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COVID Protocol Related Absence

Kyle Connor, Nate Schmidt Clear COVID Protocol

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April 4: Both Connor and Schmidt have cleared the protocol and re-joined the Jets at practice today, after missing three games. Unfortunately, the team lost two of those and now sits six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the final wild card position.

March 30: The Winnipeg Jets will not have Kyle Connor or Nate Schmidt in the lineup for the next few games, as they have both tested positive for coronavirus and have entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol. Not only will they miss tonight’s match against the Buffalo Sabres, but Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports that they will also have to remain in the U.S. for the next five days, while the Jets head to Toronto and then back to Winnipeg.

It’s brutal timing for the Jets, who have won seven of their past ten games and are just three points behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild card spot. They have played 67 games, meaning every single one is extremely important from here on out, and losing Connor is a huge blow. The 25-year-old forward has scored 41 goals and 82 points in 67 games, setting new career highs in both categories. That includes 18 points in that recent ten-game stretch, carrying the offensive load for the Jets in recent weeks.

While losing Connor is probably the worst thing that could happen, losing Schmidt is also a substantial blow to the Jets. The 30-year-old leads all Winnipeg defensemen with 31 points in 66 games, and is still averaging more than 20 minutes a night (though that number has dropped recently). Losing both could very well be a death sentence for the Jets’ season, if other players aren’t able to step up and secure some points in the next three games.

Interestingly enough, even though they sold Andrew Copp at the deadline, the Jets have actually brought in some forward depth of late. Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, and Zach Sanford were all acquired, giving them some more options that will hopefully emerge over the next few games.

Colin Miller Enters COVID Protocol

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While COVID-related absences have slowed down significantly since last season and earlier this season, they are not totally a thing of the past just yet. The Buffalo Sabres have announced that defenseman Colin Miller has been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol, and will be out for the foreseeable future. The Sabres are set to take on the New York Rangers tonight, so Miller will obviously be unable to play in that game as the Sabres might have originally planned.

This loss will not likely be anything of major concern for the Sabres, who are 6th in the Atlantic Division with a 23-33-9 record. The remaining games of their season have pride at stake more than anything else, so losing Miller to the COVID protocol is unlikely to make anyone in the Sabres organization lose any sleep. As Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports, Miller’s normal defense partner Mark Pysyk will also not suit up for tonight’s game versus the Rangers, and in his (and Miller’s) place, Casey Fitzgerald and Will Butcher will re-enter the lineup. In a media availability, Sabres coach Don Granato stated that he wanted Butcher and Fitzgerald to play as a pair because they had been “skating together all week,” so the loss of Miller to COVID protocol may have the unintended consequence of making it easier for Granato to slide that pairing into his lineup.

For Miller, this absence is not likely one he welcomes but also not one that looks to be any major setback to his career, similar to the COVID absences of many other players this season. Miller has had an improved season this year compared to last, although he has struggled to stay in the lineup with any great degree of consistency. He has 14 points in 36 games this season, an improvement on his 12 points in 48 games last season. For Miller, who is a pending unrestricted free agent as his $3.875MM AAV contract is expiring, the hope has to be that he misses only a few days thanks to this development.

Lightning Place Boris Katchouk In COVID Protocol

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March 10: Katchouk has been loaned to the AHL on a conditioning assignment, suggesting he’s now out of the protocol and can play some games at the minor league level to get back up to speed.

March 6: While there has been a significant reduction of players entering COVID protocol since the All-Star break, there are a handful of players that have been put in there in recent weeks.  The latest is Lightning winger Boris Katchouk as Joe Smith of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the youngster has entered COVID protocol.

The 23-year-old made his NHL debut in mid-October and has been able to hold onto a spot on the roster all season.  Katchouk has played in 37 games this season, picking up two goals and four assists along with 25 penalty minutes while averaging 9:48 per game.

Since the All-Star break, testing is generally only required if a player is symptomatic.  However, it’s also needed to cross into Canada (where the Lightning are heading on Monday) so the whole Tampa Bay team was tested with Katchouk being the only one to test positive.  As a result, he’ll be out for at least the next five games – tonight’s contest against Chicago plus the four-game trip in Western Canada.  Katchouk should be able to return on March 16th.

Tampa Bay is able to take Katchouk off their active roster but it’s unlikely they’ll do so as they don’t have enough cap space to bring anyone up from AHL Syracuse.  Instead, they’ll have to make do with only one extra skater on their road trip.

Canadiens Place Corey Schueneman In COVID Protocol

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Most of the Canadiens went through COVID protocol in late December when the team was at one point down more than 20 players.  However, a handful of them didn’t contract the virus at that time and one of the ones who didn’t – defenseman Corey Schueneman, has been placed in COVID protocol, per a team announcement (Twitter link).

The 26-year-old was recently recalled to Montreal to take the place of injured defenseman Ben Chiarot and played a career-high 21:24 in Thursday’s victory over St. Louis while being one of two defenders to see time in overtime.  Schueneman was likely set to be the one going back down to the minors with Chiarot expected to return on Sunday and this placement will create the roster spot needed to bring the veteran off injured reserve.

Worth noting is that just before being recalled to the Canadiens, Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Laval had a COVID outbreak of their own that has resulted in seven players being added to protocol.  Schueneman will have to miss at least the next five days as a result of the placement, one that could be longer if he’s symptomatic.

Buffalo Sabres Announce Numerous Roster Moves

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Everything is happening all at once in Buffalo. The team has been waiting to re-activate several injured players for more than a week now, yet at the same time they have been waiting all day for COVID-19 test results after multiple initial positives earlier. Just ahead of their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes, the team has now announced it all in a flurry of moves that will re-shape the roster, at least for the time being.

Though less anticipated, the COVID Protocol absences are unfortunately the bigger part of the Sabres’ roster news. The team has placed defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and forwards Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Asplund in the protocol. Assistant coach Matt Ellis was also named as one of five additional members of Buffalo’s traveling party who will be sidelined due to COVID. These three players in particular are obviously a major loss for the Sabres. Dahlin, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, has taken that next step in his development this season and has been Buffalo’s best player. He leads the team with 28 points and 23:51 average time on ice and ranks in the top five in goals, hits, blocked shots, and takeaways. No loss could impact the Sabres’ more. With that said, Olofsson and Asplund are also major absences. The former is having a down year, but still in the top five in scoring and plays a critical role on the power play. The latter has already surpassed his career marks in games played and points and is one of the better possession players on the team. For the Sabres’ sake, hopefully the trio are only out short-term as they play such meaningful roles and the club is already missing a laundry list of players due to injury.

That list has shrunk today though. With no options left in net following Michael Houser landing on COVID Protocol yesterday, Aaron Dell suspended and waived, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban on injured reserve, the Sabres finally activated Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski just in time for their game. Anderson had been out since early November with an upper-body injury but has been working his way back in recent weeks, while Tokarski has been out since early December. Anderson was playing very well prior to his injury, especially for someone who was set to retire this past  off-season, so the Sabres will be hoping he can return to form. They also have regained the services of veteran forward Kyle Okposo, who’s having a resurgent season. Okposo has missed the past week, but is still fourth in scoring with 23 points in 37 games. The team can certainly use that offense with Olofsson and Asplund sidelined.

Additionally, Buffalo has also recalled defenseman Casey Fitzgerald from the taxi squad. Fitzgerald has played in four NHL games this year, with one point on the scoreboard, but has nine points in 27 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

Martin Necas, Jordan Martinook Enter COVID Protocol

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Jan 20: The Hurricanes have now placed Jordan Martinook in the protocol, removing another forward from the mix for a few days. Martinook played a little less than 13 minutes on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, recording his seventh point of the season.

Jan 17: After wowing the crowd with an impressive goal on his birthday this weekend, Martin Necas will have to enter isolation. The Carolina Hurricanes forward has been placed in the league’s COVID protocol, just 40 minutes after the team released a video celebrating his 100th NHL point.

Necas, 23, has registered those 100 points in just 158 career games, including 21 in 33 this season. Like most of the Hurricanes these days, strong possession numbers have resulted in good offensive results for the young forward, despite seeing limited time on the powerplay as part of the second unit.

Luckily, the Hurricanes play only twice this week. Games tomorrow and Friday are likely out of the question for Necas if he tested positive for coronavirus, but there would be a chance he’s eligible to return on Saturday. Even if it is three games he misses, the Hurricanes are a strong enough group that they have in-house replacements for his minutes.

Team reporter Walt Ruff tweets that Nino Niederreiter has moved into Necas’ spot on the second line at practice today, with Derek Stepan jumping in on the fourth line. Jaccob Slavin, who was in the protocol the last few days, has joined the group.

NHL To Change Testing Protocols After All-Star Break

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The NHL has announced that it will make some changes to their COVID-19 testing procedures following the All-Star break, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Seravalli reports that asymptomatic players and staff will no longer be tested for coronavirus, provided that COVID-19 rates around the league continue to decline over the next few weeks. Testing will then only happen following symptoms or for cross-border travel.

Notably, Seravalli adds that 73% of NHL rosters have tested positive this season and approximately 60% in the last five weeks. The NHL already had protocols in place to stop testing players for 90 days after their positive case. The current procedures are in place through February 3, while the NHL and NHLPA will meet before January 31 to review and approve the proposed changes.

In a press release, the league has confirmed the potential changes and listed them as follows:

Testing Protocol: The plan is to continue the current testing Protocol through Feb. 3. Provided positive test results continue to decline within the NHL, and pending review and agreement by Jan. 31 by the NHL’s and NHLPA’s medical experts, the Protocol will be updated as follows:

i. There will be no testing of Fully Vaccinated Players and Staff during the All-Star break (including for participating Players and staff), unless needed for travel or development of symptoms.

ii. There will be a single test upon re-entry to Club facilities post-All-Star, after which there will no longer be asymptomatic testing, or testing of Fully Vaccinated close contacts.

iii. Thereafter, testing will continue only on a limited “for cause” basis in Fully Vaccinated Players and Staff who develop symptoms or require testing for cross-border travel.

iv. The post-COVID “testing holiday” will remain at 90 days, but symptom-based testing can still be done at the team physician’s discretion. Testing for cross-border travel post-COVID will be dictated by the relevant health authority, which is currently 90 days for entry to the U.S. and 180 days for entry to Canada.

Taxi squads, which were introduced in late December as teams were struggling to ice full rosters, are scheduled to disappear again after each team’s final game before the All-Star break. Whether they are maintained past that is still unclear at this point. Friedman reports that a revised schedule for the February Olympic break is expected as early as tomorrow. More than 100 games have been postponed so far.

Joel Eriksson Ek Enters COVID Protocol

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Just as he was about to return from injury, Joel Eriksson Ek will have to enter isolation. Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason told reporters including Sarah McLellan of the Star-Tribune that Eriksson Ek has tested positive for coronavirus and will not play for the team tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks. Victor Rask will take his place in the lineup, one that he hasn’t been able to fill since before Christmas.

Eriksson Ek last played on December 20, seeing just eight minutes before leaving with an upper-body injury. After missing his chance at an outdoor game and the Winter Classic, he was set to return for the Wild tomorrow night. That will have to wait, as a confirmed positive result will not only keep him out for tomorrow but also Monday’s matchup with the Colorado Avalanche, a key test in the Central Division race.

Signed to a massive eight-year, $42MM deal last summer, Eriksson Ek has finally started to show why the Wild were so excited to select him 20th overall in 2015. The two-way center had 19 goals and 30 points in 56 games last season and has come back at an even better pace this time around. In 30 games this year he has 11 goals and 20 points while posting the best possession statistics of his career. Those impressive underlying numbers are even with some heavy defensive deployment, as Eriksson Ek’s biggest value comes through in his own end. He finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting a year ago and will likely continue to be in the running for the award in the years to come.

Unfortunately, that play will have to wait at least a few more days because of this positive test. He’ll enter the protocol and hope to test out before the team’s January 21 game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Alexander Barabanov Added To COVID Protocol

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The San Jose Sharks will be without Alexander Barabanov for at least the next few days after he was placed in the COVID protocol today. Head coach Bob Boughner confirmed to reporters including Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News that Barabanov did indeed test positive for coronavirus this morning.

He joins Nick Bonino, assistant coach John MacLean, and video coach Dan Darrow in the protocol for the Sharks. It also means that the team is losing another important forward, though Rudolfs Balcers is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow against the New York Rangers. Balcers last played over a month ago and can basically step directly into Barabanov’s spot, though can’t really replace the offense that the 27-year-old Russian has brought since arriving in San Jose.

Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs after failing to earn a full-time spot, Barabanov ran with the opportunity down the stretch and scored seven points in nine games last season for the Sharks. He signed a new one-year, $1MM deal to return to San Jose and this season has proven to be a reliable top-six option. In 32 games he has 20 points, while averaging nearly 17 minutes a night and also taking a regular shift on the powerplay.

Since he’s positive, he’ll miss at least five days in the protocol. That means at least two games missed and more likely three, as the Sharks play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday and Los Angeles Kings on Monday.

Golden Knights Place Three In COVID Protocol

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Add Vegas to the list of teams that are now missing players due to COVID protocol as the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Shea Theodore and centers Nicolas Roy and Nolan Patrick have all entered COVID protocol.  Assuming these are for confirmed positive tests, they’ll be out for at least the next five days.

Theodore has been a key part of the back end for the Golden Knights this season and is off to a strong start offensively with 25 points in 35 games.  Roy is also off to a career-best start with 19 points in 35 contests, already surpassing his previous high in points which is a great start to his contract year.  As for Patrick, he only recently returned from an upper-body injury that cost him 29 games and while this is only a short-term setback, he has unfortunately had a lot of setbacks in recent years.

Taking their spots on the active roster for the time being are blueliner Daniil Miromanov, center Jake Leschyshyn, and winger Jonas Rondbjerg.  All three have spent time with Vegas – Leschyshyn playing the most having suited up in 19 games – and will now be called upon for tonight’s game against Toronto.  While Adam Brooks was eligible to be recalled from his conditioning stint in Henderson, they’ve elected to leave him there a little longer.

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