Vancouver Canuck forward attempting to make NHL comeback against medical advice
Yesterday, Michael Ferland's desire to make a comeback to the NHL, despite significant injury concerns, was made public on the Donnie and Dhali show in Vancouver.
Ferland, now 30 years of age, has played only 15 professional games in the last two years. Having dealt with several concussions earlier in his career, and significant ones in the last two years, it's questionable whether Ferland should make the effort to come back.
Ferland reportedly contacted former Canuck Gino Odjick for advice on making the comeback. Odjick advised him, along with his agent, to step back from the game of hockey and prioritize his quality of life moving forward.
It can be extremely difficult for players when their careers don't end on their own terms. Looking at the emerging science on CTE and other long-lasting health issues stemming from repeated head trauma, it really is advisable that Ferland retires from hockey. Yet, he still wishes to make an attempt. Ferland wants to attend training camp, see if he can pass the physical, and will re-evaluate his position from there.
Ferland is in the last year of a contract that pays him $3.5M annually, guaranteed to him even if his contract remains on the LTIR. However, if he wishes to extend his playing career, he'd need to play this year to attract suitors as a UFA. That being said, it seems extremely unlikely, and unadvisable, that he will make a return to the NHL.
| POLL | ||
Should Michael Ferland continue his career? | ||
| Yes | 37 | 24.8 % |
| No | 112 | 75.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
