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GDT | Game 10 | @ Coyotes | Thursday, November 2 | 10PM EST

hairnova said:
Agreed, he's back playing like he did last season – never looks towards the net, every play is either to the boards or the point.
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Yup, he had a few good occasions to take it to the net last night but instead chose to curl outside and pass it back to the point. Safe play all the time, afraid to make mistakes. He's getting touches, and he's moving but he needs to get back to being cocky.
 
GrandWazoo said:
Slaf needs to be in Laval. He just has no confidence at the moment, he's not making plays, not trying anything. Even during the warmup he has no confidence.
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agreed..he's doing his best not to do anything out there
 
GrandWazoo said:
He's getting touches, and he's moving but he needs to get back to being cocky.
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He had a clear shooting opportunity from the slot at one point, but he took the time to settle the puck and try a wrist shot.

Not surprisingly, it was blocked.

So the fancy stats will say he got a positive touch in a high scoring zone on the heat map. But it was wasted for precisely the reasons you note.

He needs the mojo to take a one-timer.
 
With RHP and Dach out, and the 2nd line mightily struggling, options are hard to come by for MSL. I'd probably trying something like.

Caufield-Suzuki-Pearson
Gallagher-Monahan-Slaf
Ylonen-Newhook-Anderson
Pezzetta-Evans-Armia

Not pretty.
 
lecoqsportif said:
He had a clear shooting opportunity from the slot at one point, but he took the time to settle the puck and try a wrist shot.

Not surprisingly, it was blocked.

So the fancy stats will say he got a positive touch in a high scoring zone on the heat map. But it was wasted for precisely the reasons you note.

He needs the mojo to take a one-timer.
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he rarely looks ready to receive passes...conducting himself like a 4th line plug at the moment
 
GrandWazoo said:
Yup, he had a few good occasions to take it to the net last night but instead chose to curl outside and pass it back to the point. Safe play all the time, afraid to make mistakes. He's getting touches, and he's moving but he needs to get back to being cocky.
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It seems to happen over and over, with supposedly gifted offensive players, that they lose said giftedness when they join the Habs. All except Caufield. In the past we've blamed it on conservative styles, overcoaching, whatever. I don't see Marty as coaching that way, however. Slaf appears tentative, trying to think too much. Almost, god forbid, like Drouin. Slaf needs to go balls to the wall. Pierre Larouche style. Adjust the defence later.
 
east coast said:
It seems to happen over and over, with supposedly gifted offensive players, that they lose said giftedness when they join the Habs. All except Caufield. In the past we've blamed it on conservative styles, overcoaching, whatever. I don't see Marty as coaching that way, however. Slaf appears tentative, trying to think too much. Almost, god forbid, like Drouin. Slaf needs to go balls to the wall. Pierre Larouche style. Adjust the defence later.
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Caufield has an extra year in the NCAA where he burned the league, and he carried that momentum with him.

Paciorretty had to beg to be left in the minors to find his offensive touch and he was able to carry it with him.

Confidence is huge, putting a few pucks in the net and trying some dangles in Laval would do him wonder. Right now he's in his head.
 
GrandWazoo said:
Caufield has an extra year in the NCAA where he burned the league, and he carried that momentum with him.

Paciorretty had to beg to be left in the minors to find his offensive touch and he was able to carry it with him.

Confidence is huge, putting a few pucks in the net and trying some dangles in Laval would do him wonder. Right now he's in his head.
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Coyotes Coach agrees:

Tourigny, who was adamant before the game that the NHL isn’t a development league, outlined what he feels are the warning signs of a player being out of place.

"If you get here and you’re nervous to make plays and you’re not confident with the puck and you’re having trouble sleeping at night because you’re not happy with the plays you made that night, the world will say it’s no big deal because you’re young. But he has to live with that every day, and he knows he’s not confident and has to sit next to a guy in the room who knows he’s struggling, and that’s not a position to develop from. You have to develop as a person, too, and self-confidence and confidence is very important in development. And when you’re not able to execute at the NHL level, it’s all well and good to say he’ll be good one day, but for the player, it’s not about one day. If I told you you’re going to be miserable for two years but you’ll be fine in three, would you take the job? You wouldn’t take it. You want to be happy every day, and it’s the same thing for players.”

Tourigny, who hails from Quebec and still does radio at least once a week in the province, didn’t mention Slafkovsky, but his comments appeared thinly veiled.
 
GrandWazoo said:
Caufield has an extra year in the NCAA where he burned the league, and he carried that momentum with him.

Paciorretty had to beg to be left in the minors to find his offensive touch and he was able to carry it with him.

Confidence is huge, putting a few pucks in the net and trying some dangles in Laval would do him wonder. Right now he's in his head.
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iirc Max was a pussy at the time as he didn't want to go up and down.

Slaf needs balls (he should have 5-7 points so far but Josh can't score)

I don't want him in Laval but I am tired of every board FB group and #habs X talking about it incessantly so do it to shut out the noise. To paraphrase March 2020, send him for 2 weeks to flatten his confidence"
 
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GrandWazoo said:
With RHP and Dach out, and the 2nd line mightily struggling, options are hard to come by for MSL. I'd probably trying something like.

Caufield-Suzuki-Pearson
Gallagher-Monahan-Slaf
Ylonen-Newhook-Anderson
Pezzetta-Evans-Armia

Not pretty.
Click to expand...
I know it won't happen and maybe it's not even a good idea... but I'd like to see Slaf on that top line for a 10 game stretch. Just let him focus on creativity and offence for a bit. Hopefully gain some confidence.
 
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