Would be safer than sailing in the summer when floating icebergs can be a real problem. At least in late fall or early winter the bergs are much less.
Other than that other problems will be that the 'bears' will be out on the ice, will be VERY hungry and looking for 'food', and the easterly winds will be 'roaring', so it would probably be faster to go up through the NW Passage to Murmansk.
The 'high latitudes' are not a place to be in a small boat. Even in 'summer' one can easily become 'ice-bound' - I did once for ~2 weeks and that was in a canoe. ;-)