Kent Hughes doesn’t know if he wants to send Juraj Slafkovsky to the World Championship

The Canadiens have played 55 games so far this season.

The club has a record of 22 wins, 25 losses and eight overtime defeats… And even though there are still 27 games left in the Habs’ season, there’s one thing we can say right now.

The playoffs for this campaign can clearly be forgotten.

It’s not necessarily a surprise, even if the Habs got off to a good start. We knew that, at some point, it was going to be more difficult, given that the club is rebuilding.

Once the current season is over and the Habs officially miss the spring dance, a number of La Flanelle players will have the opportunity to wear their country’s colors at the World Championship.

And of course, there are some logical candidates in mind. In particular, I’ll be curious to see whether Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson will take part in the event, as they were approached by Team Canada last year, but ultimately declined the invitation.

Another question is whether a guy like Juraj Slafkovsky, who is progressing at an impressive rate, will get the chance to play for his native country.

Ina recent interview with the Slovak media, Kent Hughes stated that there are no plans in place yet for the 19-year-old:

We’re still in the middle of the season and for the moment, we’re going to concentrate on that. When the time comes, we’ll sit down and discuss with Slaf what’s best for him. – Kent Hughes

Habs GM Kent Hughes on Juraj Slafkovsky potentially joining Team Slovakia for the upcoming World Championship.

pic.twitter.com/9qd9JH7wiG

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 19, 2024

I really, really hope the Habs give him permission to shine on the international stage.

Why should they?

Because sometimes it can really help a young player’s confidence.

Remember what happened with Samuel Montembeault last year?

Monty may not be 19… but he was so good in front of Canada’s net at the last CDM tournament that he arrived at the Habs training camp in September so confident of himself and his abilities on the ice.

And now, we’re seeing the results of all that as the Quebecer enjoys an excellent season with the Habs.

Of course, there’s a risk of injury that comes with all this, and let’s not forget that’s why Slaf didn’t go last year.

It made sense, because his season ended in January with a boo-boo, but things are different this year because he’s healthy.

In my opinion, there shouldn’t even be a discussion about a plan.

Slaf is there in his progression and he deserves to be part of it with what he’s shown since the start of the season.

In gusto

– What a great idea!

– Incroyable.

– Luke Hughes is going to be a monster in a few years.

We have a new fastest skating speed by a defenseman this season, with @NJDevils rookie Luke Hughes clocking in at 23.63 mph during the #StadiumSeries on the weekend.

More #NHLStats via NHL EDGE: https://t.co/7oEEQBRUTd pic.twitter.com/Gs3ZoCeLrl

– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 19, 2024

– Matt Duchene is injured.

– It’s your turn to answer.