Name: ‘Is it worth it?’ Anton Stralman questions safety of NHL’s Return to Play plan
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‘Is it worth it?’ Anton Stralman questions safety of NHL’s Return to Play plan

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Jun 1, 2020 picked up the phone, and you could hear the breeze in the background.The veteran defenseman was at a farm outside of his hometown of Tibro, Sweden — “in the middle of nowhere” — watching his 13-year-old daughter Liv ride horses. Considering the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, this seemed like a pretty good bubble to be in.“It’s 71 and sunny, beautiful,” Stralman said. “I can’t complain. Everyone is doing well.”Stralman, 33, knows that he’ll eventually have to fly back to Florida if the ’s Return to Play plan advances to Phase 3 of actual training camps, which could open in early July. The by the NHLPA, but in terms of making all the logistics work, including the 25,000-30,000 COVID-19 tests it would require over the length of the playoffs in two hub cities.But Stralman wonders: “Is it 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 has dealt with bronchiectasis, which prevents mucus from being cleared from his lungs, since early in his career. It was finally detected during the Swede’s time with the , and he just got off the medication in the past year.“It would be terrible if we fly into hub cities and start playing, and maybe one of the workers in the building gets it. It’s not just the 50 guys on the team, there’s a lot of people that need to be there to make this work. If some of those people get sick and potentially die from that, who is responsible? And is this something I want to be part of? It’s about the safety, not just for me but everyone involved. That raises a lot of questions on if we should do this thing. And if we do, would there be a price to pay for it?“I’m not sure that’s the right thing to do.”Stralman, a veteran of 818 NHL games, is still dreaming of his first Stanley Cup and — if hockey does indeed return — would have a chance to compete for a playoff spot in a five-game play-in round against the . Of course, he would love another shot at hockey’s holy grail. He’s not getting any younger. But Stralman said he hopes that if the NHL doesn’t find a way to be “bulletproof” when it comes to safety, they make “the right decision.”“I think the main thing is safety,” Stralman said. “And I don’t think we should be obliged to be prioritized over people that actually need it way more than we do. There are so many people in this world right now that are going through some really tough times. I think all hockey players and owners should consider themselves fairly lucky to be where they’re at.“I know that not everybody has families, but I don’t think any (player) likes the fact we’re going to fly in and be away from our families for a long period of time. And I have more questions about the reason for this: Is it to recover some revenue? What is the calculation? I assume flying 24 teams to two cities and keeping them protected in a bubble at hotels, with all the medical and required personnel that you need for such a long time, it has to be expensive.“How does it add up, and is it worth it? Profit and money should never come over health and safety.”Stralman said his will likely remain in Sweden if and when he returns to the United States to play. Like many players overseas, Stralman , as he has a full gym at home and accessibility to ice.He believes there’s “no way it’s going to feel like a normal playoffs” without fans but notes that the competitive players will raise their level of play, considering the stakes.Stralman also has concerns about how a delayed postseason, which could end as late as October, would impact future seasons, with the 2020-21 season potentially starting in December or January.“We could have another short summer — or maybe not even a summer,” he said. “From that perspective on health for me, being one of the older guys going through the grind for a few years, we need that time during the summer to recover and heal all the limbs. You can come down and start this playoff in August in the best-case scenario. Maybe the smart thing to do is wait another month and start a new season. You’re already at the point where you’d normally come back to your city to start camp.“There’s just a lot of questions and not a lot of answers right now.”Is Stralman in the minority among players in having these concerns? Or is there a growing underbelly of players skeptical about what a return might look like?“I think a lot of guys look at it in different ways depending on where you are in your career,” Stralman said. “Whether they have families or not. I think it’s very individual. I know some guys that definitely want to play no matter what. Some guys want to play if it’s right. Some don’t.“I also think just the uncertainty of everything makes it harder. That’s the frustrating part.”Joe Smith can be reached at Follow @JoeSmithTB.(Photo: Richard A. Whittaker / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jun 1, 2020 picked up the phone, and you could hear the breeze in the background.The veteran defenseman was at a farm outside of his hometown of Tibro, Sweden — “in the middle of nowhere” — watching his 13-year-old daughter Liv ride horses. Considering the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, this seemed like a pretty good bubble to be in.“It’s 71 and sunny, beautiful,” Stralman said. “I can’t complain. Everyone is doing well.”Stralman, 33, knows that he’ll eventually have to fly back to Florida if the ’s Return to Play plan advances to Phase 3 of actual training camps, which could open in early...

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‘Is it worth it?’ Anton Stralman questions safety of NHL’s Return to Play plan

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