Word out of Minnesota is that Petr Sykora has not been a good fit and has not been committed to playing the defensive zone.
Sykora has 1 point in six games and has fallen out of favor with head coach Todd Richards.
Things have been so bad for Sykora that he was benched (healthy scratch) Wednesday night against Nashville in favor of enforcer Derek Boogaard.
***Read more for the latest on Sykora***
According to Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune, Richards indicated after practice today that he was just trying to put the best team on the ice, when asked about Sykora being a healthy scratch.
More From Russo
Richards On Sykora: “He is a proven scorer, but there’s so much more that goes to playing the game of hockey than just finishing.”
“He {Richards} said the coaches went over those areas with Sykora. But Sykora told us after the coaches haven’t told him anything. Richards said he expects Sykora “to be a professional” since this isn’t the first time he’s been scratched (a lot last second half with Pittsburgh) and “have the attitude of sticking it to the coach.” But Richards said the coaches haven’t made up their mind if Sykora will play tomorrow against the Rangers.”