Dallas Stars defenseman Roman Polak told a Czech website that he will do everything he can to avoid returning to the NHL this summer to complete a restarted season, while announcing he had agreed to join a Czech league team for the 2020-21 season.
“I am determined to stay at home. If I really had to finish [the season], I’d go. However, I will do everything I can to avoid it,” Polak told iSport via Google Translate.
The 34-year-old defenseman played in 41 games this season for Dallas, and was a healthy scratch in eight of the final 19 games before the NHL paused its season on March 12. If he decided to return, the Stars’ current depth chart indicates Polak would likely be in a reserve role during the postseason.
Polak was among the 17 percent of NHL players who left for homes overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His agent Allan Walsh declined comment to ESPN, but passed along the official release HC Vitkovice, which announced that Polak had agreed to a three-year contract beginning next season. “We agreed that after fulfilling all the obligations that Roman follows from his still valid contract in the NHL, he will become a Vítkovice player,” said the team.
Dallas GM Jim Nill told the Dallas Morning News, “We can’t make someone come back under their wishes. If anyone wants to stay home, that is their decision. His contract expires at the end of this season, so no issues there.”
In the interview, Polak expressed concerns about the NHL restart plan, including the compressed schedule between July’s proposed training camps and the postseason tournament that would follow.
“I will not lie, it is not for me. The idea that I should jump on the ice after three weeks of training and start playing live. This is unimaginable at my age. Younger players may be able to do it, but I need two months before I get off the ground so I don’t have to do anything else. It’s weird to go back to it like this. Sometimes it occurs to me that there are an awful lot of questions. If it’s really worth the money and effort. The bubble, as they call it, that we should only stay at the hotel, at the stadium, and slowly they shouldn’t see each other. Even that costs a lot of money to start everything. Earnings would have to be worth it,” he said.
The NHL has previously said it would be receptive to the concerns of players about reluctance to return for the restart.
“If a particular player had a particular concern, we’ve had similar situations in the past, and we as a league have been sensitive and receptive to that situation. Obviously, if [concerns like this] become too widespread, then it becomes more problematic in terms of our ability to get back. But that will be handled up front. All indications at this point, as far as I can tell, is that the players are very anxious to get back,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN in April.