COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/16/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today:
Boston – Jaroslav Halak
Colorado – Bowen Byram, Philipp Grubauer, Joonas Donskoi*
Edmonton – Dmitry Kulikov
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Montreal – Jon Merrill, Erik Gustafsson
Philadelphia – Jackson Cates
Toronto – Nick Foligno, Riley Nash, Ben Hutton
Vancouver – Nate Schmidt, Jake Virtanen
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs; Nils Hoglander, Vancouver Canucks
Donskoi is the new player that tested positive for the Avalanche, leading to the NHL postponing two games and shutting down the Colorado facilities. Of note, Donskoi played in Monday’s game against the Coyotes but did not take part in Wednesday’s game against the Blues. His absence in that match was explained as him feeling “under the weather” after receiving the vaccine earlier in the week, but he has now tested positive for coronavirus.
The Maple Leafs and Canucks have both had a player clear the protocol, just as the game between the two teams originally scheduled for tomorrow was pushed back.
*denotes new addition
Ottawa Senators Sign Cole Reinhardt
The Ottawa Senators have signed another prospect, inking Cole Reinhardt to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will begin in the 2021-22 season, but Reinhardt is already playing with the Belleville Senators on an amateur tryout. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a statement on the signing:
We’ve been exceedingly happy with Cole’s play this season. For someone who was just recently drafted, he’s already showcased a great combination of strength and speed in addition to excellent hockey sense, which is likely his best attribute.
Reinhardt, 21, was passed over entirely the first two times he was eligible for selection in the NHL Entry Draft, but managed to land himself a sixth-round selection last October. The Senators used the 181st overall pick on the Brandon Wheat Kings forward, who had shown steady improvement offensively and recorded 31 goals and 55 points last season. Impressively, Reinhardt hasn’t looked out of place in the AHL, scoring seven points in his first 21 games with Belleville.
That performance has earned an NHL deal, though obviously, that doesn’t guarantee an opportunity will come at the highest level. Reinhardt will have to continue to work and develop his game, relying on the hockey sense that Dorion points out to create offensive chances for himself and his linemates. If the Senators are able to coax an NHL player out of their last selection in the 2020 draft, imagine how impressive the class–which had three first-round picks including Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson in the top-5–will be.
Winnipeg Jets Extend Adam Lowry
2:50pm: The extension is done and it will keep Lowry in Winnipeg for quite some time. The big center has signed a five-year deal that will carry an average annual value of $3.25MM. Lowry is now signed through the 2025-26 season, matching Kyle Connor for most remaining years among Jets forwards. Pierre LeBrun has the yearly breakdown, noting the deal includes no signing bonuses but does include a modified no-trade clause:
- 2021-22: $2.5MM
- 2022-23: $3.25MM
- 2023-24: $4.5MM
- 2024-25: $3.5MM
- 2025-26: $2.5MM
12:30pm: The Winnipeg Jets have several prominent names scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, perhaps none more important than checking center Adam Lowry. The 28-year-old is coming to the end of a three-year, $8.75MM deal he signed with the Jets in 2018 and would likely draw quite a crowd if he hit the open market. That’s exactly what the Jets are hoping doesn’t happen, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that progress is being made on an extension and things currently look “optimistic.”
Lowry, 28, certainly isn’t the flashiest of players but occupies a key role in the middle of the Jets’ lineup. The 6’5″ center takes the most faceoffs on the team, provides a huge amount of physicality–he leads the team with 132 hits through 44 games–and is a key forward on the team’s 11th-ranked penalty kill. Add in the fact that Lowry is having arguably the best offensive season of his career, with eight goals and 20 points through 44 games, and you get a player that no team would want to lose.
The good thing for the Jets, who already have nearly $57MM committed to the 2021-22 season, is that many of those things don’t end up carrying a ton of weight in contract negotiations, despite being valuable to the team. Lowry isn’t anywhere near the biggest name on the Winnipeg roster and will never lead the team in any scoring category, meaning his cap hit should stay reasonable on a multi-year extension.
Lowry isn’t the only player on the Jets roster heading for unrestricted free agency though. Paul Stastny, Matthieu Perreault, Nate Thompson, Trevor Lewis, Derek Forbort, Tucker Poolman, Laurent Brossoit, and the newly-acquired Jordie Benn are all on expiring deals, meaning this won’t be the last extension decision the team needs to make in the coming months. Add in the looming expansion draft that makes any re-signs even more complicated—the Jets have probably six forwards who will demand protecting if Andrew Copp‘s strong play has put him in that group, not leaving much flexibility between names like Lowry and Mason Appleton—and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has a lot of work to do, even if the trade deadline has now passed.
Linus Ullmark Out Week-To-Week
The Buffalo Sabres were just starting to get some momentum, but the end of the season might be difficult. The team announced today that Linus Ullmark suffered a lower-body injury on Tuesday that will keep him out “week-to-week.” Interim head coach Don Granato knows what that means, noting to reporters that the Sabres “don’t have many weeks left so that one’s a little touchy.”
Ullmark, 27, has played extremely well for the Sabres this season when healthy; the problem is he hasn’t been healthy very often. The pending free agent goaltender has played just 20 games despite being the team’s starter, but has an impressive .917 save percentage in those appearances. Even his record at 9-6-3 is a bit jaw-dropping, given the team’s overall total sits at 11-25-7.
Those are all things that Ullmark and his representatives can bring up in their ongoing negotiations if they wish. The Sabres kept the goaltender through the trade deadline in the hopes that a contract extension could be worked out at some point after Ullmark accepted a one-year, $2.6MM deal last offseason. That deal came together with the pressure of an arbitration hearing scheduled for the following day.
There is a lot of hope in Buffalo that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the goaltender of the future and can become an elite starter in the NHL, but he certainly hasn’t looked ready this season. The 22-year-old may get a chance to show what he can do in the NHL as soon as this weekend thanks to Ullmark’s injury, but in 13 appearances for the Rochester Americans, he has just an .888 save percentage. No one is writing the big Finn off, but to think he’s ready to take over the net entirely next season may be a bit premature. Extending Ullmark at least on a short-term deal could give the team some stability–at least if he can stay healthy.
NHL Announces Changes To North Division Schedule
In response to the Vancouver Canucks’ recent medical testing (as well as some choice comments from J.T. Miller) the league decided that tonight’s game was not able to be played. Tomorrow’s scheduled match against the Toronto Maple Leafs has also been pushed, with it now being set for Sunday evening. The ripple effect of these changes spread out across the entire North Division (save for the Ottawa Senators), with more than a dozen other schedule alterations announced today.
- Game #697, Toronto at Vancouver, scheduled for April 17, is now scheduled for Sunday, April 18 at 7 p.m. ET
- Game #710, Toronto at Vancouver, scheduled for April 19, is now scheduled for Tuesday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #726, Toronto at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 21, is now scheduled for Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET
- Game #829, Edmonton at Vancouver, scheduled for April 16, is now scheduled for Monday, May 3 at 10 p.m. ET
- Game #844, Edmonton at Vancouver, scheduled for May 6, is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 4 at 10 p.m. ET
- Game #593, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for May 4, is now scheduled for Thursday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #526, Edmonton at Montreal, scheduled for May 11, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 12 at 5 p.m. ET
- Game #647, Vancouver at Calgary, scheduled for May 3, is now scheduled for Thursday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #741, Toronto at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 23, is now scheduled for Friday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET
- Game #673, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for May 13, is now scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at TBD
- Game #567, Calgary at Vancouver, scheduled for April 21, is now scheduled for Sunday, May 16 at TBD
- Game #864, Calgary at Vancouver, scheduled for May 15, is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 18 at TBD
- Game #634, Vancouver at Calgary, scheduled for May 16, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 19 at TBD
Tomorrow’s game between the Oilers and Jets has also been pulled up three hours to fill the now-vacant primetime spot on Hockey Night In Canada.
Important to note here is that the North Division schedule now extends through May 19, the last day the NHL had built into their “buffer” before the playoffs are set to begin. Perhaps even more telling is that all those games scheduled past May 15 are between the Canucks and Flames, two teams who could be eliminated from postseason contention at that point.
NHL Postpones Avalanche Games Through April 20
The NHL has been forced to shut down another team for at least the next few days. After the Colorado Avalanche canceled morning skate today following another positive test result, the league has postponed their games through April 20. That means tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings and Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues will have to be rescheduled further down the line.
The hope is that the Avalanche can re-open their practice and training facilities on Wednesday, April 21 and return to action on the following night.
Bowen Byram was joined by Philipp Grubauer on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list earlier this week, though the team continued with their scheduled games. Today it was announced that another positive test result had come back from yesterday’s testing, though it is not clear which player will be in the protocol when the list is revealed in a few hours.
North Notes: Chiarot, Hyman, Ritchie
The Montreal Canadiens are expecting to have Ben Chiarot back in the lineup tonight, just four weeks after breaking his hand in a fight. Chiarot is returning nearly two weeks ahead of schedule, a nice boost for a Montreal team that is still perched precariously in the final North Division playoff spot. As head coach Dominique Ducharme noted to reporters including TSN’s John Lu today, however, Chiarot’s return from long-term injured reserve complicates the Canadiens cap situation and could delay the debut of top prospect Cole Caufield who was recalled to the taxi squad today–or even many of the team’s other reserves.
Of course, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet tweets, this could change quickly and certainly won’t keep the active roster static for the rest of the season. Though Ducharme’s comments may have been concerning to Montreal fans, the important news today is Chiarot’s return to his familiar spot next to Shea Weber with just 16 games left in the season.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman will sacrifice $5,000 for his high-stick on Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, but won’t face any suspension for the incident. Near the end of last night’s game, Hyman was involved in a net-front battle and after receiving a slash from Pionk, turned and struck Pionk in the face with the blade of his stick. The Maple Leafs forward was given a penalty on the play and now faces the maximum allowable fine under the CBA.
- Before joining the Vegas Golden Knights, first as assistant GM and then as GM, Kelly McCrimmon ran the entire Brandon Wheat Kings organization for decades. The owner of the WHL franchise, McCrimmon acted as GM and quite often head coach as well through 2015-16. One of the important members of that front office, in fact the man who took over as GM in 2019, is also now heading to the NHL. Darren Ritchie, who has been with the Wheat Kings since 2006 in various roles, most recently general manager, has left the junior club to take an amateur scouting position with the Maple Leafs. The Wheat Kings have named AGM Doug Gasper as his replacement.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/16/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- The Arizona Coyotes have sent Ivan Prosvetov to the AHL, giving him a chance to play instead of just serve as a practice squad goaltender. The 22-year-old saw a little bit of action earlier this month but with Antti Raanta‘s return wasn’t expected to dress very often.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled Alexander Barabanov, Jacob Middleton, and Jayden Halbgewachs from the AHL to the taxi squad, with Halbgewachs actually traveling down and then back up in the same day.
North Division
- Though the recall of Cole Caufield made headlines, the Montreal Canadiens actually also returned Otto Leskinen to the AHL–a move deserving of its own mention. Leskinen, 24, played one game for the Canadiens this season but was pushed further down the depth chart by some deadline additions. The undrafted defenseman is a restricted free agent this summer and one has to wonder whether he’ll return to Finland given he has spent most of his time in North America toiling in the minor leagues.
- With the Vancouver Canucks now preparing for action on Sunday, the team has recalled Ashton Sautner and Brogan Rafferty under emergency conditions. Jack Rathbone was also recalled to the taxi squad, giving the team a few extra bodies that may be needed over the weekend. Several Canucks regulars are expected to be held out despite clearing the protocol. Rathbone, who was playing in Utica, will need to go through the seven-day quarantine before actually being added to the Canucks roster.
Central Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have assigned Frans Nielsen to the taxi squad after he sat out yesterday’s 4-1 win. After winning their last three the Red Wings have climbed up to 26th in the league. While that may not seem like much, turning the corner toward winning is an important part of any rebuild.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have returned Ben Thomas to the Syracuse Crunch, after making his NHL debut earlier this month. The 24-year-old defenseman played a total of four games but failed to register his first NHL point.
East Division
- The Washington Capitals have sent Craig Anderson back to the taxi squad, moving Zach Fucale back to the AHL in the process. Ilya Samsonov was listed as day-to-day with his upper-body injury, but this move suggests he could be ready to at least back up tomorrow afternoon.
- The New Jersey Devils have shuffled several players between the minor leagues and taxi squad, most notably Nolan Foote, who has been recalled for just the second time in his career. Foote is still waiting on his first taste of NHL action but does have 16 points in 20 games for the Binghamton Devils this season. Matt Tennyson has also been recalled to the taxi squad, while Ben Street and Joshua Jacobs are on their way back to the AHL.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings Cancel Morning Skate
Just as the NHL deals with a difficult COVID-19 situation in Vancouver, another one seems to be emerging. The Colorado Avalanche have canceled morning skate again today after another member of their traveling party tested positive for coronavirus. The release does not indicate whether it was a player, coach or staff member, but this is not an isolated incident. The Avalanche canceled the skate on Wednesday as well after Philipp Grubauer tested positive, but still went on to play the St. Louis Blues that night. Out of an abundance of caution, the Los Angeles Kings–the scheduled opponent for tonight’s Avalanche game–have also canceled their morning skate.
Grubauer joined Bowen Byram on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list earlier this week. This would be the team’s third positive (at least released publicly) in the last week. The Avalanche also had many of their players vaccinated recently and have played both games after the previous positives turned up.
It is unclear whether that trend will continue tonight against the Kings, but so far there is no official word from the NHL on a potential postponement. If this most recent positive test result was a player, he will not be eligible to take part in tonight’s action if the game goes ahead.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 04/15/21
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.