Juraj Slafkovsky will ultimately not be able to represent his country in the Olympic qualifiers as he had hoped.
To our great surprise, we have learned that the NHL's first overall pick in 2022 is not part of the Slovakian roster.
This is clearly not due to a lack of space or talent; he would have easily made the team. From what we understand, the Canadiens did not grant permission for Slafkovsky to participate in the tournament.
Slafkovsky will not be able to help Slovakia qualify for the upcoming competition and the return of NHL players to the Olympics in 2026.
Kent Hughes and his team seem to prefer that he focuses on the upcoming camp and the next season.
Slafkovsky will likely be disappointed. It is important that this situation does not reflect any negative issues in the locker room or in his relationships...
