Jan 7: Hamilton and Mason Geertsen have been added to the protocol today according to team reporter Amanda Stein, though the former was obviously not in any shape to play anyway.
Jan 6: Bad keeps turning to worse for the New Jersey Devils, who placed forward Andreas Johnsson into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol ahead of tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to head coach Lindy Ruff.
New Jersey is already missing a trio of important forwards. Captain Nico Hischier is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Pavel Zacha and Yegor Sharangovich are in COVID protocol.
They’re also missing Dougie Hamilton on defense as he recovers from a broken jaw. Jimmy Vesey was the 13th forward on the active roster, and it’s likely he’ll play tonight in place of Johnsson.
Through 34 games, Johnsson had nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points, good enough for second on the team behind leading scorer Jesper Bratt. The team certainly hopes the best for his case of COVID, and that he stays healthy and can return as soon as possible.