Draft 2022

[folatre]

Jul 8, 2022 13:13:18 GMT -5 Tankdriver said:

They are going to get grilled for not taking local boys.

Once again, Martin Madden is taking them all. Gaucher, Warren, and Luneau are a nice haul. Anaheim is lucky Madden did not get or did not want a GM job in this league because that guy is really good at what he does.

Did Lapointe and his Russian sidekick really think the Austrian kid is that much more likely to play in the NHL than Sam Savoie? Did they think a totally unknown Swedish d-man is going to play in the league but Dumais cannot?

[jkr]

I didn't watch the later rounds but this failure to take players from the Q looks like Timmins 2.0.

[NWTHabsFan]

Jul 8, 2022 23:05:03 GMT -5 folatre said:

Did Lapointe and his Russian sidekick really think the Austrian kid is that much more likely to play in the NHL than Sam Savoie? Did they think a totally unknown Swedish d-man is going to play in the league but Dumais cannot?

Well, I will both agree and disagree here 😆.

I think the Rohrer pick is a very good one at that spot. He is a player I just “missed” as he ticks a ton of boxes that I would like. I only saw him three times this year (one league game, versus CAN in a WJC blowout loss, the Top Prospects Game) and did note his speed and tenacious play. He is really assertive in how he attacks the offense and his opponents. He is so young and still has not grown into his body, so he needs to fill out for sure, but the drive and skills are there. He also led the 67s in scoring this season as an OHL rookie (due to the lost year before, he played in Europe). He actually was the player of the game vs Canada, not Kasper, in December at the WJC. I have tickets for the rematch in August so will see him live next month.

The Swedish D pick is a bit of a head scratcher to me. I really hoped they would take a flyer on Dumais and that was the perfect pick to do it. Sure, he is small and his skating is not good, so there is work to do if he is ever to make the jump. But, it is rare for a draft eligible to put up 100 points in the Q. In the end, all the picks they made were good skaters, so I am not sure if this was a bigger concern here. Anyway, it would have been a big boom-bust swing pick. As for Engstrom himself, he was on a super stacked Djurgårdens J20 team (Lekkerimäki, Öhgren, Östlund, Odelius), so he would have been seen a lot by the gazillion scouts watching those other guys. So it is a bit odd there was almost no buzz about this kid. Bobrov did say he is mobile and was trending up, but why not get Dumais here and try for Engstrom later if you still want him. Anyway, they are the pros who see these kids a ton and have access to more information than we can even imagine, so I will wait and see on the international man of mystery.

[Andrew]

Some behind the scenes coverage of the draft put out by the Habs organization:

youtu.be/vhuF-18FHUU

[Scotty D]

Aug 26, 2022 11:20:58 GMT -5 Andrew said:

Some behind the scenes coverage of the draft put out by the Habs organization:

youtu.be/vhuF-18FHUU

SLafkovsky on what he knows about Montreal "When you are good, its fun to play in front of the fans but then, if some things are not working out it's also pretty hard"

and what do you think about it?

"well it comes with that and i just need to like... make sure I play good if I'm there."

I wonder how much he REALLY knows the magnitude of that statement? Sure hope he starts off great and realizes the opposite feedback he'll get when doesn't because I'm pretty sure there is a very small amount of players who truly understand the passion of us Habs fans until they get here and are forced to the realization.

[Tankdriver]

I would of loved to see the debate on Wright vs Slafkovsky in more detail.

[Scotty D]

I must say i really love hughes comments at around the 16 minute mark about martin lapointe shortly after the comments about Andre Savard ... "I mean i loved martin lapointe but i didn't want 20 of em on my team" Team first mentality i never felt was Savards strong suit especially when we traded for Cerkawski at the draft we already had 2 or 3 guys on the team at the time who were just like him and it just became a revolving door of guys playing when they were "hot"

it sure looks like the new regime understands the concept of fulfilling team needs which hopefully leads to future results where 1 guy is expected to pay the PRICE to get the team a cup.

[Cranky]

Interesting what they say about Slaf

I saw a 30 second clip when they got the rookies together. What I saw I Slaf is establishing himself as the Alfa Dog. In the end, he pated everybody on the head which was him establishing himself as the leader.

One problem of Alfa Dogs, there are others who want to be the same. So can he play in the pack or will he mope if he's not leading the pack?

We will find out soon enough.

[folatre]

Interesting video, thanks. Bobrov is obviously a well-spoken guy and we know he has worked a long time with Gorton, amassing almost two decades in the amateur scouting business.

Judging scouts is complicated by a number of factors. Foremost, a GM is the bottom-line decision-maker for high picks (first round and probably second round too) so it is hard to know the degree of influence a particular scout had on the GM’s decision. And secondarily, the scout does not really have much if any influence over the subsequent development path for a kid once he is picked.

However, having said that, I am not particularly reassured by the Euro forwards selected in the early rounds (1 and 2) by the Rangers while Bobrov was their Director of European Scouting: 2019 Kakko second overall; 2019 Henriksson 58th overall; 2018 Kravstov ninth overall; 2017 Andersson seventh overall; and 2017 Chytil 21st overall.

Chytil has certainly proved to be a fine pick at that stage of the first round, though time will say if he is consistently productive enough to be more than a 3C. Andersson is a total bust given where he went in the first round and kids like Necas and Suzuki went shortly thereafter.

Maybe there can be debates about whether Kravstov ever got much of a chance once Drury took over as GM, however be that it may Kravstov does not seem to ooze character. He would not accept the challenge to go down to the AHL and light it up. But basically, you are what your record says you are and right now four years after he was drafted he is nothing more than a seriously depreciated asset for the Rangers organization.

Henriksson is just coming over to North America this season but he seems like a long shot to establish as an NHLer based on the trajectory of his development in Sweden thus far. Kakko is far from being a bust. He is talented and has not had much luck with injuries, however it is not hyperbole to say New York missed with that second overall pick.

Gorton and Hughes obviously believe in Bobrov. And I suppose the reality is none of us care whether he contributed to a number of suboptimal picks with New York. My hope is that a smart guy just kicked off what will be 4-5 year run where ten years in the future hockey people will be saying you know that Bobrov guy supercharged the Habs rebuild by nailing a bunch of picks.

[frozone]

Aug 27, 2022 10:01:04 GMT -5 folatre said:

Interesting video, thanks. Bobrov is obviously a well-spoken guy and we know he has worked a long time with Gorton, amassing almost two decades in the amateur scouting business.

Judging scouts is complicated by a number of factors. Foremost, a GM is the bottom-line decision-maker for high picks (first round and probably second round too) so it is hard to know the degree of influence a particular scout had on the GM’s decision. And secondarily, the scout does not really have much if any influence over the subsequent development path for a kid once he is picked.

However, having said that, I am not particularly reassured by the Euro forwards selected in the early rounds (1 and 2) by the Rangers while Bobrov was their Director of European Scouting: 2019 Kakko second overall; 2019 Henriksson 58th overall; 2018 Kravstov ninth overall; 2017 Andersson seventh overall; and 2017 Chytil 21st overall.

Chytil has certainly proved to be a fine pick at that stage of the first round, though time will say if he is consistently productive enough to be more than a 3C. Andersson is a total bust given where he went in the first round and kids like Necas and Suzuki went shortly thereafter.

Maybe there can be debates about whether Kravstov ever got much of a chance once Drury took over as GM, however be that it may Kravstov does not seem to ooze character. He would not accept the challenge to go down to the AHL and light it up. But basically, you are what your record says you are and right now four years after he was drafted he is nothing more than a seriously depreciated asset for the Rangers organization.

Henriksson is just coming over to North America this season but he seems like a long shot to establish as an NHLer based on the trajectory of his development in Sweden thus far. Kakko is far from being a bust. He is talented and has not had much luck with injuries, however it is not hyperbole to say New York missed with that second overall pick.

Gorton and Hughes obviously believe in Bobrov. And I suppose the reality is none of us care whether he contributed to a number of suboptimal picks with New York. My hope is that a smart guy just kicked off what will be 4-5 year run where ten years in the future hockey people will be saying you know that Bobrov guy supercharged the Habs rebuild by nailing a bunch of picks.

Bobrov is an interesting case indeed. The very fact that he was available to be hired midway through the season isn't exactly reassuring. However, I do get a good impression from him in the video. A very good impression actually. Seems to think quite holistically in his draft strategy.

So what went wrong when he was in New York? Hard to say... but the Rangers have a Director for Euro Scouting, then another Director for NA Scouting, and yet another Director for NCAA Scouting. Then higher in the pyramid they have a Director of Amateur Scouting and Player Personnel. Above that, a VP of Hockey Strategy... and if you go a step higher you get to the Assistant GM. Obviously, above him is the GM, Chris Drury.

I guess you can also include Glen Sather since he is hired as the Owner's Sr Advisor... and perhaps also President and CEO of MSG Sports since he sits above Drury.

Executive Chairman then sits at the top.

Now I'm sure that they don't all weigh in on who the Rangers pick in the NHL draft, but there's plenty of potential for things to go sideways in the 1st round. And considering how conscious Bobrov seems to be regarding a prospect's character, he has either learned his lesson from past drafts or maybe some of the Euros's picked by the Rangers were "imposed" picks.

[seventeen]

Aug 26, 2022 15:26:37 GMT -5 Scotty D said:

I must say i really love hughes comments at around the 16 minute mark about martin lapointe shortly after the comments about Andre Savard ... "I mean i loved martin lapointe but i didn't want 20 of em on my team" Team first mentality i never felt was Savards strong suit especially when we traded for Cerkawski at the draft we already had 2 or 3 guys on the team at the time who were just like him and it just became a revolving door of guys playing when they were "hot"

it sure looks like the new regime understands the concept of fulfilling team needs which hopefully leads to future results where 1 guy is expected to pay the PRICE to get the team a cup.

Speaking of Andre Savard, I loved the quote of his when he was debating with a scout over whether to choose the Scout's guy or Savard's guy...." I don't know your guy, but I KNOW my guy is better!" Man....we had these guys running the team. What a gong show. It's very comforting to see and hear a professional approach to management.

Further to that, I serve on a charitable board and we recently had a director resign. In the exit interview they stated they'd prefer to serve on a board with like minded individuals. I'm just thankful they resigned. I do not want to be on a team with like minded individuals. The same goals, yes, but not the same way of thinking.

[seventeen]

Aug 27, 2022 0:38:50 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Interesting what they say about Slaf

I saw a 30 second clip when they got the rookies together. What I saw I Slaf is establishing himself as the Alfa Dog. In the end, he pated everybody on the head which was him establishing himself as the leader.

One problem of Alfa Dogs, there are others who want to be the same. So can he play in the pack or will he mope if he's not leading the pack?

We will find out soon enough.

Yup. There are times when even a leader has to be a follower.

[seventeen]

Aug 27, 2022 10:01:04 GMT -5 folatre said:

Interesting video, thanks. Bobrov is obviously a well-spoken guy and we know he has worked a long time with Gorton, amassing almost two decades in the amateur scouting business.

Judging scouts is complicated by a number of factors.

However, having said that, I am not particularly reassured by the Euro forwards selected in the early rounds (1 and 2) by the Rangers while Bobrov was their Director of European Scouting: 2019 Kakko second overall; 2019 Henriksson 58th overall; 2018 Kravstov ninth overall; 2017 Andersson seventh overall; and 2017 Chytil 21st overall.

Chytil has certainly proved to be a fine pick at that stage of the first round, though time will say if he is consistently productive enough to be more than a 3C. Andersson is a total bust given where he went in the first round and kids like Necas and Suzuki went shortly thereafter.

Gorton and Hughes obviously believe in Bobrov. And I suppose the reality is none of us care whether he contributed to a number of suboptimal picks with New York. My hope is that a smart guy just kicked off what will be 4-5 year run where ten years in the future hockey people will be saying you know that Bobrov guy supercharged the Habs rebuild by nailing a bunch of picks.

I'm with you, folatre. When someone makes as impassioned a speech as Bobrov did about Slafkovsky, my BS meter is on, full blast. Bobrov is, as you point out, a well spoken guy and he made a number of points about Slafkovsky, but ignored the fact Slaf's scoring in the Finnish regular season wasn't very impressive. When he was hired on, I did the same research you did about the Rangers drafting and wasn;t impressed. They got better in Gorton's final years, (Miller and Schneider), but those were North American kids. Hmmmmm. Also, I liked what I saw of Chytil in the playoffs, so I think he has more to show, but Kravtsov and Andersson were clear misses and you can't blow picks that high. Kakko is still not a finished product and may yet become a player, but it sure looks like most of Gorton's hits were North American and the misses were European.

Now, extrapolating from that, it's not necessarily so that Slafkovsky will be a bust. Bobrov was not the only scout impressed by Slafkovsky and the fact the consensus at the end was flipping a coin variety suggests it's not just Bobrov blowing smoke. If we end up regretting the choice, it will probably be because we didn't pick Cooley or Nemec, and not Wright. But I'm not disillusioned. I don't mind the pick. Just our luck not to have the overall #1 in a year like 2023. Anyway, in my mind, the jury is still out on Bobrov. Mesar is a pick that may tell us something about that.

As a further observation, I don't think Hughes has any prior connection to Bobrov and that's good.

[folatre]

Well, apparently, Hughes and Bobrov played hockey at the same university in Vermont, though due to the age difference they were never teammates. This does not bother me despite the fact that they probably knew each other socially (alumni weekends, etc.).

What I wish that I could know is how Gorton squared the seeming paradox that New York missed the mark taking the European forwards they did when they did and yet he maintained a positive opinion of Bobrov's acumen as an amateur talent evaluator.

[Skilly]

Aug 27, 2022 10:01:04 GMT -5 folatre said:

Interesting video, thanks. Bobrov is obviously a well-spoken guy and we know he has worked a long time with Gorton, amassing almost two decades in the amateur scouting business.

Judging scouts is complicated by a number of factors. Foremost, a GM is the bottom-line decision-maker for high picks (first round and probably second round too) so it is hard to know the degree of influence a particular scout had on the GM’s decision. And secondarily, the scout does not really have much if any influence over the subsequent development path for a kid once he is picked.

However, having said that, I am not particularly reassured by the Euro forwards selected in the early rounds (1 and 2) by the Rangers while Bobrov was their Director of European Scouting: 2019 Kakko second overall; 2019 Henriksson 58th overall; 2018 Kravstov ninth overall; 2017 Andersson seventh overall; and 2017 Chytil 21st overall.

Chytil has certainly proved to be a fine pick at that stage of the first round, though time will say if he is consistently productive enough to be more than a 3C. Andersson is a total bust given where he went in the first round and kids like Necas and Suzuki went shortly thereafter.

Maybe there can be debates about whether Kravstov ever got much of a chance once Drury took over as GM, however be that it may Kravstov does not seem to ooze character. He would not accept the challenge to go down to the AHL and light it up. But basically, you are what your record says you are and right now four years after he was drafted he is nothing more than a seriously depreciated asset for the Rangers organization.

Henriksson is just coming over to North America this season but he seems like a long shot to establish as an NHLer based on the trajectory of his development in Sweden thus far. Kakko is far from being a bust. He is talented and has not had much luck with injuries, however it is not hyperbole to say New York missed with that second overall pick.

Gorton and Hughes obviously believe in Bobrov. And I suppose the reality is none of us care whether he contributed to a number of suboptimal picks with New York. My hope is that a smart guy just kicked off what will be 4-5 year run where ten years in the future hockey people will be saying you know that Bobrov guy supercharged the Habs rebuild by nailing a bunch of picks.

I enjoyed hearing that Slaf got better in the Finnish league playoffs. Anyone got those stats?

But he lost me with all the Worlds and Olympics talk without mentioning the quality of competition over there. He did well, but with that competition he should have totally dominated

And what is this living alone as a 14 year old? That actually illegal in Canada so Wright never had a chance.

[Skilly]

Aug 27, 2022 13:29:23 GMT -5 seventeen said:

Aug 27, 2022 10:01:04 GMT -5 folatre said:

Interesting video, thanks. Bobrov is obviously a well-spoken guy and we know he has worked a long time with Gorton, amassing almost two decades in the amateur scouting business.

Judging scouts is complicated by a number of factors.

However, having said that, I am not particularly reassured by the Euro forwards selected in the early rounds (1 and 2) by the Rangers while Bobrov was their Director of European Scouting: 2019 Kakko second overall; 2019 Henriksson 58th overall; 2018 Kravstov ninth overall; 2017 Andersson seventh overall; and 2017 Chytil 21st overall.

Chytil has certainly proved to be a fine pick at that stage of the first round, though time will say if he is consistently productive enough to be more than a 3C. Andersson is a total bust given where he went in the first round and kids like Necas and Suzuki went shortly thereafter.

Gorton and Hughes obviously believe in Bobrov. And I suppose the reality is none of us care whether he contributed to a number of suboptimal picks with New York. My hope is that a smart guy just kicked off what will be 4-5 year run where ten years in the future hockey people will be saying you know that Bobrov guy supercharged the Habs rebuild by nailing a bunch of picks.

I'm with you, folatre. When someone makes as impassioned a speech as Bobrov did about Slafkovsky, my BS meter is on, full blast. Bobrov is, as you point out, a well spoken guy and he made a number of points about Slafkovsky, but ignored the fact Slaf's scoring in the Finnish regular season wasn't very impressive. When he was hired on, I did the same research you did about the Rangers drafting and wasn;t impressed. They got better in Gorton's final years, (Miller and Schneider), but those were North American kids. Hmmmmm. Also, I liked what I saw of Chytil in the playoffs, so I think he has more to show, but Kravtsov and Andersson were clear misses and you can't blow picks that high. Kakko is still not a finished product and may yet become a player, but it sure looks like most of Gorton's hits were North American and the misses were European.

Now, extrapolating from that, it's not necessarily so that Slafkovsky will be a bust. Bobrov was not the only scout impressed by Slafkovsky and the fact the consensus at the end was flipping a coin variety suggests it's not just Bobrov blowing smoke. If we end up regretting the choice, it will probably be because we didn't pick Cooley or Nemec, and not Wright. But I'm not disillusioned. I don't mind the pick. Just our luck not to have the overall #1 in a year like 2023. Anyway, in my mind, the jury is still out on Bobrov. Mesar is a pick that may tell us something about that.

As a further observation, I don't think Hughes has any prior connection to Bobrov and that's good.

I know the video is edited. But concerning to me is they were seemingly conscious to NOT include anyones positive comments on Wright or negative points on Slafkovsky

[jkr]

Aug 28, 2022 9:26:00 GMT -5 Skilly said:

Aug 27, 2022 10:01:04 GMT -5 folatre said:

Interesting video, thanks. Bobrov is obviously a well-spoken guy and we know he has worked a long time with Gorton, amassing almost two decades in the amateur scouting business.

Judging scouts is complicated by a number of factors. Foremost, a GM is the bottom-line decision-maker for high picks (first round and probably second round too) so it is hard to know the degree of influence a particular scout had on the GM’s decision. And secondarily, the scout does not really have much if any influence over the subsequent development path for a kid once he is picked.

However, having said that, I am not particularly reassured by the Euro forwards selected in the early rounds (1 and 2) by the Rangers while Bobrov was their Director of European Scouting: 2019 Kakko second overall; 2019 Henriksson 58th overall; 2018 Kravstov ninth overall; 2017 Andersson seventh overall; and 2017 Chytil 21st overall.

Chytil has certainly proved to be a fine pick at that stage of the first round, though time will say if he is consistently productive enough to be more than a 3C. Andersson is a total bust given where he went in the first round and kids like Necas and Suzuki went shortly thereafter.

Maybe there can be debates about whether Kravstov ever got much of a chance once Drury took over as GM, however be that it may Kravstov does not seem to ooze character. He would not accept the challenge to go down to the AHL and light it up. But basically, you are what your record says you are and right now four years after he was drafted he is nothing more than a seriously depreciated asset for the Rangers organization.

Henriksson is just coming over to North America this season but he seems like a long shot to establish as an NHLer based on the trajectory of his development in Sweden thus far. Kakko is far from being a bust. He is talented and has not had much luck with injuries, however it is not hyperbole to say New York missed with that second overall pick.

Gorton and Hughes obviously believe in Bobrov. And I suppose the reality is none of us care whether he contributed to a number of suboptimal picks with New York. My hope is that a smart guy just kicked off what will be 4-5 year run where ten years in the future hockey people will be saying you know that Bobrov guy supercharged the Habs rebuild by nailing a bunch of picks.

I enjoyed hearing that Slaf got better in the Finnish league playoffs. Anyone got those stats?

But he lost me with all the Worlds and Olympics talk without mentioning the quality of competition over there. He did well, but with that competition he should have totally dominated

And what is this living alone as a 14 year old? That actually illegal in Canada so Wright never had a chance.

I remember when Hedman was drafted, there was a mention that he was living on his own but he was 18. Letting a 14 year old live on their own - some might say that is neglect.

[Willie Dog]

Aug 28, 2022 9:26:00 GMT -5 Skilly said:

Aug 27, 2022 10:01:04 GMT -5 folatre said:

Interesting video, thanks. Bobrov is obviously a well-spoken guy and we know he has worked a long time with Gorton, amassing almost two decades in the amateur scouting business.

Judging scouts is complicated by a number of factors. Foremost, a GM is the bottom-line decision-maker for high picks (first round and probably second round too) so it is hard to know the degree of influence a particular scout had on the GM’s decision. And secondarily, the scout does not really have much if any influence over the subsequent development path for a kid once he is picked.

However, having said that, I am not particularly reassured by the Euro forwards selected in the early rounds (1 and 2) by the Rangers while Bobrov was their Director of European Scouting: 2019 Kakko second overall; 2019 Henriksson 58th overall; 2018 Kravstov ninth overall; 2017 Andersson seventh overall; and 2017 Chytil 21st overall.

Chytil has certainly proved to be a fine pick at that stage of the first round, though time will say if he is consistently productive enough to be more than a 3C. Andersson is a total bust given where he went in the first round and kids like Necas and Suzuki went shortly thereafter.

Maybe there can be debates about whether Kravstov ever got much of a chance once Drury took over as GM, however be that it may Kravstov does not seem to ooze character. He would not accept the challenge to go down to the AHL and light it up. But basically, you are what your record says you are and right now four years after he was drafted he is nothing more than a seriously depreciated asset for the Rangers organization.

Henriksson is just coming over to North America this season but he seems like a long shot to establish as an NHLer based on the trajectory of his development in Sweden thus far. Kakko is far from being a bust. He is talented and has not had much luck with injuries, however it is not hyperbole to say New York missed with that second overall pick.

Gorton and Hughes obviously believe in Bobrov. And I suppose the reality is none of us care whether he contributed to a number of suboptimal picks with New York. My hope is that a smart guy just kicked off what will be 4-5 year run where ten years in the future hockey people will be saying you know that Bobrov guy supercharged the Habs rebuild by nailing a bunch of picks.

I enjoyed hearing that Slaf got better in the Finnish league playoffs. Anyone got those stats?

But he lost me with all the Worlds and Olympics talk without mentioning the quality of competition over there. He did well, but with that competition he should have totally dominated

And what is this living alone as a 14 year old? That actually illegal in Canada so Wright never had a chance.

Living on your own at 14 showed them he can handle things on his own... Montréal is a tough place as a player, we don't need anymore players breaking down from the pressure.. I think that means a lot to this management group all other things being equal..

Also the Dach deal was 48 hours in the making, so they selected Slaff because they knew they had Dach pretty well locked up...

[Cranky]

Slaf living on his own at 14 is a HUGE plus for him. It proves he has the absolute determination to achieve his goal.

As for "neglect", not everone has the parents that help to achieve ones dreams. So blame the parents, not the kid.

[seventeen]

Aug 28, 2022 13:25:57 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Slaf living on his own at 14 is a HUGE plus for him. It proves he has the absolute determination to achieve his goal.

As for "neglect", not everone has the parents that help to achieve ones dreams. So blame the parents, not the kid.

We have to remember, guys, that we're looking at the matter of living alone at 14 from that of a North American values perspective. It can be different in other countries. I was allowed to drink as a kid (watered down wine) and it was no big deal. Slovakia is a very poor country and that too plays a role. It might have been due to necessity, or a number of other factors, including economic. Perhaps this was the only light at the end of a tunnel for a kid who had big dreams. Anyway, let's not be too quick to judge. As was mentioned above, this clip was likely very heavily edited. You've just made a contentious pick, you're not going to pass along all the negatives discussed during the entire debate. He seems to be a mature kid because being ahead of your age class and going to all those international tournaments, presents a ton of opportunity to go sideways, and he has avoided that.

Anyway, my big question remains, "How good a scorer can he be?", and that remains to be seen.

[Skilly]

Aug 28, 2022 12:17:47 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Aug 28, 2022 9:26:00 GMT -5 Skilly said:

I enjoyed hearing that Slaf got better in the Finnish league playoffs. Anyone got those stats?

But he lost me with all the Worlds and Olympics talk without mentioning the quality of competition over there. He did well, but with that competition he should have totally dominated

And what is this living alone as a 14 year old? That actually illegal in Canada so Wright never had a chance.

Living on your own at 14 showed them he can handle things on his own... Montréal is a tough place as a player, we don't need anymore players breaking down from the pressure.. I think that means a lot to this management group all other things being equal..

Also the Dach deal was 48 hours in the making, so they selected Slaff because they knew they had Dach pretty well locked up...

So you are saying Montreal knew they could get at least the #13 pick ... yeah, I'm calling BS on that. They might have been talking 48 hours prior. But there are too many variables at a draft for Montreal to know they were guaranteed a first round pick Chicago would agree to take.

[Skilly]

Aug 28, 2022 12:17:47 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Aug 28, 2022 9:26:00 GMT -5 Skilly said:

I enjoyed hearing that Slaf got better in the Finnish league playoffs. Anyone got those stats?

But he lost me with all the Worlds and Olympics talk without mentioning the quality of competition over there. He did well, but with that competition he should have totally dominated

And what is this living alone as a 14 year old? That actually illegal in Canada so Wright never had a chance.

Living on your own at 14 showed them he can handle things on his own... Montréal is a tough place as a player, we don't need anymore players breaking down from the pressure.. I think that means a lot to this management group all other things being equal..

Also the Dach deal was 48 hours in the making, so they selected Slaff because they knew they had Dach pretty well locked up...

If a Canadian hockey player was living on his own at 14 years old .... someone would be in jail.

It shows Slaf can handle adversity? Sure, whatever people want to believe. It proves something all right, I'm not sure that's the main takeaway though

[Skilly]

Aug 28, 2022 13:45:52 GMT -5 seventeen said:

Aug 28, 2022 13:25:57 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Slaf living on his own at 14 is a HUGE plus for him. It proves he has the absolute determination to achieve his goal.

As for "neglect", not everone has the parents that help to achieve ones dreams. So blame the parents, not the kid.

We have to remember, guys, that we're looking at the matter of living alone at 14 from that of a North American values perspective. It can be different in other countries. I was allowed to drink as a kid (watered down wine) and it was no big deal. Slovakia is a very poor country and that too plays a role. It might have been due to necessity, or a number of other factors, including economic. Perhaps this was the only light at the end of a tunnel for a kid who had big dreams. Anyway, let's not be too quick to judge. As was mentioned above, this clip was likely very heavily edited. You've just made a contentious pick, you're not going to pass along all the negatives discussed during the entire debate. He seems to be a mature kid because being ahead of your age class and going to all those international tournaments, presents a ton of opportunity to go sideways, and he has avoided that.

Anyway, my big question remains, "How good a scorer can he be?", and that remains to be seen.

I took from the video, he was living alone in Finland. In Finland, you can only live alone if social services is involved. Anyhoo, my point is, Montreal management was using a barometer no other draftee could be gauged against. Not talent, not intelligence, ... but , hey, look he lived alone as a 14 yr old. I'm only judging the grading matrix they are using.

EDIT

I did some digging. It wasn't 14, it was when he was 16 (maybe late 15), and he was living in Czechia

[Cranky]

Social services? Seriously? These aren't rich people who can afford to go from country to country so their son can achieve his dreams.

It is a HUGE thing.

Bealieu had daddy in tow and of dubious connections.

Galcheniuk had daddy hanging around. That really worked out!

Kk daddy was backstage advisor. Another super success.

Slaf stood and standing on his own means that he's not afraid to do what he needs to do to achieve his goals. Period.

And for the record, a lot of boat migrants arriving on the shores of Greece are from 14-15 onwards. Poverty is forcing people to do what relativly well of country Canadians are "appaled" at. Life sucks.

www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/father-knows-best/c-689357

[Skilly]

Aug 29, 2022 0:04:56 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Social services? Seriously? These aren't rich people who can afford to go from country to country so their son can achieve his dreams.

I’m only quoting what I read from googling Finnish Law.

I never fact checked the website. But I think it is common sense that a 14 yr old can not legally enter into a contract. So, renting or buying a house would not be possible.

So, it is MY opinion, he wasn’t totally on his own. As a 15-16 year old, someone was checking up on him. Be it a billet, a rep from the team, social services, what have you

It takes nothing away from Slafkovsky’s strength of character.

[Willie Dog]

Aug 28, 2022 19:44:25 GMT -5 Skilly said:

Aug 28, 2022 12:17:47 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Living on your own at 14 showed them he can handle things on his own... Montréal is a tough place as a player, we don't need anymore players breaking down from the pressure.. I think that means a lot to this management group all other things being equal..

Also the Dach deal was 48 hours in the making, so they selected Slaff because they knew they had Dach pretty well locked up...

So you are saying Montreal knew they could get at least the #13 pick ... yeah, I'm calling BS on that. They might have been talking 48 hours prior. But there are too many variables at a draft for Montreal to know they were guaranteed a first round pick Chicago would agree to take.

The trades could have been consummated at the draft right before the habs picked, the 2 trades didn't happen instantaneously... they knew they had Dach so they took Slaf... if they couldn't get Dach, maybe they take Wright... who knows, we're all just guessing aren't we...

[Skilly]

Aug 29, 2022 9:56:13 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Aug 28, 2022 19:44:25 GMT -5 Skilly said:

So you are saying Montreal knew they could get at least the #13 pick ... yeah, I'm calling BS on that. They might have been talking 48 hours prior. But there are too many variables at a draft for Montreal to know they were guaranteed a first round pick Chicago would agree to take.

The trades could have been consummated at the draft right before the habs picked, the 2 trades didn't happen instantaneously... they knew they had Dach so they took Slaf... if they couldn't get Dach, maybe they take Wright... who knows, we're all just guessing aren't we...

Absolutely we are all guessing

I know Hughes stated they were working on the Dach trade 48 hours prior. But there was no way Hughes knew before picking Slaf that they had Dach sealed up

For instance, let’s say after picking Slaf, Wright continued to slide down the draft board (or Cooley or Nemec or someone they had rated high) and NYI thought they could get him at 13, and wanted him. We don’t get Dach. Not for the 13th pick anyway.

All I am saying is that there is no way Hughes knew he had Dach when he drafted Slaf. But it is possible he had an agreement with Chicago to get him if a bunch of things went one way on draft day. But that still means NYI (or Chicago) could have changed their mind after the Slaf pick

[Willie Dog]

Aug 29, 2022 11:01:02 GMT -5 Skilly said:

Aug 29, 2022 9:56:13 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

The trades could have been consummated at the draft right before the habs picked, the 2 trades didn't happen instantaneously... they knew they had Dach so they took Slaf... if they couldn't get Dach, maybe they take Wright... who knows, we're all just guessing aren't we...

Absolutely we are all guessing

I know Hughes stated they were working on the Dach trade 48 hours prior. But there was no way Hughes knew before picking Slaf that they had Dach sealed up

For instance, let’s say after picking Slaf, Wright continued to slide down the draft board (or Cooley or Nemec or someone they had rated high) and NYI thought they could get him at 13, and wanted him. We don’t get Dach. Not for the 13th pick anyway.

All I am saying is that there is no way Hughes knew he had Dach when he drafted Slaf. But it is possible he had an agreement with Chicago to get him if a bunch of things went one way on draft day. But that still means NYI (or Chicago) could have changed their mind after the Slaf pick

Anything is possible...

[Andrew]

I definitely wonder to what extent the salesmanship of one personality will influence such decisions, and trump what otherwise would be a consensus based decision. It certainly seems as though Bobrov has that persuasiveness in his ability to communicate. One hopes that he's taken time to reflect on past draft experiences to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement.

PS. You know it's the dog days of summer when we're quoting Finnish law on this board  

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Aug 29, 2022 11:26:03 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Aug 29, 2022 11:01:02 GMT -5 Skilly said:

Absolutely we are all guessing

I know Hughes stated they were working on the Dach trade 48 hours prior. But there was no way Hughes knew before picking Slaf that they had Dach sealed up

For instance, let’s say after picking Slaf, Wright continued to slide down the draft board (or Cooley or Nemec or someone they had rated high) and NYI thought they could get him at 13, and wanted him. We don’t get Dach. Not for the 13th pick anyway.

All I am saying is that there is no way Hughes knew he had Dach when he drafted Slaf. But it is possible he had an agreement with Chicago to get him if a bunch of things went one way on draft day. But that still means NYI (or Chicago) could have changed their mind after the Slaf pick

Anything is possible...

It’s all in the name. Would we have picked Slavkovski if Wright was LaDroit?