NHL not considering pushing back start date after positive COVID-19 tests, players are concerned

This week, eleven NHL players tested positive for COVID-19, which prompted several training groups to shut down. As of now, the known hotspots are in Arizona and Florida, where positive cases have been increasing among the general public for a few weeks.

Over 200 players who were participating in the league's Phase 2 were tested as part of the Return to Play Plan. There are many players who are not yet participating in Phase 2 and who have not returned to their teams' cities.

Phase 3, which involves the start of training camps, is scheduled to begin on July 10. An NHL source told The Athletic on Saturday that the league is not considering pushing the start date back for Phase 3.

The Athletic surveyed players regarding Phase 3 beginning on July 10. Several players, including Anton Stralman, Roman Polak, and Devan Dubnyk have publicly spoken out about their hesitations to return.

“You look at our staff, our coaches, they're older, so it's deeper than just the players,” said a veteran player whose identity The Athletic kept anonymous. “It's everyone that's involved in it, too. The staff and the coaches are probably more at risk of getting something serious than we are as players, and we do have to think about that."

One prominent agent estimated that 35-40% of players have reservations about returning to play in a hub city setting. Another agent estimated the percentage was even higher.

source: The Athletic

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