Senators owner: Karlsson won't play in Olympics if NHL opts out
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If the NHL doesn't go to the Olympics, neither will Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson.
That's the stance of team owner Eugene Melnyk, who on Friday stated the star defenseman won't have his blessing to go to Pyeongchang in the absence of NHL participation at the Winter Games.
"No, no, it would be no, a flat no," Melnyk told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. "I talked to (former Senators captain Daniel) Alfredsson about it and he understands the player would want to (attend), but I'm not going to risk that."
Melnyk referenced former Senators goaltender Dominik Hasek, who participated in the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, only to suffer an injury and never return to the Ottawa crease.
"Can you imagine if (Karlsson) goes and he gets a permanent injury? You know what I'm saying? That's my view," Melnyk added.
Melnyk's statement differs from at least one of his NHL brethren. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has said he'll allow superstar Alex Ovechkin to leave the Capitals to play for Team Russia, even if the NHL opts out of Pyeongchang.
As for the NHL, negotiations between the league, the IIHF, and the IOC appear to be at a stalemate. Earlier this month, commissioner Gary Bettman described the owners' position on the Olympics as "somewhere between fatigue and negativity."
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