Slafkovsky vs. Wright

[Habsy]

IÂ’m in a situation where I might have the first overall pick in my dynasty pool as I have two first round picks that have top 4 lottery odds at #1 (one has the best odds at #1, and the other has fourth best odds) so I want to do my homework a bit in case I am in this situation.

IÂ’ve been a huge Wright guy the last 2 years, but the way things went down on draft night, IÂ’m not 100% confident if heÂ’s the right pick. I do believe that Shane Wright could be the best player in the draft when itÂ’s all said and done, but considering he was passed by 2 teams after Montreal is a bit of a concern, does he have some sort of bad work ethic, is his attitude questionable, or is his personality off, etc., plus, IÂ’m not 100% sure if Seattle, at least short term, is a great landing spot, since their pipeline is still a little thin and thereÂ’s not much to play with outside of the potential of Matty Beniers and I really donÂ’t like Dave Hakstol as a coach, and considering Seattle is still a new expansion franchise, who knows how long their rebuild will be.

Meanwhile with Slafkovsky, I like the situation heÂ’s going to be in, especially with the long term core the Habs will have in the Top 6, with the likes of Suzuki, Caufield, Dach (if he does revive his career, which I think he will as a high end 2C), and Anderson, and especially with the reemergence of Joshua Roy, Sean Farrell and potential of Mesar in this draft, the offensive core in Montreal could be a beauty going forward. This is what concerns me about Slafkovsky despite being a Habs fan who initially wanted Wright, but is happy how it all played out, while I know that Slafkovsky have an excellent Olympics and World Championship, his big sample in Finland is a bit of a concern when you put it into perspective. 10pts in 31 games is not bad, but it doesnÂ’t scream first overall pick, or even top 3 pick, especially when you compare it to the prospect profiles of Laine, Puljujarvi, and Kaapo Kakko, and even to a certain extent, Rasmus Dahlin if you want to make the SHL an equal comparable, and when you compare to the players in his draft class, Brad Lambert, a late birthdate, had a similar production rate last year at the same age as Slafkovsky and he went 30th to the Jets (I understand he wasnÂ’t great in his draft year, but I digress), and Joaquin Kemell is the same age as him this year, played in the Finnish league and scored 23 pts in 39 games, yet fell to Nashville at 17.

Is there something IÂ’m missing with both these guys? Who do I take at 1 given that IÂ’m in this situation? Please let me know! League details for skaters are below

Multi-cat league, H2H

G, A, PTS, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP, SOG, Hits, Blocks, Takeaways, GWG + Shootout Goals

[plug]

I’m still taking Wright.

[Invictus]

I'm taking Slaf.
Faith in St.Louis

[Axeman33]

I'm taking Wright. I like his landing spot actually.

Slafkovsky not so much. Until Montreal can prove they are capable of developing prospects, I'm not interested in their guys. Maybe the new regime can do it, I'm not sure.

[berni67]

I'm taking Slaf.
Faith in St.Louis

This. And I’m high on new Habs management, not Seattle.

[dejeanneret]

I'd still take Wright

[Invictus]

I'm taking Wright. I like his landing spot actually.

Slafkovsky not so much. Until Montreal can prove they are capable of developing prospects, I'm not interested in their guys. Maybe the new regime can do it, I'm not sure.

And what has Seattle proved in developing assets?

Already seen a turnaround in Caufield when Martin S.L. took over.

[Luffy D Monkey]

Id take Wright because I like his situation just a little bit better, but I think this is basically just a pick-em and nobody really knows for sure who the better producer will be at this point.

[stevegamer]

First, I'm wondering why this is in the cap league section.

Second, I'd prefer Wright, as I think he's closer, which means production on the ELC. Could go either way, though.

[Bubba55]

Maybe I'm out to lunch on this, but I really don't envy Slafkovsky going first overall to the Habs. I don't know whether this has ever happened before, but when the host city fans that are in attendance at the draft openly boo their teams selection well, I just don't see that being particularly helpful to the young man involved. The discussion about whether MSL and the Habs can develop prospects is one thing, but lets face it, the Montreal fan base and the media can and have been absolutely brutal in their treatment of players and management over the years. Slaf has landed in a tough pressure cooker hockey environment and I wonder how that's going to go. Wright on the other hand has landed in a much less volatile environment, a bed of roses by comparison, he is openly welcomed by all, the Kraken, the Seattle media and fans are ecstatic that he fell to them 4th overall all. I doubt the folks in Seattle were booing that selection. Accordingly, I'm taking Wright here, in fact I'd likely take him regardless of who went where at the draft, he's as good or better than all the rest, but I think his transition to the NHL could very well be a much smoother ride than what Slaf might be in for if he doesn't meet high expectations early on.

[Daydream Nation]

After listening and reading more about why Wright went 4th, I take Slaf #1 without hesitation.

[stevegamer]

Maybe I'm out to lunch on this, but I really don't envy Slafkovsky going first overall to the Habs. I don't know whether this has ever happened before, but when the host city fans that are in attendance at the draft openly boo their teams selection well, I just don't see that being particularly helpful to the young man involved.

The most important thing is quite kind of person Slafkovsky is, and the second is what kind of fanbase Montreal is. He's likely to have to be an excellent player quickly upon reaching the NHL to win the doubters over. Simply good won't cut it. The good news is that Monteal is likely more reasonable than some fanbases out there.

The most notorious case of this that I know of involves the stupidest fanbase in sports; I am assuming Habs fans are much smarter in general, and a bit more polite. My take on this is not hockey-related, but I'm going to relate this to football - Philadelphia Eagles football. Eagles had a high pick in the draft and the fanbase wanted one guy: Ricky Williams, running back. Andy Reid, the head coach wanted a QB, and selected Donovan McNabb. To make things worse, there is a significant racist fanbase in the NFL (moreso at that time) which couldn't handle a black QB at all. The fan relationship at times was strained at best. Was he a good QB? Yes. Was he one fo the best players drafted that year? Also yes. Did Philly treat him that way? Not even close.

[Invictus]

After listening and reading more about why Wright went 4th, I take Slaf #1 without hesitation.

I feel like a lot of people (at least this is what happened for me) had Wright blinders on.
Once he didn't go first, and you start being a little more open and reading watching Slafsquatch, the more you like the pick.

[Habsy]

Thank you everyone for your input. I’ve read every single one of the posts, especially the ones that sit down and gave their analysis on it even more closely. After reading these comments, and now hearing the reason Wright slipped in the draft (poor attitude), I’m 100% set to take the chance on Slafkovsky should the ping pong balls land in my favour. Thanks again everyone, and good luck in your respective hockey pools! 😊

[Smurf54]

My concern with Slakfovsky is the time it takes for big players to develop. I think you have a long wait ahead of you.

In terms of fantasy value, I actually think Cooley has the highest ceiling, and could have earlier results as well. It's a risky pick though. But good luck!