Before Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky ever got a sniff of NHL action, he was representing his country on the world stage.
But with the recent reveal of Team Slovakia’s roster for the upcoming Olympic Qualifier tournament, it looks like he’ll have to watch this one from the sidelines.
As per a report from Slovakian hockey insider Tomáš Prokop, the 20-year-old, who won bronze with Slovakia in the Beijing 2022 Olympics, was not nominated to participate in the event taking place in his home country next week.
Prokop broke the news on his X account, revealing that Slafkovsky’s absence is because the Canadiens have decided not to release him for the tournament.
Čo sa týka Juraja Slafkovského a Erika Černáka. Veci naznačujú, že v olympijskej kvalifikácii hrať nebudú. Pri obrancovi sa hovorí, že ho nepustila Tampa Bay, pri útočníkovi sa zatiaľ dôvod nevie. Všetko musí potvrdiť vedenie tímu na oficiálnej nominačnej tlačovke, ktorá je dnes.
— Tomáš Prokop (@Lewysko) August 19, 2024
On Monday morning, NHL.com published an article where Miroslav Satan, the general manager of the Slovak national team, explained Slafkovsky’s absence. Subsequently, Satan revealed that the decision came after discussions with Montreal GM Kent Hughes.
“After communication with the players, which was sometimes difficult, and after communication with the GM of their clubs, the decision was made that they (Slafkovsky and Tampa Bay defenceman Erik Cernak) would not come.”
While the decision to not let Slafkovsky participate might leave many fans scratching their heads, it’s possible that the Habs brass is not uncomfortable with one of their top stars potentially sustaining an injury before the start of training camp.
Slafkovsky, selected first overall by the Habs in 2022, is coming off of a breakout campaign that saw him net 20 goals and 50 points over 82 games. The 6-foot-2 winger signed an eight-year, $60.8 million contract extension over the offseason.
He last played for his national team in May during the IIHF World Championship, in which he logged eight points — all assists — over eight games.