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Archives for December 2021

Minnesota Wild Facing Organizational COVID Issues

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Some tough news hit the Minnesota Wild organization today, as four Iowa Wild players entered the AHL’s COVID-19 protocol, per the team, including center Mason Shaw, who’s gotten into two games with the Wild this season and was a potential call-up option for the team in the coming days.

It’s apparent at this stage that the Minnesota Wild won’t be playing in the Winter Classic on January 1 with a full squad. Center Joel Eriksson Ek is out with an upper-body injury, and head coach Dean Evason confirmed earlier this week that he won’t play. Captain Jared Spurgeon is on injured reserve, listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He won’t be in either.

Now with defenseman Jonas Brodin entering COVID protocol yesterday, it became apparent that the Wild will need depth options in the coming days to continue to field a competitive team. There’s also the very viable concern of more Wild members entering COVID protocol – they’re one of the very lucky teams who have just one COVID-related absence as of now.

It’s important to note that Minnesota still stands in pretty good shape right now. Young Calen Addison and Jordie Benn are legitimate NHL options who can fill in for Brodin and Spurgeon on the back-end, and assigning more minutes to players like Ryan Hartman and Frederick Gaudreau down the middle can help alleviate Eriksson Ek’s absence.

But ahead of the Winter Classic, one of the most-talked-about and most-watched regular-season games of the year, it’s concerning. Over the past few weeks, the hockey world’s seen seemingly endless times how quickly situations like this can devolve.

It’s what makes the news out of Iowa so concerning. Minnesota still has quality depth options available for recall, including forwards Matt Boldy, Kyle Rau, Adam Beckman, Connor Dewar, and defensemen Dakota Mermis and Kevin Czuczman. If the COVID situation worsens in Iowa, however, it could seriously affect Minnesota’s ability to construct a competitive roster for the Winter Classic.

Devils Remove Five From COVID Protocol, Add Two Others

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Dec 29: Jimmy Vesey has joined Tatar and Gillies in the protocol. The Devils have recalled Jesper Boqvist and Marian Studenic from the taxi squad to fill the empty roster spots.

Dec 26: The Devils got some good news and bad news on the COVID front as they returned from the holiday break.  The team announced that winger Tomas Tatar and goaltender Jon Gillies have been placed in protocols but they were able to activate centers Nico Hischier and Jesper Boqvist plus defensemen Ryan Graves, P.K. Subban, and Christian Jaros from the COVID list.  Tatar and Gillies will be out for the next ten days.

Tatar is in his first season with New Jersey after signing a two-year deal with them in the offseason and is off to a quiet start offensively with just six goals in 30 games although his possession stats are once again well above the league average which was also the case when he played with Montreal previously.  Meanwhile, Gillies was just acquired from St. Louis to give them another option between the pipes with both Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier injured.  Fortunately for the Devils, Blackwood has returned to practice and should be ready to play soon.

As for those returning, Hischier sits second on the Devils in assists with 13 in 25 games although his three goals are underwhelming for the 2017 first-overall pick.  Boqvist has been up and down with the team this season and has suited up in eight NHL contests so far.  They’ll get a nice boost on their back end with the returns of Graves and Subban who sit third and fifth respectively in ATOI among New Jersey blueliners while Jaros has had a very limited reserve role.

New Jersey is set to play against Buffalo on Wednesday in their first game back from the break barring any further changes or postponements.

OHL To Reinstate Logan Mailloux

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The OHL has announced that Logan Mailloux, a member of the London Knights and first-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, will be reinstated from his indefinite suspension effective January 1, 2022. In the press release, they explained the decision:

Since the time of suspension, with the support of the London Knights, Logan Mailloux has participated in therapy and counselling with Dr. Lindsey Forbes, and a personal development plan under the leadership of Wendy Glover. Ms. Glover is a London-based, experienced holistic athlete development practitioner, academic and personal development advisor, teacher and member of the Ontario School Counsellors Association.

The player’s Personal Development Plan has included weekly meetings, ongoing completion of certifications, and reflections of concepts explored. Some of the certifications and programs available to athletes that he completed were Respect in Sport, Mental Health in Sport, Sport Media, Ethics in Sport, Diversity and Inclusion, Sport Psychology, and Cultural Awareness.

After reviewing the program, speaking with the player and Ms. Glover, and receiving a commitment from the player to continue with his personal development program, the League is satisfied that Logan Mailloux has undertaken the necessary steps and will reinstate him, effective January 1, 2022.

Mailloux was suspended in September after news spread of an incident that took place in Sweden where he was playing during the 2020-21 season. Mailloux was charged with taking and distributing an offensive photo without consent, of which he was convicted in December 2020. Now 18, he tried to renounce himself from the NHL draft, asking teams not to draft him and saying at the time:

…I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL Draft and ask that no one select me this upcoming weekend. I feel that this would allow me the opportunity to demonstrate an adequate level of maturity and character next season with the London Knights in the OHL and provide all the NHL teams the opportunity to reassess my character towards the 2022 NHL Draft.

The Canadiens selected him 31st overall and explained that they would make a “commitment to accompany Logan on his journey,” providing him with support to guide him in his development. The OHL then suspended him for violating the league’s “expectation of appropriate conduct.”

Michael Sgarbossa Clears Waivers

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Dec 29: According to CapFriendly, Sgarbossa has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

Dec 28: The Washington Capitals have placed Michael Sgarbossa on waivers today, allowing them to move him to the taxi squad or minor leagues should he clear. He did just that in October, but after spending the last month on the roster he needed to again before being sent down.

Sgarbossa, 29, has played in seven games for the Capitals this season, joining them when injuries and illnesses started hitting hard at the end of November. He’s scored two goals and three points in those games, but with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom returning from the COVID protocol, wasn’t really needed on the active roster anymore.

The risk of a claim, however, seems to be much higher now given the situation many teams in the league find themselves in. With players entering the COVID protocol every day, Sgarbossa would certainly offer more than many of the inexperienced call-ups that have been used. The longtime professional has 62 games at the NHL level over his career and nearly 500 in the AHL.

Team USA Forfeits World Junior Game; Enters Quarantine

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Dec 29: Another game has been forfeited, this time by Czechia. Finland will receive a 1-0 victory after a Czech player tested positive last night. The team will enter a quarantine like the U.S. and its status for tomorrow’s game against Austria is still to be determined.

For Team USA there might be some good news, as Bob McKenzie of TSN suggests that though the two players who tested positive have had that confirmed, the rest of the team is waiting for results this afternoon that could make them eligible to play against Sweden.

A few hours later, McKenzie reports that Russia has also forfeited a game due to a positive test. Slovakia will get the 1-0 win, and Russia’s upcoming games are now in question.

Dec 28: The IIHF has announced that Team USA has been forced into a mandatory quarantine period at the World Juniors after two players tested positive for COVID-19. Because they are unable to participate in the scheduled game against Switzerland today, the U.S. has forfeited the match. It will be recorded as a 1-0 Swiss victory. The team’s quarantine status will be evaluated later on to determine if they will be able to participate in the next preliminary round game, scheduled for tomorrow against Sweden. Bob McKenzie of TSN tweets that the positive test results could involve the team’s goaltending, though official word on player status has not been released.

Of note in a case like this, the IIHF decided not to include relegation for this year’s tournament because of the possibility of a series of forfeits, should a team experience a COVID outbreak. The U.S. is not in danger of falling out of the top division, though this obviously puts their chances at a medal in jeopardy. Switzerland and Russia will now be tied with Team USA in the Group B standings with one win and one loss. Should they also be forced to forfeit tomorrow’s game against the Swedes, it would be a difficult path to the quarter-finals.

The U.S. played Slovakia on December 26, who then played Sweden last night. Because of the condensed timeline of the event, it’s easy to see how an early outbreak could run rampant and end up putting the entire tournament in jeopardy.

John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of the U.S. squad, released a statement:

We’re extremely disappointed, especially for our players. We’re operating in an ever-changing landscape and that’s very challenging. We’ve followed the tournament protocol from the outset and will continue to do everything we can to ensure our players have the opportunity to compete at the World Junior Championship. 

Bayreuther, Liljegren Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs will be missing a pair of depth defenders for the next little while, as Gavin Bayreuther and Timothy Liljegren have been placed in the COVID protocols. For both teams this is something of a setback, given they’ve activated several players over the last few days and are preparing to resume their seasons in the coming days.

Bayreuther, 27, joins Oliver Bjorkstrand, Eric Robinson, and Joonas Korpisalo in the protocol for Columbus as the Blue Jackets get ready to take on the Nashville Predators tomorrow night. The veteran minor league defenseman has played 17 games this season, nearly matching his previous career total with five assists. Even though he’s been in the lineup, he’s not playing much, averaging just over 14 minutes a night on the year and just 12 in his last five matches.

Liljegren meanwhile joins William Nylander, Ilya Mikheyev, David Kampf, Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and Petr Mrazek in the protocol for the Maple Leafs, a team that saw almost the entire roster go on over the holidays. Toronto hasn’t played a single game since December 14 and won’t hit the ice until Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

The 22-year-old Liljegren has played in 19 games for the team this season, even logging more than 21 minutes in the team’s last game. A first-round pick in 2017, he’s barely played in the NHL to this point, totaling just 32 contests over parts of three years.

Notably, Liljegren and Bayreuther could now be facing different protocol rules after the NHL slightly changed their isolation periods for U.S.-based teams. Neither player has been listed as a confirmed positive by his team and no details on symptoms have been revealed.

Mike Smith Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Edmonton Oilers have their starter back, as Mike Smith has been activated from injured reserve. The veteran goaltender will retake his place in the Oilers crease, while Stuart Skinner returns to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. The Oilers have also moved Philip Broberg and young goaltender Ilya Konovalov to the taxi squad.

Smith, 39, has played in just three games this season after suffering an early injury and then experiencing a setback in his recovery. He did stop 92 of 100 shots during that short period at the beginning of the year, continuing his strong play from last season, but it will be a whole new set of expectations after missing so much time. The team received some admirable performances from Mikko Koskinen and Skinner–the latter had a .916 in ten appearances–but it’s Smith that will likely take the team to the next level, should they be able to get there.

The Oilers have gone 4-6 in their last ten and slipped to fourth place in the Pacific Division but still have plenty of time to catch the teams ahead of them. They’ll take the ice tonight against the St. Louis Blues before traveling to the east coast to play the Devils, Islanders, Rangers, and Maple Leafs in quick succession. Smith will obviously be handling the lion’s share of the work, though it remains to be seen where his game is after more than two months off.

Montreal Canadiens Add Five Players To COVID Protocol

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Dec 29: After getting in one game last night, the Canadiens have placed two more in the COVID protocol today. Paul Byron and Cayden Primeau are both now unavailable and join the rest of the absences in the protocol. Byron was closing in on a return from injury and Primeau was expected to play this weekend with Allen unavailable. McNiven will now likely be recalled to backup Sam Montembeault.

Dec 27: The Montreal Canadiens have added another five players to the COVID protocol today, recalling a handful of replacements in the process. Jake Allen, Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, Jeff Petry, and Chris Wideman have entered the protocol, along with goaltending coach Eric Raymond. The team has recalled Cayden Primeau and Corey Schueneman to the active roster, while also bringing up Brandon Baddock, Gianni Fairbrother, Cam Hillis, and Michael McNiven to the taxi squad. The team will travel to Florida where they are currently scheduled to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night.

The new five will join Laurent Dauphin, Mike Hoffman, Artturi Lehkonen, and Tyler Toffoli, who were already in the protocol. The team also has almost countless injuries, meaning it’s not quite the full Montreal experience heading to face the Lightning. In a lost season for the Canadiens, nearly everything that could have gone wrong has, and they find themselves near the very bottom of the league standings.

If the games are played as scheduled, the team will no longer have to play short after the league amended the salary cap and emergency exception rules yesterday. Still, these recalls bring them close to the organizational limit; Primeau and McNiven were the only two other goaltenders in the organization signed to NHL contracts.

NHL Changes COVID Protocols, Isolation Period

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After the CDC recently updated and shortened recommended isolation periods in the U.S., some sports leagues have followed suit. While there has been plenty of discussion about whether the NHL would be able to since some of their teams reside in Canada, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the league has done just that.

Provided it is allowed by local health authorities, the isolation period has been shortened to five days for vaccinated players and staff. In the release, it explains the process that it will now use for a confirmed positive case of COVID-19:

  • Isolate for 5 days.
  • If you have a fever, continue to isolate until your fever resolves.
  • If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave isolation:
    i. after a lab-based PCR test that is negative or that has a CT value >30, or two negative molecular point of care tests collected >2 hours apart
    AND
    ii. medical clearance from your Club physician
    AND
    iii. providing such an exit is permitted by your local health authority
  • You shall continue to always wear a mask around others for 5 additional days, other than for practices and games
  • All other aspects of the Protocol apply, including the criteria for cardiac screening.

The league will re-evaluate these new measures in 14 days, but for now, it could drastically affect the number of games missed by positive cases that experience mild symptoms. Players will still need to test negative to get out of the protocol–something that is different than the NFL, for instance–but there’s at least a chance that they return earlier than previously expected.

Of note, this does not appear to be in effect for Canadian teams or change the 14-day travel restrictions for players who have tested positive. If they have tested positive, they would not be able to accompany their team to Canada for the following two weeks even if they have left the league’s shortened protocol.

Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues Complete Minor Trade

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The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues have completed a minor trade, with Will Bitten and Nolan Stevens changing organizations.

The Wild will receive Stevens, a 25-year-old forward that has 12 points in 20 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds this season, his fourth in the AHL since signing out of Northeastern University. Standing 6’3″, he offers some size and skill as a potential depth player for Minnesota. More likely though he’s headed for Iowa where he can continue his season in the AHL. Stevens is on a one-year, two-way contract that carries a cap hit of $750K at the NHL level.

For St. Louis, Bitten comes to town after scoring eight points in 23 games for the Wild. A third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, he is still just 23 but has yet to make an appearance at the NHL level. Like Stevens, Bitten is on a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild but his actually carries a cap hit of $840K at the NHL level–not exactly the easiest to fit in for a team like St. Louis that is battling cap issues.

In all likelihood, both players spend the majority of the season in the minor leagues, perhaps seeing some time on the taxi squad if needed.

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