Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

COVID Protocol Related Absence

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/06/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Montreal – Joel Armia
Ottawa – Jacob Bernard-Docker, Shane Pinto
Vancouver – Travis Boyd, Jalen Chatfield, Thatcher Demko, Alexander Edler, Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic, Jayce Hawryluk, Nils Hoglander, Braden Holtby, Bo Horvat, Quinn Hughes, Zack MacEwen, Marc Michaelis, Tyler Motte, Tyler Myers, Antoine Roussel, Brandon Sutter, 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: None

One more name for the Canucks as their list continues to grow and now includes 18 of the team’s 22 active roster players. The team also has two taxi squad players and three coaches affected by the protocol, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Today in his 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman indicated that April 16 is now the earliest the Canucks could return to play.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/05/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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*
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Montreal – Joel Armia
Ottawa – Jacob Bernard-Docker, Shane Pinto
Vancouver – Travis Boyd, Jalen Chatfield, Thatcher Demko, Alexander Edler, Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic, Jayce Hawryluk, Braden Holtby, Bo Horvat, Quinn Hughes, Zack MacEwen, Marc Michaelis, Tyler Motte, Tyler Myers, Antoine Roussel, Brandon Sutter, Nils Hoglander*

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: Anton Khudobin, Dallas Stars; Brendan Lemieux, Los Angeles Kings

Just one more name added to the Canucks list, as Hoglander joins the rest of his teammates in the protocol. Things are still shut down for the team and now the league has made a schedule change that indicates Vancouver’s game this weekend is no longer a target. Irfaan Gaffar of the Fourth Period tweets that Canucks players are being told to stay isolated until Sunday, though there has been no official announcement from the league so far.

*denotes new addition

Jaroslav Halak Enters COVID Protocol

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After Jake Debrusk came off the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, the Boston Bruins had a clean slate and everyone available to them. No more, as according to Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com, Jaroslav Halak has tested positive for coronavirus. That will put him into the protocol whether or not it is determined to be a false positive down the line, meaning he won’t be available tonight. As Benjamin points out, Dan Vladar was expected to start anyway, but will now likely have Jeremy Swayman backing up.

Halak, 35, has been his dependable self this season, posting a .910 save percentage in 17 appearances. That’s actually more work and better results than Tuukka Rask, who has been dealing with various injuries almost the whole year. Halak has been one of the most reliable goaltenders in the league for his whole career, only posting a season save percentage under .908 once since his rookie year in 2006-07. You can’t ask much more from a backup goaltender.

That, in addition to the fact that Rask is still unavailable, makes this absence concerning for the Bruins. If Halak misses substantial time, Boston will have to hope that Vladar can hold the fort. Benjamin reports that Rask will not play tonight or tomorrow but is expected to travel with the team on the three-game road trip.

Latest On Vancouver Canucks COVID Situation

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Vancouver Canucks had 14 players on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, but the positive tests won’t end there. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that there are now more than 20 combined players and coaches that have tested positive. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that “more than half” of the Canucks’ players have tested positive and some are in “rough shape.” There is some dispute to the exact number though, as Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province tweets that the number of positive cases is actually under 20.

Despite whether or not the number is above or below 20, things are certainly not going well for the Canucks. The team is still technically scheduled to play on Thursday against the Calgary Flames, but that game (and the one on April 10) are unlikely to be played. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet even spoke last night about a remote possibility that the Canucks don’t play again this season, though that is a worst-case scenario.

Because of this and other situations, the NHL is discussing another playoff bubble according to Friedman. It is “not what anybody wants” according to the Sportsnet insider, but the league is still preparing contingencies.

The COVID protocol list will be updated later this evening and several new names are expected to be added to the Canucks list.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/03/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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 – Jake DeBrusk
Dallas – Anton Khudobin*
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux, Matt Roy*
Montreal – Joel Armia, Eric Staal
Ottawa – Jacob Bernard-Docker*, Shane Pinto*
Vancouver – Alexander Edler, Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic, Braden Holtby, Quinn Hughes, Zack MacEwen, Antoine Roussel, Travis Boyd*, Thatcher Demko*, Jayce Hawryluk*, Bo Horvat*, Tyler Motte*, Tyler Myers*, Brandon Sutter*

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: Brandon Hagel, Chicago Blackhawks; Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild

It’s another brutal day for the Canucks, who are up to 14 players now after several more positive test results. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic points out, even that number doesn’t include the taxi squad player and three coaches that have also tested positive. Team activities are currently shutdown through April 6, but that certainly seems optimistic at this point. The Canucks next game, scheduled for April 8, is obviously up in the air at this point with so many of their players in the protocol.

Hagel comes off after just one day, but there are a few other new names today including Khudobin, who tested positive for the coronavirus in the offseason. The two young Ottawa players are in the protocol after traveling from the U.S. following their college seasons.

*denotes new addition

Latest On Vancouver’s COVID-19 Outbreak

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Things took a turn for the worse yesterday for the Canucks in their COVID-19 situation with five regulars – Alexander Edler, Braden Holtby, Quinn Hughes, Zack MacEwen, and Antoine Roussel – joining Adam Gaudette and Travis Hamonic on the CPRA list.  There is an eighth player on there as well according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic who tweets that the unidentified player is part of their taxi squad.

Unfortunately, that number is expected to grow.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (video link) that more positive cases were identified on Friday night as well as the Brazilian variant of the virus being identified in some of the players.  Dreger added that several of the players that have tested positive are quite ill.

Vancouver has started to recall players from AHL Utica in an attempt to get them through the seven-day quarantine period before the Canucks are slated to resume play, notes Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).  The only one identified thus far is Kole Lind who is currently recovering from a facial injury sustained a month ago today.  Further complicating matters is that the Comets haven’t played since March 10th in a game against Rochester (Buffalo).  Since then, they’ve been in COVID protocols there as well with Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic tweeting that up to ten players down there had the virus as well.

For the time being, Vancouver’s games have been postponed through April 6th.  At this point, with more players expected to be added to the CPRA list and players only now being recalled to start their border-crossing quarantine, it seems that it’s only a matter of time before their pause gets extended.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/02/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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 – Jake DeBrusk
Chicago – Brandon Hagel*
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Eric Staal
Vancouver –Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic, Alexander Edler*, Braden Holtby*, Quinn Hughes*, Zack MacEwen*, Antoine Roussel*

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: Brett Howden, New York Rangers

It’s a terrible day for the Canucks, who have added five more players to the protocol. The team is currently shut down through April 6, but there are obviously questions about whether they will need to stay dark longer than that as the team recovers. For now, their game on April 8 is still scheduled, but the league will be monitoring the situation on a daily basis.

Hagel’s addition was already reported by the Blackhawks earlier, though it is not clear how long he will be in the protocol.

*denotes new addition

Brandon Hagel Placed In COVID Protocol

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks will not have Brandon Hagel available to them today as the young forward has been placed in the league’s COVID Protocol. His name will be added to the list that comes out later today, but no specific details on his absence have been (or likely will be) revealed.

It is important to note that entering the protocol does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact.

Hagel, 22, has played in 35 games for the Blackhawks this season, scoring 14 points in his first taste of full-time action. Originally a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres, he never signed with them and instead inked his entry-level deal with the Blackhawks in 2018. Now just a few years later he has become an important depth piece for Chicago, one that the team will be without for now.

It is not clear how long Hagel will be out, but notably, he did play in yesterday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blackhawks are back in action tomorrow afternoon.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/01/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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 – Jake DeBrusk
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Eric Staal
NY Rangers – Brett Howden 
Vancouver –Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic*

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: Alexander Volkov, Anaheim Ducks

Volkov has cleared the protocol for Anaheim and is expected to play in his first game since being traded from the Lightning last month.

The big question mark remains Vancouver, who had their game postponed last night after Gaudette’s confirmed positive result. A member of the team’s coaching staff was also put into the protocol and now Hamonic has joined them. The league has shut down the Canucks through April 6 in response.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/31/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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:

Anaheim – Alexander Volkov
Boston – Jake DeBrusk
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Eric Staal
NY Rangers – Brett Howden 
Vancouver – Adam Gaudette

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: Sean Kuraly, Boston Bruins

Kuraly coming off means it’s another good day for the NHL, even though Adam Gaudette’s positive test was confirmed today. The Vancouver forward will miss a minimum of ten days, but hopefully, no more positive results will show up among the Canucks roster.

*denotes new addition

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top