HabsWorld.net --
It has been a tough year for defenceman David Sklenicka who has fallen down the depth chart in Laval. The Habs have decided to set him free and after he cleared unconditional waivers on Saturday, the team announced that he has been released.
Montreal signed him along with Michal Moravcik in the 2018 offseason in the hopes of adding some depth on the back end. Moravcik didn’t pan out and was released last season but Sklenicka showed a bit of promise, holding down a regular role for most of last year.
However, the returns of Karl Alzner and Xavier Ouellet plus the return to health of Gustav Olofsson and the acquisition of Otto Leskinen created quite a logjam to overcome for playing time. As a result, the 23-year-old has played in just seven games with the Rocket this season with a good chunk of his playing time coming on his off-side.
Considering that Laval recently signed another left-shot defender in Evan McEneny (who is on the current road trip and is nearly ready to make his debut), the writing was on the wall for Sklenicka’s future with the team. He was assigned to ECHL Maine on Thursday but refused to report, triggering the termination process.
Sklenicka played in the Plzen organization in the Czech Republic before joining Montreal so it’s possible he’ll look to return there or perhaps try to ply his trade in the KHL. As for the Habs, they’ll clear up a much-needed contract slot and now sit with three spots under the limit of 50.