I suspect that Team Canada officials took notice and that it will be very difficult to ignore him when assembling the Team Canada entry at the upcoming WJC in December. I think we just found Danault’s replacement, and then some.

 

[WeThreeKings]

We're talking about defenseman Mats Lindgren though, not a smallish forward with skating issues (which I assume is Dumais).

My bad, I only saw your post and others in another thread were talking about Dumais.

Nah we got Chinese last night but we're doing beef stroganoff tonight

After watching Slaf, Mesar, Norlinder, Xhekaj, Beck, Harris, Heineman, and Kidney I also did some beef stroganoff

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Habs didnt have Guhle, Mailloux, Farrell, Roy, Primeau/Dobes, Hutson, etc.

 

[smirob]

These games are tough, always very sloppy imo.

Slaf looked faster that I thought he was, had some nice setups (specifically to Mesar)

Simoneau was fun to watch, tenacious

I thought Xhekaj and Trudeau looked good on the back end.

I really like Owen Beck

 

[schwang26]

We can stop hyping Xhekaj.


He had a good 20 years old season in the OHL.

He's big but always out of position and looks disinterested to play any defense.

He goes for the big hit that put him out of the play.

Not the impression I got at all. He looked very poised most of the time. Skates very well, made a couple of very nice pinches. He really looks like a better skating Chiarot out there.

 

[dinodebino]

The combination of speed, hands, power, shot, and finesse at his size is a rare breed that you rarely see with sometime that age. I know why he went 1st. He wasn’t slow, there were many times he would explode through center ice.

Thanks.

 

[schwang26]

Habs didnt have Guhle, Mailloux, Farrell, Roy, Primeau/Dobes, Hutson, etc.

Did this guy seriously say "blew the doors off"? For a 4-3 game? What an idiot.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Did this guy seriously say "blew the doors off"? For a 4-3 game? What an idiot.

I may have misunderstood, but I think he was being satiric.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Did this guy seriously say "blew the doors off"? For a 4-3 game? What an idiot.

Its a Buffalonian perspective. But its interesting to visit the Buffalo board and read what they think about Slafkovsky. In a word, they find him to be a menacing ‘weapon.’ And in that, they are correct. Great pick who will terrorize other teams for the next decade.