Another day, another member of the Capitals in COVID protocol. After center Nic Dowd was placed there yesterday, the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk has been added to COVID protocol and will not be available for tonight’s game against Columbus.
After having a limited role last season where he played in only 20 games, van Riemsdyk had played in all 24 games for Washington this season, notching seven assists while logging over 17 minutes per night on their third pairing. The 30-year-old is also tied for the team lead in shot blocks with 36. The team did not confirm whether van Riemsdyk has tested positive for the virus, but if he has and is experiencing any symptoms, he’ll be out for a minimum of ten days.
Washington has been carrying eight defensemen lately so they won’t need to call anyone up to take van Riemsdyk’s spot on the roster. Instead, it appears that veteran Matt Irwin will draw in for him tonight based on practice lines. Irwin signed with the Capitals in free agency over the summer but he has been a healthy scratch for every game so far.
Even if the Caps needed to call someone up from the AHL, they couldn’t. Their affiliate in Hershey has had their last 4 games postponed due to Covid issues. The Caps are stuck with what they have on hand
Not a bad gig for Irwin. He’s getting paid $750,000 and so far all he’s had to do is practice and watch games from the press box.
Oh my gosh! The Capitals now have 2 players that might die!!! Why are we still playing games? We had to shut the whole world down, thanks to our wonderful governments that only wish to save us. Could you imagine how many people would be dropping dead everywhere if it wasn’t for the shutdown…But, now it’s made it’s way into the Capitals…this means the locker room, the benches, the ice rink…the madness…send your prayers to the Dowd and TVR families. They have COVID! God help them. For God’s sake, we need to stop playing games for all of our safety! Who did Dowd have contact with lately? And TVR? I bet they got it from Eller…who is next? Please, for the love of all humanity, don’t go to the arena. Keep Ovi, Backy, Oshie, heck all Caps away from Dowd and TVR! What about the other teams? I know it’s some of their strategies…have someone with Covid wrestle around with our players and punch them in the face with those little jabs after the whistle blows…that’s how they’re doing it! Garny better be aware, as he’s next. God help us! At 1st glance, it may fool you as just being the sniffles or the common cold, but after you stick a 6” swab toward your brain, and wait for the file to come back with the results…that’s when your life and family will change. That’s when you know you may DIE! You will never feel it internally, but the results will tell you on that piece of paper…just lock yourself inside for 10 days and do literally everything you normally would do in life, but inside and by yourself…Covid is the most magical invisible disease of all time. No one has ever been able to isolate it, to show any proof, yet it feels like a cold, and it KILLS!