Yesterday the Globe and Mail reported that Canada will drop its vaccination requirement for travelers entering the country on September 30th, and that’s theoretically good news for Tyler Bertuzzi, but Eric Atkins Robert Fife pointed out that the United States still has a requirement that all travelers be vaccinated upon entry. Atkins and Fife do not know whether the U.S. will waive its requirement as well.
The Wings’ beat writers are weighing on on the story, with MLive’s Ansar Khan discussing it yesterday, and the Free Press’s Helene St. James discussing it this morning:
Tyler Bertuzzi made headlines last season as the only player on the team (and one of the few in the NHL) to decline to get vaccinated for COVID-19, calling it a “life choice.” The Wings did not pay Bertuzzi when he missed team activities, such as games and practices, because of his unvaccinated status, and Bertuzzi had to pay his own airfare when he met the Wings on a road trip when they were coming back to the U.S. from Canada.
That may not be necessary any more, as it appears Canada is ready to drop the vaccine requirement at the end of September, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.
The Wings have 10 games in Canada this season. They begin camp under new head coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday in Traverse City.
Bertuzzi is among the storylines to watch this season, entering the last season of a two-year, $9.5 million deal. He has topped 20 goals three times in his career, reaching 30 last season in 68 games. If Wings general manager Steve Yzerman senses the framework for an extension for the 27-year-old is not in the making, Yzerman would seek to trade Bertuzzi rather than let him walk as an unrestricted free agent. That scenario would have been hampered if Bertuzzi were not able to play in Canada, but now it looks like a nonfactor.
Continued; we’ll see. This story isn’t as simple as it seems.
