I believe there is a difference in the NHL/ NHLPA issuing press releases as they did last season and the Commissioner and President of PA having a press conference to demonstrate support for players no matter what they choose to do, as the latter carries more weight.
Unfortunately that’s a side effect of being athlete/celebrity in the social media age, there will be a spotlight on them if they choose to participate in warmups in a different jersey or if the beat reporters tweet they are not on the ice.
Not only Athletes but everyone has the right to stand up for what they believe in and no matter what your stance is someone will vehemently disagree with that position, look at what happened in the NFL and NBA with their players in the preceding years.
Hell there were people upset on Twitter at Tage for wearing a Chik A Fila Hat during post game interviews.
From all accounts a vast majority of players enjoyed wearing the specialty jerseys in warm ups whether they be HFC, St Pattys Day or Pride Nights. It’s one game per season and 99% choose to participate. The players know the makeup of the room better than anyone else does, maybe let the players themselves decide if they want to continue or not.