Juraj slafkovsky

[CoolandDeadly]

Is this guy ever going to pan out?

What to expect?

[Pengwin7]

Check Quinton Byfield & Tage Thompson's stats post-draft.
How many NHL points did they have by their 20th birthday?

That's the type of patience you need to have with big-framed players.
Do they pan out?

Depends.
A lot of people gave up on Byfield, Thompson, as well as guys like Dylan Strome just way, way too early.

He actually has more even-strength points this year than Logan Cooley.

[Lindros88]

What do you mean ever? He's played 65 games.. he looks more and more comfortable with every game he plays. Give him a few years to develop and be patient with his development.

[This Guy]

Ever going to pan out? He's 19.

He's years away from hitting his potential. I wouldn't expect much from him for three years at least and even then I'd expect his peak to be a 60-70 point guy with peripherals. Montreal chose him 1OA as their team is small and they wanted size. I think he'll have a good career but I don't think he's a star.

[tweetdrivr]

That about covers it.

[zambronies]

He’s a big framed teenager. It will take time for him to hit his stride, but see no reason why he can’t.

In fantasy hockey I find the current draft class is typically pretty hyped, then players are immediately labeled as busts if they don’t produce out the gate. I’ve been able to use this mindset to try sell high on draft picks, and buy low on scenarios like this.

In a 1-year league I would not expect much from Slaf. But if you are in a dynasty he is the type of player I would be trying to acquire right now.

[senryu]

Bigger guys take longer to acclimate and develop unless you're Mario Lemieux. Evaluate him after 200 NHL games played and then we'll see.

[rufio.85]

Agree with what has been said.

I would add that Slafkovsky is already displaying several great tools. His board work and puck protection are improving by the day. He has good straight line speed. His hands and shot release are still a work in progress but you see the potential. Can he put these things together? Time will tell. He’s only at the start of his learning curve.

One area that is more problematic in my opinion is his hockey IQ. He doesn’t seem to have that truly elite vision. Maybe that within an implemented structure he can still produce high numbers in the future.

[CaveatEmptorer]

His play has turned a corner over the last couple games as well. Hes on the topline (calling it the slafzuki line- lol!) and hes looked very good! I agree with the above commentary that he has been far from a bust at his age and games ayed- but insiders following the team closer than I do.are saying hes taken a critical step from.just sort of surviving out there to imposing his will out there and creating a lot of the plays himself rather than trying his best to react what's going on. Will the points follow? A few maybe but if people are expecting fantasy numbers from a big framed kid this early- thats probably a mistake. The reality is that if you've invested in this player then these are the changes you want to see happening. Not every "big" player manages to parlay their size into a real advantage but from what I'm hearing hes actually starting t do that now and has looked fantastic. More than anything else you want reps.with skill ayers- i don't care how.much he scored but I was cringing at that 12 minutes a night on the 4th line deployment lol!

Hes aying with skilled players, hes getting meaningful scoring line opportunities and hes getting reps in where he doesn't get benched if he waffles a dangle now and then. If.youre invested this is the best case scenario....

[CoolandDeadly]

Guy in my dynasty league wants my Travis Konechny. Should I move him for JS. I Probably won’t make the playoffs and my team is built for the future.

[CaveatEmptorer]

Thats a no for me- with the caveat that its probably at least two years before you see meaningful returns from slaf! If you're not competing this year thats a start- and by next year he should improve enough that he's not a complete anchor so a hold shouldn't be too difficult.

And what do you get after? Well things can go differently but I think you're looking at a real solid topliner. Hes had trouble driving play but if he can use his skillset in a complimentary fashion he should be a fantastic fir on a toplime with Caufield and Suzuki (Or dach lol!). I think a lot of people are saying he has about a 60-70 point floor but if he can manage to carve out said topline role you're looking at something closer to a point per game. To clarify I really think thats where he ends up- certainly where the Organization wants him long term. There IS upside from there. Now I'm not saying he'll be the most dominant 1st overall or that he'll even his upside but I think this is the type of player who could crack 90 a few times and no one would think twice. He profiles very closely to Rantanen- albeit not as much of a playmaker and no.worldbeater linemate in Mackinnon. Whatever he ends up producing you can add some pims and hits as a power forward and he leans goal scorer which is always nice for fantasy.

A lot of people are questioning his upside recently but the short answer is that it hasn't changed. A goal heavy 70 at the bottom end- a goal heavy 90 at the high end.

In regards to your question- his floor is about konecny and his ceiling is Slafkovsky (Or Rantanen- lol! Whichever you prefer...)

[Belexus75]

Big guy take a while to develop, what Byfield is doing this year is actually outside of a norm, he is producing at high rate much earlier than expected. normally it takes good 4-5 years of full time deployment for these guys to take off...be patient.

[jdreed3184]

I would not trade Konecny for Slafkovsky. Even if Slafkovsky performs at the same rate or better than Konecny in the future, it will be several years away and Konecny's trade value today is just simply much higher.

[zambronies]

I would not trade Konecny for Slafkovsky. Even if Slafkovsky performs at the same rate or better than Konecny in the future, it will be several years away and Konecny's trade value today is just simply much higher.

I’ve watched the past 3 Habs games and Slaf has looked really good. I agree that Konecny will out produce him for this season, and likely the next season or two though.

I would say his value would depend largely on the league. For example, the dynasty league I am in has a huge value on age, so Slaf has huge value. I’m in another limited keeper league where Slaf would get a minimal return.

[CaveatEmptorer]

I'm not sure it goes much past this season tbh- Slaf looks absolutely dominant right now and maybe more importantly he's playing with skilled players on the topline. Now I'm not especially confident he sticks there ALL season which is why I agree Konecny is certainly the play this season

BUT

By next year youre looking at a worst case scenario of L2 (1b??) with Dach and Newhook and a very real.chance he just sticks on the topline. If that happens Slaf will be producing as much as Konecny by next year and the amount of upside here is extreme. I just read the article about trading number ones and there are some valid points in there but you need to take it on a case by case basis.

Look at Byfield as a comparison- very different playing styles but its not a bad reference point based on body type. They took their time with him- admittedly much better for his development because they could afford to (and maybe because LA can tune out their rabid fantasy a little better lol!)- but for better or worse by this season Slaf will have two seasons where hes learned to keep up to the NHL pace, learned first hand the rigors of an 92 game season and maybe most importantly for him to keep.his damn head up. Hes shown flashes of dominance recently and in the pre-season which suggests to me that while he may not be a "finished product" next year- he'll have learned enough to play in the NHL. If the habs use him.on a scoring line with legit deployment- youre not going to see the same growing pains you saw with Byfield in terms of making a fantasy impact. I'm not talking about being a superstar right out of the gate either: im saying there's a very reasonable chance he can score 55ish or 60 next year- thats pretty dang close to what Konecny is providing already. Its a pretty narrow window. Next year all bets are off because when these guys decide they're ready to pop- its time you for the fireworks lol!

I'm not saying konecny is a bad player but in a dynasty hes an attainable player. When Slafkovsky pops he won't be. In fact I liked the article today- disagreed with it but enjoyed it nonetheless- ut my issue is that in a dynasty when are you going to get an elite star player in a trade?? If you're in a good league- you just dont lol! So sure I get the complaint about timeline and how.it always ends up being longer than we think/hoped BUT unless you're going to.give up on rostering superstars or just hope like crazy you can add a Marchand off waivers every decade or so- you sort of have to suck it up.

I own slaf and if i ever moved him for here and now help im aiming a lot higher than konecny- and if that doesn't happen- well... I guess I keep him til next year when the difference between them will be negligible- lol! Just my take though heavily biased by my own experiences, valuations and league format....