Polak 'determined to stay at home,' signs with Czech club for 2020-21

Dallas Stars defenseman Roman Polak will play in his native Czech Republic for the 2020-21 season and has little interest in returning to the NHL if the 2019-20 campaign is able to resume this summer.

"I will not lie, it is not for me," Polak, who was a pending unrestricted free agent, said, according to Pavel Barta of Czech outlet sport.cz. "The idea that I should jump on the ice after three weeks of training and start playing live. This is unimaginable at my age."

Polak inked a three-year contract with HC Vitkovice Ridera of the Czech Extraliga, the team announced Monday.

The 34-year-old rearguard said he'd return to the NHL this summer if the league's return plan comes to fruition, but guaranteed he'll be back in the Czech Republic next season.

"I am already determined to stay at home," Polak said. "If I really had to finish the NHL, I would go. But I will do everything to make it unnecessary. I will definitely be here next season."

Polak also opened up about his experience in Dallas, and admitted that wanting to return home has been something he's contemplated all year.

"Sometimes, I was sitting on the bench asking myself: 'What am I doing here? I don't want to be here,'" Polak told sport.cz, per The Athletic's Sean Shapiro.

"When Stephen Johns started playing again after two-year break caused by concussions, they gave him big ice time. And told me and Andrej Sekera, that we will be rotating. I play one game, he play another game ... it was difficult to find motivation, because there doesn't matter how well or badly I play; I won't play next game in any case."

Polak recorded four assists while logging 16:40 of average ice time per game over 41 contests with the Stars this season, his 14th in the NHL.