Martin Kaut decided to return home to Czechia instead of staying with the San Jose Sharks organization.

San Jose Sharks forward Martin Kaut decided to return home instead of signing a contract with the San Jose Sharks.

The Czech native will play for HC Dynamo Pardubice in the Czech Extraliga. 

Kaut played nine games at the NHL level with San Jose and had five points. He was productive and utilized his speed. He also got to play with fellow countryman Tomas Hertl for a bit.

On July 6, while Sharks development camp was going on, the announcement came that Kaut signed with Pardubice.

Yesterday a report from a Czechia news outlet, iDNES, did a story about Kaut and what went wrong with San Jose. 

_{*NOTE: All Martin Kaut quotes are translated from Czech to English. Quotes have been made as clear as possible.*}

The report says that while Kaut was in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda, coaches would say to him, "Fight, and you will be in the NHL."

The report asked Kaut if he was forced to fight. 

"One of the coaches chose an opponent for me before each match, and I was supposed to fight with him," Kaut said. "I remember how he once pointed to Adam Klapka."

Klapka currently plays for the Calgary Wranglers and is a fellow Czech. Klapka is listed at 6'8, 236 lbs on elite prospects. Kaut is 6'2 190 lbs, but fighting anyone 6'8 is at a disadvantage.

"They say that's why I don't play [in the] NHL," Kaut said about if he refused. "I've had three concussions and an injured shoulder twice. If I had fought with the ones he was picking on 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? I should be on the ice from the goals."

The head coach of the Barracuda, John McCarthy, spoke to the media during development camp about the departure of Kaut.

"I don't know a whole lot about the situation, to be honest with you," McCarthy said on July 6. "He was great when he was with us. [He] worked hard. Obviously, we got him in the trade and thought he did some good things. [He] showed an ability to score. But you know, it's his decision."

McCarthy didn't indicate that there was any riff between Kaut and the coaching staff. 

"I thought about it on the flight home. It's possible. I don't know," Kaut said on if he would've played in the NHL if he had fought. "I told them this during exit interviews. I played against them for five years; they know me, and I never fought. Why are they asking me to do this all of a sudden?"

Kaut also explained the possible reason why they supposedly asked him to fight.

"They said they wanted to get something more out of me. Maybe I made a mistake, but I don't think the fights decided if I was going to be in the NHL. [Fights] are on the decline in hockey," Kaut said. "Plus, you didn't feel like we were a team at Sharks Farm. Each of the young people played on their own. Guys, I won't fight for you."

The last sentence sticks out as one goal for Barracuda GM Joe Will, was to bring veteran leadership to a young squad. Although Kaut is 23 years old, he has been in the NHL/AHL for the past five seasons. 

Kaut explained his decision to return home was because the San Jose Sharks offered him a two-way contract. Kaut explained that he was okay with it but wanted to make more money at the AHL level.

Ultimately, the San Jose Sharks and Kaut couldn't agree, and Kaut decided to go back to Czechia. The Sharks still retain his signing rights, but based on this news report, it sounds like getting him back in teal next season could be challenging.

The San Jose Sharks have issued this statement in regard to the comments by Kaut:

“We have been made aware of comments attributed to Martin Kaut stating that he was pressured to deliberately instigate a physical engagement with opposing players on the ice. Let us be unequivocally clear that no such direction was ever given or insinuated by the members of the Sharks or Barracuda coaching or hockey staffs.”