Habs Gamble: Slafkovsky’s Olympic Sacrifice a Risky Bet

As you know, Juraj Slafkovsky was keen to represent his country at Slovakia’s Olympic hockey qualifiers. The games will take place in a few days’ time, starting on August 29.

Obviously, his aim is to help his country qualify, not to make his mark on the club as such. Because in 2026, barring a catastrophe, he will clearly be invited to join the club.

But clearly, as we understand this morning, Slaf hasn’t received the OK to take part. And that’s even if he wanted to do so before reporting to the Montreal Canadiens’ 2024 camp.

Clearly, it was the Habs who said no. After all, it’s not the player who would have turned down such an opportunity to represent his country, we agree.

Slovakian officials (who were able to count on Slaf at the last World Championship) didn’t specify the reason, but if you read between the lines, it’s clear that it’s because the Habs said no.

What this possibly means is that the Habs obviously believe that by focusing on his season in Montreal, Slaf will have a better chance of having a big campaign, his last before his big contract kicks

But what’s especially interesting is when you remember that David Reinbacher had the OK to take part in the Austrian qualifiers.

Is the Habs treating Reinbacher differently because he’s a prospect and not an established NHL player? At this point, it’s obviously an open question.

Does this tell us that the Habs don’t necessarily intend to start Reinbacher in the NHL? To conclude that would be to skip steps at this point.

And that’s even if it’s the most “likely” scenario for the 2024-2025 season.

It should also be noted that Filip Mesar, another of the Canadiens’ first picks, is not on the Slovak team. But in his case, you have to wonder whether he was invited at all.