yesterday 17:00
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His rookie season is likely to end as early as January. Juraj Slafkovský will not play in the NHL for the next three months, as announced by the Montreal Canadiens. The last draft pick suffered a left knee injury that, thankfully, did not require surgery. However, he probably won’t have time to heal by the end of the regular season.
JURAJ SLAFKOVSKý’s rookie season ended apparently in the middle
The original procedure did not look threatening. Juraj Slafkovský was taking over the puck in the offensive zone when New York Rangers defender Ben Harpur dropped it on the ice. He didn’t even use a hockey stick, it wasn’t a small ball. After playing the puck, he gave the Slovak one more hit “on the way”. Slafkovský was already leaning forward. He did not appear to be completely healthy. After the aforementioned interventions, he went to the changing room, and then to the dressing room. He did not appear on the ice again.
It is realistic that it was Slafkovský’s last substitution in the 2022/23 season. The Canadiens placed him on the injured list and released news of his condition a day later. “Juraj Slafkovský suffered an injury in the lower part of the body that does not require surgery. He will be out of action for three months,” read the opinion of the team on the website of Montreal. According to our information, it is a knee injury, the same was said by Sportsnet editor Eric Engels, who specified that it should be the left knee.
WHAT COULD AWAIT HIM IN THE AHL
Harpur’s intervention could have been a clear demonstration of why Slafkovski was not sent by the Canadiens to the AHL. Earlier, there were reports that they were worried that as a young European and a draft pick, he would not be a target for opposing players who would like to show up. It is not an unrealistic theory. It was similar in the NHL, especially at the beginning of the year, when Slafkovský collected several hard saves if his head was down. Players like Ben Harpur, who are not sure of a place and need to make an impact, could also use it in a lower competition. In addition, the AHL is often a tougher league.
The problem for the farm in Laval is that they do not have a player in the lineup who can protect Slafkovski in the same way as the feared youngster Arber Xhekaj in the first team. “The Canadiens are seriously concerned that Slafkovski would become a target in a lower competition, unless Xhekaj also played for Laval. They didn’t want that to happen,” a team executive told Sportsnet’s Engels.
ADAPT IT TO OVERSEAS HOCKEY
It is almost certain that Slafkovský will play his first season overseas without staying in the AHL. Several times he was sent to a lower competition by fans and journalists when he was not playing well. The Canadiens never did.
“We dealt with it on a weekly basis, we talked regularly about what the next step in his development would be. We did not address his productivity. It is important that he improves in the areas in which, according to us, he should. We’re trying to help him and show him how he can be better and more effective in the North American style of hockey.” Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said at a press conference.
In the initial year, the tall winger collected 10 points (4+6) in 39 duels. He was pleased with the progress in different parts of the game, which the Canadiens pointed out to him. “Juraj showed us great enthusiasm and self-confidence. He is not arrogant, but he believes in his abilities. He also demonstrated that he is eager to learn. I look forward to further cooperation,” Hughes concluded.
