The rest of the 2019-2020 NHL season remains in limbo – at least for the time being – but that hasn’t stopped Roman Polak of the Dallas Stars from planning his future. Polak has agreed to a contract with HC Vitkovice of the Czech league, per the team’s website. The deal with his hometown team does not technically begin until next season. The agreement exists in principle only until his contract with the Dallas Stars runs out at the end of the season.
Theoretically, Polak would be available for a playoff run with the Stars, though the blueliner doesn’t appear all that motivated to finish out the season under the current circumstances. If Polak does return for the remainder of the NHL season, it would likely require significant pressure from the Stars. Given his druthers, Polak pretty plainly prefers to move along to the next phase of his hockey career.
The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro shares a quote from Polak, originally captured by sport.c.z, where Polak said, “I am already determined to stay at home … If I 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.”
The soundbites from Polak paint a picture of someone steering clear of the remaining 2019-2020 season. Polak was set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so the 34-year-old is in a position to control his own destiny. How hard the Stars push Polak to return remains to be seen, but there’s a good chance Polak has played his last game in the NHL. The bruising defenseman appeared in 41 games this season for the Stars – his second in Dallas – recording four assists without scoring a goal in 16:40 ATOI. He missed roughly six weeks early in the season after fracturing his sternum while attempting a hit against the Bruins in early October.
From an aerial view, Polak’s decision to make a move for the future of his hockey life is certainly interesting in the context of the coronavirus shutdown. There’s a possibility that he’s not going to be the only player that prefers not to return for the 24-team playoff.
As for the Stars, they’re in a good position to withstand the potential loss of Polak. As one of the top four teams in the Western Conference, the Stars will ease back into play via a round-robin with the Blues, Avalance, and Golden Knights to determine the seeding for the top four spots heading into the postseason. Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas News provides comment from Stars GM Jim Nill, who said, “We can’t make someone come back under their wishes. If anyone wants to stay home, that is their decision.”