November 1, 2022 - Canadiens at Wild @20h00 EST

[GHT120]

9 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Slafkovsky looked awkward on that hit and I’m not sure what he was doing. 
 

Caufield, Suzuki, Dach look quite good together. 
 

Armia looks like Armia and I think I’ve had enough. 

RDS when it occurred and post-game on TSN690 both noted that they felt that Slafkovsky looked liked he wasn't ready to get hit ... if so, hopefully a lesson learned without serious consequences.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

10 hours ago, Sir_Boagalott said:

 

I've often thought that Slaf looks like a fall down.  I don't mean that he can't skate, but it seems like he is way to easy to push over.  For his size and strength that shouldn't be easy to do and he seems to fall over a lot. 

 

I'd have him do drills and skate with the puck and go around pylons etc and have WiFi and Anderson without sticks just there to shove him every once in a while.  I'd also have them clutching and grabbing Slaf along the boards so he learns how to power through to get by.  

 

It seems that he plays too loosely as if his muscles aren't engaged.  ex:  if someone put their hand on your shoulder and pushed a bit, if your loose your shoulder will go back.  Slaf doesn't need to be constantly flexed, but his muscles need to be engaged so if someone pushes him he isnt easily moved.     

I don’t think Slafkovsky has grown into his body yet. 
 

He reminds me of a puppy that has grown to have giant adult paws but puppy is awkward and uncoordinated with its new feet. 
 

Slafkovsky also looks like someone that doesn’t understand just how physical NHL is and it’s like he is offended when he is hit. 
 

I agree with Cucumber that Slaf should be in Laval to learn how to deal with the physicality. 

[sbhatt]

Slaf needs to get his head on a swivel, and learn to throw 'back/reverse hits'....people won't be so quick to run him after he knocks a few guys silly doing that.

[DON]

1 hour ago, sbhatt said:

Slaf needs to get his head on a swivel, and learn to throw 'back/reverse hits'....people won't be so quick to run him after he knocks a few guys silly doing that.

 

This might be a bit of reason;

 

“In Europe, I didn’t really play that much physical. Bigger ice, so I didn’t really have to. But here, you have to be physical, and I knew coming here that I would need to finish more checks,” he said. “I feel ok in one-on-one battles or physical battles. There is still work to do, but everyone is getting better every day, and I feel like if I do that more and more it will become more automatic, and no one will care if I’m playing more physical because that will be my game.”

That comment displays a recognition of a process."

 

https://theathletic.com/3754350/2022/11/02/montreal-canadiens-observations-juraj-slafkovsky/

[Prime Minister Koivu]

5 minutes ago, DON said:

 

This might be a bit of reason;

 

“In Europe, I didn’t really play that much physical. Bigger ice, so I didn’t really have to. But here, you have to be physical, and I knew coming here that I would need to finish more checks,” he said. “I feel ok in one-on-one battles or physical battles. There is still work to do, but everyone is getting better every day, and I feel like if I do that more and more it will become more automatic, and no one will care if I’m playing more physical because that will be my game.”

That comment displays a recognition of a process."

 

https://theathletic.com/3754350/2022/11/02/montreal-canadiens-observations-juraj-slafkovsky/

I can certainly see an improvement in his game. He plays a way more complete game and he is a bit more aggressive towards the net. 
 

However this article supports the idea that Slafkovsky should be in Laval while he learns to deal with the level of physical play. 
 

Send him to Laval HuGo 

[DON]

4 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

However this article supports the idea that Slafkovsky should be in Laval while he learns to deal with the level of physical play. 

No, it dosent.

Is that he will only go down, if his game is suffering and not improving which it is at moment, i think is the jist.

(and a Dadanov, Armia, Hoffman, or a Drouin will be sent down soon)

[tomh009]

26 minutes ago, DON said:

(and a Dadanov, Armia, Hoffman, or a Drouin will be sent down soon)

I suspect it will not be Armia as the Habs are rather short on good OK options -- the opposite of a few years ago when we'd have Danault and Lehkonen on the ice. But I don't have any inside knowledge so will have to wait and see.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

23 minutes ago, DON said:

No, it dosent.

Is that he will only go down, if his game is suffering and not improving which it is at moment, i think is the jist.

(and a Dadanov, Armia, Hoffman, or a Drouin will be sent down soon)

I should have said Slafkovsky’s comments on the physicality issue instead of saying the article. 
 

While we do see improvements to his game Slafkovsky doesn’t play physical at all. Consider last night’s hit, Slafkovsky slowed up and turned his body and completely ignored his opponent - as if the idea of being hit never entered his mind and he got smoked. 
 

It seems like a big transition to go from very little contact to a new league with heavy contract. 
 

Laval would be a good place to work on that I think 

[Sir_Boagalott]

18 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

Evans should not be the one fighting for him, with his history of concussions

 

 

 

100%, my exact thought too, along with he's way too weak to fight anybody. 

 

I've rewatched that clip numerous times and I'm actually shocked because when it originally happened, I knew Kovacevic was on the ice, same with Wideman, but I didnt realize that WiFi was too.  I wondered why Kovacevic didnt get involved more, but what the hell was WiFi doing?  Evans and Wideman are the 2 of the smaller Habs and they were the most involved in that scrum.  That shouldn't have been the case. 

 

 

[Sir_Boagalott]

11 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

It was a dirty hit, but I don’t like that Slaf already had one minor injury and now possibly has a concussion, based on his reaction to the hit. I keep saying this…he should be in the AHL learning the North American game. There is absolutely zero downside to doing that, while the downsides to having him in the NHL too soon are well-documented.

 

I've been trying to find another angle of it, but was unable to.  I'm uncertain on how dirty the hit actually was but I do agree there was a level of dirtiness to it even if was a de facto clean hit.  Slaf was sort of in a dangerous spot and was unprepared for contact.  However, what pissed me off the most about it was the bloody door was open as buddy pushed Slaf.  As it happened I was concerned that Slaf could have fallen into the door way and seriously hurt himself.  It kinda looked like thats what Rossi was trying to do.  Luckily, somebody shut the door real quick and Slaf didn't end up landing at the door way anyway. 

[alfredoh2009]

please note that the Habs lost this one, I am off GDT duties

[JoeLassister]

What's the deal in the KHL regarding players who "finish their hits" ?  Are they doing that ?  Some of them ?

 

Because I feel like  Slafkovsky often seems to believe that the play is over and that he's safe and then he gets rammed.

[GHT120]

16 minutes ago, JoeLassister said:

What's the deal in the KHL regarding players who "finish their hits" ?  Are they doing that ?  Some of them ?

 

Because I feel like  Slafkovsky often seems to believe that the play is over and that he's safe and then he gets rammed.

Slafkovsky played in the Finnish Elite League, not the KHL ... don't think there is as much hitting, especially "after the play" as in North America.

[Commandant]

The biggest issue Slafkovsky has right now is that he doesn't realize how wide the rink is.  A lot of times you see him curl towards the boards and he thinks he has more room than he does.  He will adjust to this soon enough.  That's also part of him getting rocked too.  He doesn't realize he's as close to the boards as he is. 

[alfredoh2009]

30 minutes ago, Commandant said:

The biggest issue Slafkovsky has right now is that he doesn't realize how wide the rink is.  A lot of times you see him curl towards the boards and he thinks he has more room than he does.  He will adjust to this soon enough.  That's also part of him getting rocked too.  He doesn't realize he's as close to the boards as he is. 

 

he is not playing with blinders, does he need glasses?

[Commandant]

16 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

he is not playing with blinders, does he need glasses?

 

He grew up playing on much wider rinks.  The game moves so fast at this level that you are working on instinct.  When he looks at the where the net is, where the faceoff circles and dots are, etc... he expects to have more space (width).  The biggest difference in international rinks and NA ones is the width.  

He will adjust.  It just might take a few more games.  

[alfredoh2009]

1 minute ago, Commandant said:

 

He grew up playing on much wider rinks.  The game moves so fast at this level that you are working on instinct.  When he looks at the where the net is, where the faceoff circles and dots are, etc... he expects to have more space (width).  The biggest difference in international rinks and NA ones is the width.  

He will adjust.  It just might take a few more games.  

 

I am sure he will, I just hope it happens without him being carried off the ice on a stretcher. That is the part that makes me wary of sending him to the AHL. He will have a target on his blind-side

[Commandant]

25 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

I am sure he will, I just hope it happens without him being carried off the ice on a stretcher. That is the part that makes me wary of sending him to the AHL. He will have a target on his blind-side

 

The AHL just moves a little slower and he might adjust faster at that level is my thinking.

[alfredoh2009]

2 minutes ago, Commandant said:

 

The AHL just moves a little slower and he might adjust faster at that level is my thinking.

 

let's hope, he has shown flashes of great 1st-line NHL potential

[GHT120]

6 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

let's hope, he has shown flashes of great 1st-line NHL potential

 

So did Galchenyuk, KK and others over the years ... the question is where to best develop that potential so it becomes reality ... while Slafkovsly showed his talent last season in SM-Liiga he was not in any way dominant ... the benefit of being the best of the best at a level before moving up is why I could even live with sending him to the OHL (not advocating just saying I could accept it).