Stralman wonders if it’s really worth it?
Joe Smith of the Athletic: Florida Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman knows that he’ll have to head back to North America when Phase 3 goes into action. Stralman does wonder if it’s all really worth it?
“I think you should be concerned,” Stralman said. “There are so many ways to look at this thing. I know everybody wants hockey back, but safety has to come first. And it’s a little bit worrisome, I can’t deny that. Even though most players are young and healthy, I’m sure there are players like me that have underlying health issues. I don’t know how my body will react if I get this virus.”
Stralman’s wife and four kids are going to remain in Sweden.
Not everyone is going to be happy when they return to play
Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun: Winnipeg Jets Blake Wheeler wonders if his wife and three kids are able to stay with him in a hub city, how would they handle confined to a hotel for an extended period of time? Not everyone is going to happy with the process.
“No matter what you do, somebody is going to be unhappy,” Wheeler said. “You try to… come up with a solution that is going to check as many boxes as you can. There’s still a lot of hurdles to go.
“We gotta make sure that our safety is at the top of that list. Because we’re a few months into this pandemic – we don’t know what the long-term effects are going to be.”
Players shouldn’t be vilified if they are not comfortable returning to play
Josh Gold-Smith of theScore: There are going to be some players that are not going to be comfortable when the NHL season gets back underway. Columbus Blue Jackets Nick Foligno said that those players shouldn’t be vilified for feeling that way.
“I think it has to because that’s just human rights,” the Columbus Blue Jackets captain told TSN’s Mark Masters when asked if a player not wanting to play would be welcomed. “If you don’t feel safe to return, I think there needs to be some sort of way for those guys not to be vilified. No one’s going to look at you (unfavorably) for not wanting to go back, and I don’t think they should be.
“If you don’t feel safe because of a condition or just a belief, then you have every right as a human not to return to play until you feel comfortable about it.”
Foligno said that if he is told he’s not able to see his family when they get back to playing that “there’s going to be a fight.”