John Tavares believes the NHL is doing the best it can to implement proper safety measures to ensure the season can resume and finish at some point this summer.
"I haven't seen any other industries institute, at least that I know in the sports world, the type of strict protocols that we have and are going to have in the NHL that has helped us and will help us be as safe as possible and give us a realistic opportunity to play," the Toronto Maple Leafs captain said Monday, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.
"We continue to listen to all the health experts and health organizations which are kind of guiding us. That's the biggest thing," Tavares continued. "There's obviously unique cases and certain circumstances for any specific individual but we're in a pretty good spot with the type of testing, safety protocols, and measures that have been put into place."
The league revealed Friday that out of over 200 players tested so far during Phase 2, 11 tested positive for COVID-19. While this phase is voluntary, any player who opts to participate must be tested regularly.
The Maple Leafs captain is a part of the league's Return to Play committee and has been a part of ongoing discussions about players' concerns with return-to-play plans since the season was paused on March 13.
He pointed to the sports leagues in Europe that have resumed as a positive sign: "We've seen overseas in some of the soccer leagues, especially in some of the countries that were hit pretty hard, how they've been able to adjust and adapt and adopt very similar protocols in the quest to play and complete their seasons. It leads me to be optimistic that we'll be able to complete our season."
The NHL will reportedly allow groups of up to 12 skaters train together as of Tuesday. Groups of up to six were previously allowed under the Phase 2 guidelines. Despite the uptick of positive cases announced Friday, the league isn't planning to delay its tentative date for full team training camps beginning July 10.
