«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.