from Matt Larkin of The Hockey News,

Tavares, then, has continuously been abreast of the league’s progress in building out return-to-play scenarios. He’s been optimistic about the NHL’s chances of reaching phase 3 and beyond and, speaking Monday, three days after the Matthews news broke, Tavares’ outlook was still glass-half-full. Even if there are isolated stories of infections surfacing, for Tavares, what matters most is what the league is learning from the infectious-disease experts.

“Everything they’ve said has been inherently positive,” Tavares said. “Obviously we’re in the middle of a pandemic, so there’s concerns and issues that have to be addressed and talked about in dealing with the virus. But knowing the things they’ve said…obviously there are unique cases, whether it’s players or other people have different issues they’re dealing with. But I think generally what we’ve been told is, because of the health and the type of condition we’re in, the age group we’re in, our risk is as low as it can be in the general population.

“Also, especially the with framework the league and the PA have tried to create in consulting with all these experts and a lot of doctors and the health agencies – with us getting tested as much as we are and the protocols being put in place, I haven’t seen too many other businesses or other entities that have implemented such strict protocols and testing regimens that we have now that will only continue to get more rigid going forward. I feel pretty comfortable with where everything’s at.”

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