The first player to opt out of returning to play was Travis Hamonic of the Calgary Flames on Friday night. Yesterday, he was joined by six other players including Edmonton Oilers trade deadline acquisition, Mike Green.
In a statement Green released via the Oilers he said, “Due to the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 and after much consideration, I’ve decided for deeply personal family health reasons, not to participate in the return to play.”
More NHL players expected to opt out
Also joining Hamonic and Green, who were the two most prominent names are depth/bench players. There are more expected, although some teams like the New York Islanders, and Tampa Bay Lightning have told reporters they don’t anticipate any.
Yesterday, Forever Blueshirts reported that the Rangers do not expect any current player already in NY to opt out. The deadline for players to inform teams they will not return is Monday at 5 PM Eastern time.