Jaden Schwartz admits he had little motivation to play last season

It has been a tough year for now Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz, who in a discussion with Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic admitted he almost sat out the entire 2020-21 season after the sudden passing of his father, Rick Schwartz.

Rick was just 59 years old at the time he passed away due to a heart attack. Obviously, as it would with anyone, it put Schwartz in a very low place, and as a result he nearly forfeited $4 million in salary and sat the 2020-21 season out.

«I didn't even know if I was going to come back,» Schwartz said. «This past year was pretty tough on me and my family. I didn't have much motivation to play and didn't really have time to train. Back home, everything was closed and we had to quarantine, and with my dad passing, it was a lot on me. I wasn't in a very good place. It's tough leaving your family and friends behind and not being there for them and not having them to be around me, either.

«I didn't really know what to do, but I wanted to be there for my teammates. I knew my mom and family really enjoyed watching me play hockey, and my dad would have wanted me to go back and play. I mostly did it for them, but it wasn't easy. I think my teammates knew that I wasn't at 100 percent.»

When the 2021-22 season begins, Schwartz will wear a jersey different from the St. Louis Blues one he has worn his entire career, as he signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal with the Kraken as a free agent this summer. While he admitted it was tough to leave the city of St. Louis and his teammates, he needed a chance, and being in Seattle puts him much closer to his family who are in Saskatchewan. One can't blame him for that.

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