Former First-Rounder Says Coaches were Putting Him in Danger in the AHL
Although he's just 23 years old, Martin Kaut decided to sign a two-year deal at home in the Czech Republic for next season. When it happened, there was some surprise as the former 16th overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche still had time to find his way into a full-time NHL job. However, in an interview from his home country, Kaut states AHL coaches were putting his career, and potentially his life in danger, night in and night out.
According to Kaut, while he was playing with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, he was told he had to fight in order to make the NHL. He stated opponents were picked for him on a nightly basis.
Klapka is also from Czechia. Kaut is 6'2, 190 lbs, while Klapka is 6'8, 235lbs. It's a huge size difference. It gets even worse. Kaut didn't want to fight as he had previously had three concussion and a bad shoulder injury. He didn't want his chance at the NHL to be ruined by something preventable.
"I've had three concussions and an injured shoulder twice. If I had fought with the ones he was picking for me, I would have been beaten and injured. He forced me into fights anyway, and it really bothered me. I would fight for a good reason. It gets heated when the match is sold out or when you're defending a teammate. But fighting someone just like that?"
When speaking about Kaut's departure during development, Barracuda head coach John McCarthy said he wasn't sure why Kaut left, and spoke highly of the young forward. He added he wasn't aware of any rift between Kaut and the coaching staff.
Kaut said he ultimately left because the Sharks wanted him to sign a two-way agreement, which was fine by him, but he was unhappy with the amount he would have made in the AHL.
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Should players fight whenever a coach tells them? | ||
| Yes | 66 | 32.4 % |
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