The Capitals blueliner could help Slovakia qualifying for an Olympic spot.
Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary was among the Slovak players chosen to represent his country in the upcoming Olympic qualifier in Bratislava, but he may not be able to suit up.
Fehervary told NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika at the NHL European Player Media Tour in Prague that he is dealing with a minor injury ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season, which could hold him out of the lineup for Slovakia's chance at qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
"I would like to [play in the qualifier]," Fehervary said via NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "I'm still a little bit dealing with some health issues, but we’ll see how the thing’s going. So far it looks good.”
The Olympic qualifier takes place in Fehervary's hometown of Bratislava from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
Fehervary dealt with a week-to-week lower-body injury and other ailments last season that limited him to 66 games, where he posted 16 points and a plus/minus rating of minus-7.
Though the injury is not a major one, according to the 24-year-old defenseman, the timing will have an impact on his decision to play since he's just weeks away from training camp. Washington's training camp is expected to officially get underway in mid-September, though informal skates are already underway at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
“Nothing major. I’m practicing, but it’s before the season and we talked with the Caps and if I’m not going to be 100 percent, I shouldn’t go. So we’ll see," Fehervary said.
Fehervary is the only Capitals player to be selected to play in this upcoming Olympic qualifying series for the upcoming games in Milano-Cortina.
