Ukraine supporter United States is entangled in a diplomatic row with Russia over a pro athlete.
WNBA all-star Brittney Griner, who plays pro basketball for Ekaterinburg in the off-season, was sentenced Aug. 4 to nine years in prison for drug possession.
When she arrived in Moscow on Feb. 17, police said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
Winter says Russians playing in the NHL deters a possible retaliatory detention of a Canadian player over Canada's support of Ukraine, but a McGill associate Professor of Political Science says the risk exists.
"Russia doesn't have any rule of law, so anybody who is in Russia is always in danger of being framed, incarcerated, used as a pawn in whatever the local government, central government et cetera decides to do," Maria Popova said.
The risk of a Canadian hockey player detained by local, state or central governments is low to moderate, "but there is a risk," she said. "I think something like what happened to Brittney Griner is possible. The same playbook can be repeated in a case against a Canadian player for sure."
"I don't see why Russia would try to use these people as a pawn because Canada is not Russia's main problem in this war," Popova continued.
"There isn't really any hope that Russia could change Canadian policy in Ukraine. They know Canada is firmly in NATO, clearly backing Ukraine."
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