Montreal Canadiens defenceman Karl Alzner is opting out of the NHL’s return-to-play plan, as announced by the team on Saturday night.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1282120598404190208
Alzner, 31, played four games for the Canadiens this season, posting a minus-one rating with zero points and four shots.
No specifics regarding Alzner’s decision were immediately available.
After not missing an NHL game for eight consecutive seasons, Alzner has played only 13 games in the past two years. The fifth overall pick in 2007 has seven years of playoff experience, all with the Washington Capitals.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1282848172717613057
Other players who have opted out include Edmonton’s Mike Green, Vancouver’s Sven Baertschi, Dallas’s Roman Polak and Calgary’s Travis Hamonic.
The NHL’s Phase 3 begins Monday, as teams open training camps in their home cities.
Montreal, the No. 12 seed in the East, is scheduled to face the No. 5 Pittsburgh Penguins on Aug. 1 in Toronto to begin a best-of-five play-in series.
[relatedlinks]
