Saw a thread in r/hockey today where some critics were calling him the next Yakupov.
Those guys can get fucked. Seriously.
Slaf is gonna keep improving and getting better and he’s going to be a beast!
Slaf appreciation!
by MD_BOOMSDAY
@Montreal Canadiens
34 Comments
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After watching the whole KK situation, I’ve gotta give this kid a full 5-6 years to fully cook before I even come close to giving up on him. He’s big, he’s smart, he may not have been the BPA, but comparing him to Yakupov is just silly
Slaf has been playing well. Yakupov’s downfall was lack of work ethic, which can’t really be attributed un good faith to slaf
Slaf has been playing really well. His line mates aren’t helping him. If he had someone with any finish instead of Anderson this wouldn’t be a conversation
He’s 19, the physical tools are great and there have been flashes of mapping the ice/creativity. I’m not throwing in the towel for another 4/5 years at least. As we’ve seen with KK, some guys just don’t get it in the NHL until they do.
However, we need to make sure he’s getting touches and making plays (which is inconsistent atm) to ensure we don’t stall his development and kill his confidence.
So I have been going back and forth this season think abt what if we picked wright instead but I keep coming back to the same situation where this guy is young and just needs time to blossom. I have also been thinking is he gonna be a Taylor hall situation and this environment isn’t for him and once he moves he’ll flourish
I don’t really get all the negativity around slaf tbh,he has improved quite a bit since last season I think he just needs to be put in a better position to succeed like pp1 or given time with cc and Suzuki.
Also would like to see him shoot more considering it seems like he has a good shot from the goals he got last year.
He’s also only 19
Next yakupov is putting it mildly tbh.
I would appreciate Anderson not being on his line anymore
Good guy Slaf plays in the nhl to leave a spot in the ahl for another player to develop. I appreciate his selflessness <3
People don’t really need to shit on Slaf, they should be shitting on the org. It’s really not Slafs fault they picked him first overall.
I’m giving him 3 years. If by the 2025-2026 season he hasn’t hit his ceiling then the org deserves every bit of criticism coming their way for going for such a reach of a pick at 1st overall. People need to lose they’re jobs if this doesn’t work out how they predicted.
You got guys like Cooley, Korchinski, Mintyukov, Jiricek all hitting their stride from that draft year.
I love him and he’s been doing alright but he needs some time in Laval.
I support Slaf but you’re in denial if you think there’s nothing to be concerned about here.
Lets go Slaf !
I’ve expressed my concerns for Slaf elsewhere. Won’t do that here.
I want Slaf to do well, and I want him to do well playing FOR US. He’s got an awesome attitude and personality. He’s so entertaining to watch. Furthermore, we got a glimpse of what he could be in the pre-season and in the first game of the season. The player we saw against the Leafs in game 1 was electric. Connecting on every play, leading the rush, playing 200 feet, passing like a wizard. He was directly responsible for two goals for, had incredible underlying numbers.
Imo of course other fan bases will do that, this is a war after all we all want our teams to win.
I think every reasonable fan realizes he needs a couple years and his line is not meshing well since the Dach injury.
Slaffy taffy will be alright!
Man…we could have had cooley that year 🙁
You see flashes, but honestly his game is not NHL level yet. I’d like to see what he could do with Monaghan centering that line and Newhook on the left side. Either that, or drop him back and let him play with Evans and Armia.
It’s like people forgot Caufield’s Ducharme season lmao. Let him cook
If Dach was still healthy we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Slaf had loads of confidence in the first two games, and looked great. He just needs to find that again.
He’s 19 and still hasn’t played a full season worth of games. Give the poor kid a break!
After 20 games see where he’s at if the AHL seems like a better option then send him.
Je regarde la troisième période du match d’hier et sincèrement, à chacune de ses présences, il fait de beaux jeux. Bien sûr ce n’est pas parfait, mais je crois qu’il faut être patient !!
Patience people, patience. He hasn’t had a quality centre man since he started playing in the N….
What’s infuriating is they they say he’s the most “NHL-ready” player, yet he’ll need “time” to cook. That’s hella contradictory. He should not have touched the NHL yet at all.
Oh I’m not blaming Slaf at all here. He’s been put in such a difficult position because of management.
Not worried. We knew he was a project, we knew it wasn’t a deep draft. He’ll be alright. He’s got great tools, has skill, has a good attitude, and works hard. People need to chill out.
I’d give him 2 more weeks, change up the lines, give him his last shot.
If his play doesn’t significantly improve and if he’s still struggling to produce, he’s gonna be in the AHL.
It’s not like a bunch of others are producing besides the known big guns either.
Man send him down, let him learn and get really ready. Blown out so manny rookies over the years, this feels no different
People tend to forget that all players develop differently. If Slaf was some kind generational talent like Bedard, or even a a Fantilli or Carlson, then ya he’d be a bust, but because he was the #1 pick people have unrealistic expectations for him, just gotta remember it was the weakest draft in recent memory…
Just realized our next game is VS Arizona….
If Slaf has a bad game again and Cooley plays well, things will explode 10 fold.
He has not been great but too early to call him that.
People keep “opening the oven to check if the roast is done”, but real ones know that Prime Rib is best done low and slow baby
in 3-5 years I think he’ll really start coming into his game in a major way. Let him find his strides and be patient with this one
I know he only has one assist, but if you look at the replay on it. KID GOT SOME HANDS.