Czechs Eyeing Kämpf If Leafs Lose Game 7; Hertl Hurt
Czechia still has a free forward spot on its World Championship roster and the team is apparently eyeing David Kämpf in the event the Toronto Maple Leafs lose Game 7 of their Stanley Cup second-round playoff series to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
'David is a player we would be very interested in,' Czech assistant coach Jiří Kalous was quoted by Hokej.cz. 'If his health allows it and he wants to come, which I believe he does, we would be happy to have him.'
Kämpf did not play in Game 6 on Friday, which Toronto won 2-0 to tie the series and force a seventh game. He was apparently a healthy scratch after playing Game 5 – his only playoff game so far this spring.
Had Toronto lost on Friday, it's conceivable that Kämpf could have arrived in Denmark in time for Czechia's penultimate Group B game on Monday against Germany. As it now stands, he would have a tight window to make the team's last group game on Tuesday against the USA, and the quarterfinals on Thursday might be more realistic.
The Czechs were hoping to fill the last forward spot with Tomáš Hertl, whose Vegas Golden Knights were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. However, an apparent shoulder injury will prevent him from joining the team.
'Due to the severity of Tomáš Hertl's injury, through which he played in the playoffs, the club is unable to release him for the World Championship,' said Czech GM Jiří Šlégr. 'He needs to undergo further examination. His physical condition is not sufficient to play for the national team.'
The Czechs are dealing with injuries to forward Jakub Lauko and defenseman Tomáš Kundrátek but are hopeful to have both back in the lineup for the quarterfinals.
William Karlsson Will Arrive In Sweden On Sunday: 'The Body Feels Good' His
Vegas Golden Knights were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday, and on Friday morning, William Karlsson announced that he was heading home to Sweden to play for his country at the IIHF World Championship.
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