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Roman Polak Seemingly Walks Away From Stars and NHL

According to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required), defenseman Roman Polak has apparently walked away from both the Dallas Stars and the NHL.

According to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required), defenseman Roman Polak has apparently walked away from both the Dallas Stars and the NHL. In a move that seems to come as surprise to Stars GM Jim Nill, Polak says he’ll return to the team if he absolutely has to, but would rather not finish out the 2019-20 NHL season should it start back up.

Shapiro writes:

The Dallas Stars defenseman has signed a three-year contract with HC Vitkovice in the Czech Republic, set to begin during the 2020-21 season. The deal, which was announced on Monday morning, includes the caveat that he’ll be able to finish his current NHL contract before joining the Czech team.

Polak, however, has made it known he would prefer to not return to Dallas for the scheduled NHL training camp that would open on July 10 as part of Phase 3.

source – ‘Roman Polak’s time with Stars may be over; defenseman isn’t interested in return’ Sean Shapiro – The Athletic – June 15, 2020

The reasons seem to be that Polak wasn’t pleased with his ice time last season and feels he’ll get a chance to play more in another league. As for this season, he doesn’t feel his body could just make the jump right back into game action.

Reports are Polak told iSport.cz that if he “really had to finish the NHL, I would go. But I will do everything to make it unnecessary. I will definitely be here next season.”

GM Jim Nill said there’s not much the Stars can do and if Polak doesn’t want to return, the team can’t force him to. At best, the two sides could agree to terminate Polak’s current deal, which would then mean the Stars aren’t required to pay him his final NHL cheque. From there, Polak is a free agent and can walk away should he please.

Polak did comment on his future in the NHL and said of his last few games with the Stars, “Sometimes, I was sitting on the bench asking myself, ‘What am I doing here? I don’t want to be here.’”

Translations from @JVitek94 also suggest Polak is leaning towards not returning this season. He said, “I can’t imagine playing games after just three weeks of practicing on the ice. I need two month to prepare, othewise there is a risk of an injury.”

Related: Could the Penguins Trade Kris Letang?

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