@DrakeMT on X
A number of NHL fans are asking the league to institute mandatory neck protection after Montreal Canadiens star Juraj Slafkovsky narrowly avoided disaster in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Slafkovsky, the number one pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is an emerging star for the Canadiens and is expected to be a key piece of the up-and-coming team.
The incident occurred in the second period when Flyers forward Christian Dvorak, who was teammates with Slafkovsky the last three seasons in Montreal, lost his balance, sending his foot flying into the air and slicing Slafkovsky in the face.
Slafkovsky got cut by Dvorak’s skate. Hopefully he’s back soon. pic.twitter.com/J13KMZO61n
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) September 24, 2025
Slafovsky later returned to the game, but he only narrowly avoided disaster. In 2023, former NHL player Adam Johnson was killed when an opposing player lost his balance and sliced Johnson in the neck with his skate.
The incident, along with Slafkovsky’s near miss, has fans calling for the NHL to make neck protection necessary for all players.
NHL Players Don’t Support Mandatory Neck Guards
Starting in the 2026-27 season, all players new to the NHL will be required to wear some form of neck protection. However, according to the new CBA, players who are already in the league will be grandfathered in and will not face the same requirements. In 2024, The Athletic conducted a player poll where 78 percent of respondents said that they felt neck guards should not be mandatory.
When asked why they didn’t support the mandate, players largely pointed to personal choice.
“I think it should just be your own decision,” one said.
“Guys would be smart to use them, but I don’t think it needs to be mandatory,” another added.
“It’s their own risk, right?” said a third. “It’s their life.”
Even players who do think the neck guards improve safety didn’t think players should have to wear them.
“I don’t think you should require them to, but I think it’s stupid not to (wear one),” one player said. “Why wouldn’t you?”
Given the new mandate, it seems that there will eventually come a time when all players need to wear them. Hopefully, the NHL doesn’t suffer a tragedy at any point before then.