Vancouver Canucks defenceman Travis Hamonic has not opted out of the upcoming regular season but remains away from the team, general manager Jim Benning announced in a statement.
“We’ve received confirmation that Travis Hamonic will not be opting out this season,” Benning’s statement reads. “He remains at home, dealing with some personal matters. We continue to support him, and out of respect for the situation, we will have no further comment at this time.”
Friday was the NHL’s deadline for players to chose to opt-out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns.
The 31-year-old Hamonic has not yet made an appearance at training camp and instead is home in Manitoba.
While a member of the Calgary Flames in 2020, Hamonic was the first player to opt-out of the NHL’s return-to-play playoffs after its pandemic-induced pause. Hamonic cited family reasons as a driving factor in his decision at that time.
The Canucks inked Hamonic to a two-year, $6-million contract in July with expectations he would factor in amongst the team’s top-four defencemen, likely slotting in alongside franchise cornerstone Quinn Hughes.
Hamonic had 10 points, three goals and seven assists, in 38 games during his first season with Canucks last year.