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Maple Leafs Notes: Robertson, Matthews, Andersen

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It was a concerning addition to the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday when Nicholas Robertson appeared for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The young forward had only recently been recalled from the Toronto Marlies, who were dealing with at least one positive test result and have had three games postponed. Robertson had played two games with the Maple Leafs since his recall, obviously interacting with his teammates. Robertson was placed on the CPRA list as a precautionary measure.

It looks as though the Maple Leafs have escaped relatively unscathed though, as Robertson has cleared the protocol and rejoined his teammates at morning skate.

  • It’s good that he was there because Auston Matthews left before the skate actually began. Kristen Shilton of TSN notes that Matthews was the first player on the ice but departed when his teammates arrived, with John Tavares taking line rushes in the top line spot between Alex Galchenyuk and Mitch Marner. Robertson was back in his spot on the fourth line, but his new center was Adam Brooks. The 24-year-old Brooks has played just one game for the Maple Leafs this season but does have 13 points in 17 games for the Marlies. Matthews meanwhile isn’t expected to miss much time, but is still dealing with a hand/wrist injury according to Mark Masters of TSN.
  • One other important arrival on the ice was Frederik Andersen, who skated for the first time since he last played in March. The veteran goaltender had been held out with a mysterious injury for the last several weeks and is currently on long-term injured reserve. According to Shilton, Andersen worked with the coaching staff before the morning skate. With the way the Maple Leafs have used their cap space, it is unlikely that Andersen returns before the end of the season, but his appearance on the ice suggests that the playoffs may not be out of the question.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/14/21

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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*
Edmonton – Dmitry Kulikov*
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Montreal – Jon Merrill, Erik Gustafsson*
Philadelphia – Jackson Cates*
Toronto – Nick Foligno, Riley Nash, William Nylander, Ben Hutton, Nicholas Robertson*
Vancouver – Jalen Chatfield, Alexander Edler, Jayce Hawryluk, Nils Hoglander, Zack MacEwen, 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: Brandon Montour, Florida Panthers; Braydon Coburn, New York Islanders; Travis Boyd, Vancouver Canucks; Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks; Braden Holtby, Vancouver Canucks; Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks; Marc Michaelis, Vancouver Canucks; Tyler Motte, Vancouver Canucks; Tyler Myers, Vancouver Canucks; Antoine Roussel, Vancouver Canucks; Brandon Sutter, Vancouver Canucks

Grubauer is about the worst player to test positive for the Avalanche, but at least the team did add to their goaltending depth at the deadline. The team canceled morning skate today but are still expected to play tonight against the Blues. The 29-year-old has been one of the best goaltenders in the league this season with a 25-8-1 record, posting a .920 save percentage in his 34 appearances. Without him, the recently acquired Devan Dubnyk will likely be forced into an increased role.

Also added to the list is Robertson, who was recently recalled from the Toronto Marlies. The Marlies have now been shut down due to COVID-19 protocols, and as Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports, Robertson has been added to the list under precautionary measures. Still, the young forward has been around the Maple Leafs for the last several days and has played each of the last two nights.

For the Canucks, seeing a swathe of players come out of the protocol is excellent news as they prepare for action Friday night. The team hasn’t played since March 24 and will be forced to jump right back into the fray against the Oilers. Their list is down to just seven, with more players expected to be removed tomorrow.

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Snapshots: Calgary Event Centre, Marlies, Canucks

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The new arena development in Calgary has hit a snag, as Tom Ross of 660 News reports. Kate Thompson, CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation released a statement about budget issues:

At this early stage in the project, there is a difference in the current budget estimate and the program requirements for the facility. Given the significance and importance of the project, the parties have jointly agreed to pause the project team to allow time to resolve these challenges. The decision to take this pause is the responsible and prudent approach to ensure we find the best solutions to move the project forward successfully, without incurring any additional costs on the project while these discussions progress.

Construction on the new arena development was expected to begin in August after the city of Calgary and the Flames agreed to split the cost in 2019. Ross reports it was due to open in 2024, but does not speculate on what kind of delay this pause will cause. Eric Francis of Sportsnet offers some clarification from a source who says “the arena isn’t in jeopardy.” The Flames have been playing in the Saddledome (currently the Scotiabank Saddledome) since 1983.

  • The Toronto Marlies have shut down their operations for the time being and three games have been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. Matches on April 15, 18 and 21 have been postponed, though no make-up dates have been determined at this point. The Marlies are 10-11-1 through the first 22 games of the season and have lost their last three. It is not yet clear if the entire minor league roster will be unavailable for call-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs—as was the case during other AHL outbreaks this season—or if the protocol is just affecting a select few.
  • The Vancouver Canucks are operating as though their season will resume later this week and today recalled two players from the AHL. Guillaume Brisebois and Arturs Silovs have been recalled to the taxi squad. The Canucks had 16 players still on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, though that number is expected to continue to decrease as players finish their mandated quarantine and test negative. The team is scheduled to play on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Colorado Avalanche Cancel Morning Skate Due To Positive COVID Test

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The Colorado Avalanche have canceled their morning skate today after a positive result in their COVID-19 testing yesterday. The person is isolating and the rest of the tests have all returned negative, meaning the game against the St. Louis Blues this evening is still currently scheduled as planned.

As Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reported last night, the Avalanche players were vaccinated on Monday. Peter Baugh of The Athletic tweets that Colorado head coach Jared Bednar revealed on the radio that some players are also feeling fatigued because of this. The team already had Bowen Byram in the COVID protocol after a positive test last week, and now seem likely to be missing at least one more player when they take on the Blues this evening.

In addition to Byram and the other player who tested positive, the team will also be missing Logan O’Connor (lower-body, indefinite), Matt Calvert (upper-body, week-to-week), Patrik Nemeth (upper-body, day-to-day), Pavel Francouz (lower-body, rest of season), and Erik Johnson (upper-body, rest of season). Colorado sits first in the West Division with a 29-9-4 record.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/13/21

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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
Florida – Brandon Montour
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Montreal – Jon Merrill*
New York Islanders – Braydon Coburn
Toronto – Nick Foligno, Riley Nash, William Nylander, Ben Hutton*
Vancouver – Travis Boyd, Jalen Chatfield, Thatcher Demko, Alexander Edler, Jayce Hawryluk, Nils Hoglander, Braden Holtby, Bo Horvat, Zack MacEwen, Marc Michaelis, Tyler Motte, Tyler Myers, Antoine Roussel, Nate Schmidt, 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: Jay Beagle, Vancouver Canucks; Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

The number of names included on the list today was always expected to increase thanks to the trade deadline yesterday, as players travel all over the continent to their new homes. We will likely see several more added in the next few days, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be held out more than a few days.

The important thing is that players continue to be removed from the Canucks’ list as the team approaches a return to the ice. Beagle was only added over the weekend, but Hughes was one of the first names to be added, appearing for the first time on April 2. Hopefully, the trend continues and the Canucks have a clean board later this week.

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CHL Cancels 2021 Memorial Cup

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The WHL and QMJHL have been back in action for a while now, they won’t be chasing a Memorial Cup this season. The CHL has announced that the 2021 Memorial Cup has been canceled. The full statement reads:

There is no question that the 2020-21 season has been difficult for all involved in CHL hockey. We have focused on making decisions that put the health and safety of our players, staff and the entire CHL family first, while balancing the need to provide our players with the best hockey development in the world. 

With the WHL and QMHL in the midst of shortened seasons and the OHL continuing return-to-play discussions with the Ontario government, unfortunately, we have once again had to make the difficult decision to cancel the Memorial Cup. As a league, we waited as long as we could in hopes that this was not the decision that we were going to have to make. Regrettably, we do not see a path in which we will be able to produce champions in our three member leagues due to border restrictions and quarantining requirements.

The Memorial Cup is steeped in tradition and is one of the most difficult trophies to win in all of sport. We look forward to awarding it next season to the CHL championship team that has earned the right to hoist it.

Further decisions regarding the timing and location of the 2022 Memorial Cup will be announced at a later date. 

This is another development event that the 2021 draft class will now miss, further obscuring their full scouting profiles ahead of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. The Memorial Cup is where many CHL players truly forge their name in junior hockey, performing on the biggest stage to determine a national champion.

The Cup itself has been handed out since 1919, but was not awarded last year because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The hope was that things would have improved enough to host the tournament this year, but as explained in the statement, the leagues are unlikely to even crown champions in their shortened seasons. The Halifax Mooseheads, who took home the Cup in 2019, remain champions for another year.

Of note, this could mean that CHL prospects can return in time for the AHL playoffs, depending what the minor league decides in regards to hosting a postseason. Players like Connor Zary and Seth Jarvis had been playing incredibly well in the professional ranks before being forced back to the WHL when it opened up due to their age.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/11/21

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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. While the league is still waiting for a report from the Blues, here is the updated list for today from the other 30 teams:

Boston – Jaroslav Halak
Colorado – Bowen Byram
Florida – Brandon Montour*
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
St. Louis – TBA
Toronto – William Nylander
Vancouver – Travis Boyd, Jalen Chatfield, Thatcher Demko, Alexander Edler, Travis Hamonic, Jayce Hawryluk, Nils Hoglander, Braden Holtby, Bo Horvat, Quinn Hughes, Zack MacEwen, Marc Michaelis, Tyler Motte, Tyler Myers, Antoine Roussel, Nate Schmidt, Brandon Sutter, Jake Virtanen, Jay Beagle*

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: Adam Gaudette, Vancouver Canucks

As reported earlier, another Canucks player hit the CPRA list today in injured veteran Beagle, delaying the team’s return to action by at least a day. At least one player has been cleared, as Gaudette – the first player to hit the list at the start of the Vancouver outbreak – has been removed. Hopefully more and more Canuck names continue to come off the list in the coming days.

The only other name that is new to the list today is Montour, who is in a short quarantine period after understandably choosing to fly from Buffalo, New York to Sunrise, Florida rather than make the 20-hour drive to join his new team. So all things considered, this is a net even day for the league’s COVID cases.

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Latest On Vancouver Canucks Return To Play

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Sunday: The league announced that as a result of another Canucks player being place on the COVID protocol list, the Vancouver Canucks’ facilities will not re-open Sunday as had been planned. The league announced the facility will not re-open until Monday at the earliest.

While the name of the new player has yet to be revealed, the announcement states the player has not been around the facility since the outbreak began on March 31. Regardless, it was decided that the team should keep their facility closed for at least one extra day. The decision should not impact the Canucks’ return to play on Friday.

Saturday: Pending today’s coronavirus test results, the Vancouver Canucks are scheduled to re-open their practice facilities tomorrow. The league currently expects the team to resume their regular season schedule on Friday, April 16 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks had eight games postponed during their coronavirus outbreak; those games have now been rescheduled, with Vancouver’s season now stretching through May 16, a week after the regular season was originally expected to end.

The league has announced the following changes to the North Division schedule:

  • Game #829, Edmonton at Vancouver, scheduled for May 4, is now scheduled for Friday, April 16 at 9 p.m. ET
  • Game #567, Calgary at Vancouver, scheduled for March 31, is now scheduled for Wednesday, April 21 at 10 p.m. ET
  • Game #792, Vancouver at Toronto, scheduled for April 30, is now scheduled for Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Game #647, Vancouver at Calgary, scheduled for April 10, is now scheduled for Monday, May 3 at 9 p.m. ET
  • Game #593, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for April 3, is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 4 at 9 p.m. ET
  • Game #662, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for April 12, is now scheduled for Saturday, May 8 at 10 p.m. ET
  • Game #720, Ottawa at Calgary, scheduled for April 20, is now scheduled for Sunday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Game #602, Vancouver at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 4, is now scheduled for Monday, May 10 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Game #619, Vancouver at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 6, is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 11 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Game #833, Toronto at Ottawa, scheduled for May 10, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Game #673, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for April 14, is now scheduled for Thursday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET
  • Game #864, Calgary at Vancouver, scheduled for May 8, is now scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at TBD
  • Game #634, Vancouver at Calgary, scheduled for April 8, is now scheduled for Sunday, May 16 at TBD

The league will not announce definitive dates for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs until later in the season, and admit that the first round for the East, Central and West could open a few days earlier than the North now that things have been pushed.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/10/21

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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
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Toronto – William Nylander
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, Nate Schmidt, 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: Joel Armia, Montreal Canadiens; Jacob Bernard-Docker, Ottawa Senators; Shane Pinto, Ottawa Senators

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COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/09/21

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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*
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Montreal – Joel Armia
Ottawa – Jacob Bernard-Docker, Shane Pinto
Toronto – William Nylander
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, Nate Schmidt, Brandon Sutter, Jake Virtanen
Winnipeg – TBA

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

Earlier today the Avalanche canceled morning skate because of a positive test result. Their game tonight against the Ducks is still currently scheduled to continue, though obviously, Byram won’t be part of it.

Otherwise, another good day for the NHL as the Canucks have not added anyone to the protocol. Vancouver GM Jim Benning and team physician Jim Bovard spoke with the media today and explained that the team is “moving away from the new infection phase” and starting recovery. The Canucks remain optimistic that their season can continue at some point in the near future.

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