Who Is Opting Out Of The NHL Playoffs?

There have been discussions among NFL and MLB players regarding who will sit out due to Covid-19 concerns. This has now extended to the NHL in the days following the CBA ratification between the NHL and NHLPA.


Not to knock any other professional sports league, but hockey players are a different breed. Hockey is truly a team game that offers no room for an individual mindset or culture. Some players are truly concerned about Covid-19 and its adverse impacts. However, players seem to care more about what the guys in the dressing room think about them. They want to be 'team' guys, through and through.

Though nobody can be completely accurate at this time, the expectation is that no players will voluntarily sit out of the 2020 NHL Playoffs.

"You'd better have a good reason for opting out if you're a player, especially one on a contending team. What do you think the reaction of teammates will be next December when teams reconvene for training camp in advance of the 2020-21 season if a team was missing a key player or two via opting out and the team lost."

To opt out, players need not provide any reasoning or medical documentation. It is completely voluntary. While some disagree, many believe opting out will create a negative stigma and give an appearance of a selfish teammate.

Photographer: Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire