Bad news for Juraj Slafkovsky, and it explains why Kent Hughes made a controversial decision
The Canadiens' training camp will begin in mid-September, and we greatly hope that all players will be available and healthy.
We saw the difference last year when all three members of the top line and the top defenseman played all 82 games. They all had a strong season.
In contrast, Kirby Dach missed 80 games, which severely impacted the team. All those lost games by a single goal could have had a different outcome with Kirby Dach healthy and a functional second line.
Kent Hughes sometimes has to make decisions that may seem controversial but are necessary. He actually refused to let Juraj Slafkovsky participate in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Slovakia, which generated a lot of discussion.
We've just learned from Nicolas Cloutier that this decision was due to a back injury for the young Slovak. Knowing Juraj Slafkovsky, he would probably play despite the pain, but the Canadiens' management is not allowing him to do so to ensure he recovers.
This decision was made in conjunction with the Canadiens."
- Nicolas Cloutier
It is therefore a preventive measure, not because the organization doesn't care about its players' requests.
Personally, I had no doubts about this. There had to be a good reason for Kent Hughes to not let his newly signed young forward represent his country.
| POLL | ||
In your opinion, is Kent Hughes doing the right thing by preventing Juraj Slafkovsky from representing his country due to an injury? | ||
| Yes | 199 | 89.2 % |
| No | 24 | 10.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
