The whole situation seems very weird to me. You mentioned Rochette who initiated the nation change by contacting the Canadian Federation himself and giving them a longtime commitment. Even though he did that (wich I consider sort of a dick move if you factor in how he and his dad profited from swiss hockey for years on multiple levels.) the Swiss federation clearly left the door open for a possible return to the Swiss senior team. Compared to that everything Malgin could have done seems like peanuts.
Im also not sure if Fischer realises that commiting to the NT is so much easier if you play in the NLA, a paradise for any hockey player where you play 44 regular season games and everybody can sleep in their bed every night. A North American based player has a much much harder scheudule and can see his family and friends for about 4 months every year. So I just feel like Fischer should factor that and Malgins young age in when he goes on making statements like that in the press.
Yeah, the whole Rochette situation, I think we both have discussed it before in here. I still wonder if he acctually had an invitation a year ago for the U-18 and already declined there. Or if the SIHF just wasn't aware of the danger.
It's what it is. It's the right thing to keep the gates open for him.
One really has to hope that Wohlwends way of treating players doesn't influence Fischer in a bad manner.
Malgin is a player, who mostly relies on skills and smarts and proper positioning, more than on sheer physical devotion, jumping into every possible block, but is never lazy. And he likes to slow the game down from time to time, and is good in it.
Maybe Fischer thinks that style of play doesn't suit his system and doesn't want him on the team? And then it gets tricky, as it's politicaly risky to call an NHL-player and cut him again from the team. He might planef to avoid a nomination of Malgin from the begining, but struggled to find good reasoning, cirumventing the truth, in front of the press?
Or maybe they want to bring out the beast in Malgin, rising his anger and physical determination, by giving him the Fiala treatment? And give him a ticket nonetheless next year if available. If true this would be highly risky as players tend to react very differently. And it can cause a stir within the team as well, when a punishment and its reasoning seem kind of random and over the top harsh. With Fiala, everyone knew that he had a long list of disciplinary issues, unlike Malgin, and was due to a certain treatment. He probably knew himself, he had it coming to him. And he reacted with a strong WHC. Would be very bold, to think you could just repeat that pattern successfully.
It's all speculativ, I know, but I have a hard time thinking about any scenario, that make Fischer's comments look well-put.
