Conditioning for Phase 3 of the NHL Return to Play plan hasn't been a challenge for Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson. When the NHL announced it would be taking a pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, he headed home to Sweden, where the country remained open.
There he was able to train with fewer restrictions compared to the United States, and spent time with family to get his mind off of what was going on in the world. However, while he said that he is in a better physical place than he was when the season was suspended, it has been tougher mentally to get through the past few months.