– They start off by talking about Slafkovsky, and if he would fit in well in Laval. O’Connor thinks he definitely would, and that Laval would be happy to have him considering their injuries. On whether or not Slafkovsky should be in Laval right now, O’Connor says that yes, he thinks he should. A player like Slaf takes a while to develop, and you want him playing big and important minutes. O’Connor thinks Slaf could really benefit from some time in the AHL.
– Campbell wonders if the threat of some AHL goon trying to take a run at a 1st overall pick is a concern for Montreal when it comes to sending down Slafkovsky. O’Connor doesn’t think this should be a huge concern. The AHL isn’t as dirty as people make out, and with Slaf being as big as he is, he shouldn’t be overly concerned about taking some body checks.
– Gallo asks why we haven’t tried Slafkovsky on the top line with Suzuki and Caufield. O’Connor points out that Suzuki and Caufield are the two most important players on the team, and shouldn’t really be used to develop a rookie. They should be playing with a player that helps them, not a player they have to help.
– Speaking of Suzuki, he has 3 points in his last 12 games. O’Connor says that fatigue is definitely a factor. When you have to carry the offense game in and game out, it starts to wear on you. Additionally, teams have started to game plan against Suzuki. They know that if you contain him, the Habs have no answer.
– Gallo asks who is to blame for these blowout losses we are experiencing, the coach or the players? O’Connor says that the players are ultimately the ones who are not executing. While the coaching strategy may play a role, it is the players giving up bad turnovers and making bad coverage.
– Campbell brings up Justin Barron, saying that his call-up has not gone smoothly and that he looks uncomfortable. O’Connor mentions that it took a while for Barron to look comfortable in Laval, so it may just take a few weeks to get comfortable. Not every player adjusts immediately. O’Connor also mentions how Barron was used in an offensive role in Laval, and now is asked to play a primarily defensive role in Montreal.
– On Ghule, O’Connor speculates that he may be out a while. He says that the injury looked serious, and has a hard time seeing him come back quickly. O’Connor goes on to talk about how Ghule is an important piece for this team going forward. He doesn’t quite have the offense to be a true #1 defenseman, but should become a core piece of our D going forward.
– O’Connor talks about how building a winning culture does not necessarily require winning games. It’s about holding players accountable.
boostedgts
As someone with AHL season tickets, the AHL isn’t goon-filled. The hockey has been good – you can see it getting faster and better paced than 5+ year ago. There’s few fights anymore, and it’s usually the enforcer vs. the enforcer – and they eliminate each other quite quickly. In fact, rarely see open ice hits.
~~Salad~~ Slaf (damn auto correct) would fit in and develop well.
poub06
A good comparable to Slaf could be Rantanen. At 18, he played 9 games in the NHL, 0 pts, was sent down and played the entire year in the AHL. Then he scored he 20 goals at 19 yrs old and became a PPG player at 20.
Not sure why we couldn’t send Slaf down. It’s not like we have good players to surround him well in the NHL.
televisionceo
it is but if they do that they will be criticized a lot because they could have lent him to the WJC and it’s possible slaf won,t be too happy about the way they did things.
Might be for the best though.
habsrule83
If they felt he may need time in the AHL, they should have released him to play in the world juniors imo
Acidraindrops22
So do it already
DDDenver
This year seems to have some really strong centers high in the draft, I’m really hoping we can get a good pick to have a 1A/1B center so we don’t have to lean on Suzuki so much. He’s a phenomenal player but he has some of the highest ice time in the NHL and already has an impressive iron man streak going. He needs rest and would flourish with someone to help share the responsibilities. Also thanks Blaze for the write up, you da man!
7 Comments
**Summary**
– They start off by talking about Slafkovsky, and if he would fit in well in Laval. O’Connor thinks he definitely would, and that Laval would be happy to have him considering their injuries. On whether or not Slafkovsky should be in Laval right now, O’Connor says that yes, he thinks he should. A player like Slaf takes a while to develop, and you want him playing big and important minutes. O’Connor thinks Slaf could really benefit from some time in the AHL.
– Campbell wonders if the threat of some AHL goon trying to take a run at a 1st overall pick is a concern for Montreal when it comes to sending down Slafkovsky. O’Connor doesn’t think this should be a huge concern. The AHL isn’t as dirty as people make out, and with Slaf being as big as he is, he shouldn’t be overly concerned about taking some body checks.
– Gallo asks why we haven’t tried Slafkovsky on the top line with Suzuki and Caufield. O’Connor points out that Suzuki and Caufield are the two most important players on the team, and shouldn’t really be used to develop a rookie. They should be playing with a player that helps them, not a player they have to help.
– Speaking of Suzuki, he has 3 points in his last 12 games. O’Connor says that fatigue is definitely a factor. When you have to carry the offense game in and game out, it starts to wear on you. Additionally, teams have started to game plan against Suzuki. They know that if you contain him, the Habs have no answer.
– Gallo asks who is to blame for these blowout losses we are experiencing, the coach or the players? O’Connor says that the players are ultimately the ones who are not executing. While the coaching strategy may play a role, it is the players giving up bad turnovers and making bad coverage.
– Campbell brings up Justin Barron, saying that his call-up has not gone smoothly and that he looks uncomfortable. O’Connor mentions that it took a while for Barron to look comfortable in Laval, so it may just take a few weeks to get comfortable. Not every player adjusts immediately. O’Connor also mentions how Barron was used in an offensive role in Laval, and now is asked to play a primarily defensive role in Montreal.
– On Ghule, O’Connor speculates that he may be out a while. He says that the injury looked serious, and has a hard time seeing him come back quickly. O’Connor goes on to talk about how Ghule is an important piece for this team going forward. He doesn’t quite have the offense to be a true #1 defenseman, but should become a core piece of our D going forward.
– O’Connor talks about how building a winning culture does not necessarily require winning games. It’s about holding players accountable.
As someone with AHL season tickets, the AHL isn’t goon-filled. The hockey has been good – you can see it getting faster and better paced than 5+ year ago. There’s few fights anymore, and it’s usually the enforcer vs. the enforcer – and they eliminate each other quite quickly. In fact, rarely see open ice hits.
~~Salad~~ Slaf (damn auto correct) would fit in and develop well.
A good comparable to Slaf could be Rantanen. At 18, he played 9 games in the NHL, 0 pts, was sent down and played the entire year in the AHL. Then he scored he 20 goals at 19 yrs old and became a PPG player at 20.
Not sure why we couldn’t send Slaf down. It’s not like we have good players to surround him well in the NHL.
it is but if they do that they will be criticized a lot because they could have lent him to the WJC and it’s possible slaf won,t be too happy about the way they did things.
Might be for the best though.
If they felt he may need time in the AHL, they should have released him to play in the world juniors imo
So do it already
This year seems to have some really strong centers high in the draft, I’m really hoping we can get a good pick to have a 1A/1B center so we don’t have to lean on Suzuki so much. He’s a phenomenal player but he has some of the highest ice time in the NHL and already has an impressive iron man streak going. He needs rest and would flourish with someone to help share the responsibilities. Also thanks Blaze for the write up, you da man!