NHL free agency: Roman Polak’s decision could have a snowball effect
Could Roman Polak’s quick decision to go to Europe affect European players in NHL free agency?
Dallas Stars defenseman Roman Polak was set to hit NHL free agency at the end of the 2019-20 season be has already signed a deal for the 2020-21 season with HC Vitkovice, a professional team in his home country of the Czech Republic. It seems like Dallas Stars’ defenceman has no interest in returning to the NHL when the season resumes.
34 years old with 806 NHL games under his belt, Polak has been through it all. He fractured his sternum and had to have a leg surgery after a brutal knee-on-knee hit.
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The Stars were already starting to phase him out of the lineup and he saw his ice-time severely cut. Choosing to play in his hometown where he can be with his family is a no-brainer at this stage of his career.
Polak’s decision could have a ripple effect on the rest of the NHL, most notably other European players who are in the same situation as him. Older players who are UFAs at the end of the season may take the same path as there continues to be a lot of uncertainty around the NHL due to COVID-19.
He also made a good point in saying that the training camp would be impossible for him at his age. Off-ice workouts and full-speed NHL games are not the same at all. Many players have not been on the ice for months and for players on the older side, getting back into NHL speed would be impossible.
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Many European countries such as Sweden and Denmark are doing a better job of containing the virus and asking players to leave their families to travel to the hotbed United States is not an ideal situation.
Why would the players return, putting their health in jeopardy while also being isolated from their families for a long period of time? Polak may be the first player to openly say that he has no interest in returning to the NHL but he definitely will not be the last.