COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/23/21
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. The Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins are still listed as TBA, but the rest of the list is in:
Carolina – Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen, Jesper Fast*
Columbus – Patrik Laine*, Jack Roslovic*
Dallas – Blake Comeau
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Sam Gagner, Jon Merrill, Filip Zadina
New Jersey – Jesper Bratt, Mackenzie Blackwood
Tampa Bay – Curtis McElhinney
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – Tucker Poolman, Pierre-Luc Dubois*
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: Mikko Koivu, Columbus Blue Jackets; Anton Forsberg, Winnipeg Jets
Obviously, the big names today are those that swapped teams, as Laine, Roslovic, and Dubois are all listed. Roslovic was already in his hometown of Columbus awaiting a new contract, meaning he has immediately entered the protocol, while Laine and Dubois will also need to travel and face government-imposed quarantines.
Fast becomes the sixth Hurricanes player on the list, taking away another option as they wait out the postponed games.
*denotes new addition
Snapshots: Myers, Entry Draft, Detroit
Montreal Canadiens fans won’t want to hear it, but the NHL’s Department of Player Safety has ruled that Tyler Myers‘ check on Joel Armia last night has been deemed legal and will not face supplementary discipline. As the video explains:
We have concluded that though there is head contact on this hit, the head is not the main point of contact. Myers hits through Armia’s core, making substantial contact with Armia’s chest and right shoulder. Armia’s head and body are propelled backwards in unison as he falls to the ice. On most plays where the head is the main point of contact, we see the head moving independantly in the same direction as the player’s body. That ‘head snap’ as we have previously described it, is an excellent indicator than the head has absorbed more force than the rest of the body.
The video goes on to explain how the league believes the head contact that was involved was “unavoidable” and not a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body.
- NHL Central Scouting has released a list of 36 players that they believe are candidates for selection in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Corey Pronman of The Athletic tweets the full list, which includes the massive 6’6″ defender Owen Power who is in contention for first-overall and caused a bit of a stir when he wasn’t released from the Michigan Wolverines program to attend Team Canada’s World Junior selection camp. It also includes some familiar hockey names like Luke Hughes—younger brother of Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes—and Cole Sillinger—son of former NHLer Mike Sillinger.
- Though the Detroit Red Wings are still battling a rash of COVID Protocol Related Absences, they’ll actually get some reinforcements soon enough. Both Darren Helm and Christian Djoos have had their non-roster designation removed, meaning they’re available for the team should they decide to insert them into the lineup.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/22/21
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. The Los Angeles Kings are still listed as TBA, but the rest of the list is in:
Carolina – Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen
Columbus – Mikko Koivu
Dallas – Blake Comeau*
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Sam Gagner, Jon Merrill, Filip Zadina*
New Jersey – Jesper Bratt, Mackenzie Blackwood
Tampa Bay – Curtis McElhinney
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – Anton Forsberg, Tucker Poolman
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: Juho Lammikko, Florida Panthers; Alex Stalock, Minnesota Wild
This is the first time that the Dallas Stars have been included on the list as they prepare to start their season tonight. They had a significant outbreak early in camp as 17 of the 27 players that tested positive in training camp were from the Stars, but Comeau is now the only player listed on the CPRA.
Koivu’s presence on the list does raise some questions since he returned to the optional practice the Blue Jackets held this morning. Perhaps this is simply an oversight and he will be removed, but for now it appears as though he is still in the COVID protocol.
Zadina joins a growing list of Red Wings on the list for the first time, now down five players. The team recalled Givani Smith earlier today, giving them another forward option for their game tonight.
*denotes new addition
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/21/21
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. Some teams playing games later this evening are still listed as TBA, but most of the list is in:
Carolina – Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen
Columbus – Mikko Koivu
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Sam Gagner*, Jon Merrill*
Florida – Juho Lammikko
Minnesota Wild – Alex Stalock
New Jersey – Jesper Bratt, Mackenzie Blackwood*
Tampa Bay – Curtis McElhinney
Washington Capitals – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – Anton Forsberg, Tucker Poolman
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: Mikael Granlund, Nashville Predators; Josh Bailey, New York Islanders; Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers
The big news is still the four Washington Capitals players, who will be out for at least four games as they quarantine after a positive test for Samsonov. That said, Blackwood’s appearance on the list is also very concerning, given how important he is to the New Jersey Devils. Following Corey Crawford‘s sudden retirement, Blackwood was forced to take the entire weight of the Devils’ net while they scrambled to grab goaltenders off waivers. His absence could be crushing to their early-season hopes.
As has been the case so far this season, the league declined to identify anyone from Dallas and will hold off on doing so until they are able to play in their first game, scheduled for tomorrow. They had a significant outbreak early in camp as 17 of the 27 players that tested positive in training camp were from the Stars.
*denotes new addition
Several Capitals Players Expected To Miss Four Games
1:40pm: Samantha Pell of the Washington Post reports that Samsonov tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday night. It triggered a contact tracing probe, which confirmed that the four Russian players spent time together in a Pittsburgh hotel room where they “watched sports and played video games.” According to Pell, the NHL is not expected to postpone Friday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.
12:25pm: The four Washington Capitals players that were placed on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Samsonov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Orlov, are now in quarantine. All four are expected to miss at least the next four games, according to head coach Peter Laviolette, who spoke with reporters including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. Laviolette also explained that there was a positive virus case among the Capitals players, which led to contact tracing. The team was also fined $100,000 for the protocol breach yesterday.
Though there will be plenty of debate over how the players were punished for gathering in a hotel room, the fact is the Capitals will now have to navigate the next part of the schedule without several key players. The team is set to welcome in the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders for two games each over the next week, all matches expected to take place without the foursome. That certainly puts a lot of pressure on someone like Vitek Vanecek, the team’s backup goaltender, who has just two NHL appearances under his belt. Craig Anderson has been recalled from the taxi squad to join him in net for the time being.
Yesterday, Ovechkin released an apology that read:
I regret my choice to spend time together with my teammates in our hotel room and away from the locker room areas. I will learn from this experience.
To be clear, it has not been revealed who (if any) on the team tested positive. The four players were added to the CPRA list and will be unable to practice with the team until they are cleared by the league’s protocols.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/20/21
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. Other than the Montreal Canadiens, listed as TBA, and the Dallas Stars, the other 29 teams are covered on today’s list:
Carolina – Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen
Columbus – Mikko Koivu
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri
Florida – Juho Lammikko
Minnesota Wild – Alex Stalock
Nashville – Mikael Granlund
New Jersey – Jesper Bratt*
NY Islanders – Josh Bailey*
Philadelphia – Shayne Gostisbehere
Tampa Bay – Curtis McElhinney
Washington Capitals – Evgeny Kuznetsov*, Dmitry Orlov*, Alex Ovechkin*, Ilya Samsonov*
Winnipeg – Anton Forsberg, Tucker Poolman
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: Eric Comrie, New Jersey Devils; Blake Coleman, Tampa Bay Lightning.
As for the missing teams, the Canadiens are on the road in Vancouver and have until 5:00pm local time to report, but are not expected to have any players in the protocol. As has been the case so far this season, the league declined to identify anyone from Dallas and will hold off on doing so until they are able to play in their first game, now scheduled for January 22. They had a significant outbreak early in camp as 17 of the 27 players that tested positive in training camp were from the Stars.
*denotes new addition
More Carolina Hurricanes Games Postponed
12:00pm: The league has officially postponed the Hurricanes’ next two games. They have also released the following statement:
As an appropriate precaution, the team’s training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain closed for Players until further notice. The League is in the process of reviewing and revising the Hurricanes’ regular season schedule. The Hurricanes organization has, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its Players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and national agencies.
9:55am: The Carolina Hurricanes did not play last night due to several key players testing positive for COVID-19, the second half of a two-game series with the Nashville Predators postponed indefinitely. Now, Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer reports that the team’s next two games will also be postponed. Though the league has not announced it officially, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has also heard this possibility, meaning the Florida Panthers won’t be coming in for games tomorrow and Saturday.
The Panthers of course already saw their schedule changed when the Dallas Stars had a training camp outbreak, leading to the postponement of several early-season games. Florida has only played twice and now will likely have to wait until next Tuesday, Jan 26 to continue their 56-game campaign.
Jordan Staal, who tested positive last week, was joined by Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, and Teuvo Teravainen on yesterday’s COVID Protocol Related Absences list. Staal remains in Detroit isolating where his test was taken, while the other four have been left in Nashville for the time being.
Whether the Hurricanes will be able to resume their season in time for the Tampa Bay series next week is not clear at this point.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/19/21
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. Though a few of the west coast teams are still TBA, here is today’s list:
Carolina – Warren Foegele*, Jordan Martinook*, Jaccob Slavin*, Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen*
Columbus – Mikko Koivu
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri
Florida – Juho Lammikko
Minnesota – Alex Stalock
Nashville – Mikael Granlund
New Jersey – Eric Comrie
Philadelphia – Shayne Gostisbehere
Tampa Bay – Blake Coleman, Curtis McElhinney
Winnipeg – Anton Forsberg, Tucker Poolman
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
The big news for today is the four new Carolina Hurricanes players, which have been confirmed as positive test results by several reporters including Frank Seravalli of TSN. The Hurricanes will not play today’s scheduled game, but it is not immediately clear how long these players will be out. Staal was already on the list and has missed the last two games.
Among the players that were removed today are Markus Nutivaara and Jordie Benn.
As has been the case so far this season, the league declined to identify anyone from Dallas and will hold off on doing so until they are able to play in their first game, now scheduled for January 22. They had a significant outbreak early in camp as 17 of the 27 players that tested positive in training camp were from the Stars.
*denotes new addition
Snapshots: Hurricanes, Babcock, Avalanche
Not only have the Carolina Hurricanes had three forwards test positive for COVID-19 today, but Sara Civian of The Athletic also confirms that the reason Jordan Staal was placed on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list was because of a positive test result last week. Staal, who played the Red Wings the night before his positive result, has missed the last two games and is still in Detroit according to Civian. The three new players are likely to isolate in Nashville, while the rest of the team—those who have tested negative—fly back to Raleigh.
Though the Dallas Stars have still not begun their season thanks to an outbreak in training camp, this is the first incident of games being postponed day-of. It almost certainly won’t be the last.
- Mike Babcock has broken his media silence, as he prepares to work with the NBC broadcast team this weekend. In an exclusive interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Babcock talks about the much-publicized incidents with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner and Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen. The veteran coach also explains that it is very unlikely that he would be back in the NHL this season and notes that it is “someone else’s turn” behind the bench for Canada at the Olympics, scheduled for next year in Beijing.
- If you noticed some late-night roster movement by the Colorado Avalanche and wondered why they would need a goalie on an emergency recall, it was answered today when the team announced that Pavel Francouz is out with a lower-body injury. He’s joined on the sideline by Andre Burakovsky who is dealing with an upper-body ailment, with both players listed as day-to-day. The Avalanche will go with seven defensemen tonight and Hunter Miska will serve as the backup to Philipp Grubauer in net.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/18/21
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. The early game between Detroit and Columbus has a few players held out, but the full list will be updated later this evening:
Carolina – Jordan Staal
Columbus – Mikko Koivu
Detroit – Adam Erne*, Robby Fabbri*
Florida – Juho Lammikko*, Markus Nutivaara*
Minnesota – Alex Stalock
Nashville – Mikael Granlund
New Jersey – Eric Comrie
Philadelphia – Shayne Gostisbehere
Tampa Bay – Blake Coleman*, Curtis McElhinney
Vancouver – Jordie Benn
Winnipeg – Anton Forsberg, Tucker Poolman
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
The big newcomer is Coleman, who has played two games for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season but now appears on the list alongside McElhinney. The Lightning don’t play until Thursday because of the rescheduled games against Dallas, so Coleman will be one to keep an eye on this week.
As has been the case so far this season, the league declined to identify anyone from Dallas and will hold off on doing so until they are able to play in their first game, now scheduled for January 22. They had a significant outbreak early in camp as 17 of the 27 players that tested positive in training camp were from the Stars.
*denotes new addition