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Vinnie Hinostroza Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Buffalo Sabres already had their games this week postponed, but that was supposed to be due to a COVID outbreak with their opponent, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Perhaps it wasn’t only that, however, as the Sabres have now also added Vinnie Hinostroza to the protocol. With the games postponed, they’ve returned Casey Fitzgerald to the AHL.

Hinostroza, 27, has found something of a home in Buffalo after a tumultuous career and has 14 points in 30 games so far this season. A stint on the COVID list, assuming he tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing symptoms, would keep him out a minimum of ten days. That would mean missing at least two games.

After playing on three teams over the last two seasons, Hinostroza looks a lot more like the player who scored 16 goals and 39 points for the Arizona Coyotes in 2018-19. He’ll have to hope he can get back on track after this time out of the lineup.

Coyotes-Kraken Game Postponed

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And then there were eight. The NHL has announced another postponement, this time between the Seattle Kraken and Arizona Coyotes. The game tomorrow night will be rescheduled for later this season, after another Seattle player tested positive for coronavirus. As Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes, the team abruptly canceled practice today–Yanni Gourde had already taken the ice–as they waited for confirmation on the positive result.

The Kraken canceled practice yesterday as well after Carson Soucy entered the protocol. They will now be silent through the holiday break after their Thursday game against the Calgary Flames was already postponed. Seattle is set to resume in a game against the Vancouver Canucks on December 27.

The Coyotes meanwhile can stay home to welcome in the Tampa Bay Lightning for Thursday night, their last game before the holiday break.

Forty-four games have been postponed this season. Eight remain on the NHL schedule this week.

Calvin De Haan Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the few teams left in the league without a player in the COVID protocol–until now. Calvin de Haan has been added to the protocol today, meaning they won’t be able to get through the holiday break unaffected. Notably, de Haan had missed the last two games with what was dubbed a “non-COVID illness.”

That diagnosis appears to have changed, though the team did not technically confirm that de Haan has tested positive for coronavirus. Like the rest of his protocol peers, de Haan will be held out for a minimum of ten days if he has tested positive and is experiencing symptoms. That would mean he is at a minimum not available for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars, and likely means he’s also out for December 28/29 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets.

While not the player he once was, de Haan is still a regular part of the Blackhawks lineup and averages nearly 19 minutes a night. He has failed to register a single point through 26 games this season.

East Notes: Tuch, Red Wings, Sgarbossa, Point, Dauphin

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The Sabres are set to welcome back winger Alex Tuch for their game on Monday, notes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.  The 25-year-old was a big part of the Jack Eichel trade but he has yet to play this season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.  With Vegas, Tuch was used in more of a secondary scoring role but with Buffalo, he should get a chance to play a considerably bigger role.  He was expected to be back in roughly six months and if he does suit up against Columbus, he’ll have gotten back in just under five months.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • When the Red Wings had their pre-holiday break games postponed, some wondered if there may be more positive tests coming from them. That’s indeed the case as the team announced (Twitter link) that centers Pius Suter and Joe Veleno plus winger Sam Gagner along with assistant video coach Jeff Weintraub in COVID protocol.  That brings them up to nine players currently unavailable.
  • Capitals center Michael Sgarbossa was a late scratch from their game tonight against Los Angeles and it turns out that it was COVID-related as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been placed in COVID protocol. The 29-year-old was coming off a two-point performance on Friday and has three points in seven games with Washington this season.  The Caps did get some good news on that front as well, however, as winger Garnet Hathaway was taken out of protocol.
  • The Lightning could be getting a key player back soon after the holiday break. Head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link) that center Brayden Point could be reclassified as day-to-day once they return from the break.  Point has been out with an upper-body injury for just under a month and was off to a strong start to his season before it occurred with 13 points in 16 games.
  • The Canadiens announced that they’ve placed center Laurent Dauphin in COVID protocol. The 26-year-old was recalled two weeks ago and has three points in five games since then including his first NHL goal in over five years.  The team has also shut down their facilities through December 26th.

COVID Notes: Islanders, Oshie, Danault

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The New York Islanders have added two more names to the NHL COVID Protocol ahead of their matinee on Sunday afternoon. Veteran forward Matt Martin and rookie defenseman Robin Salo have been placed in the league’s protocol, the Isles announced. They join Mathew Barzal in the protocol, with Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock still sidelined due to injury. For a team still unable to hit their stride this season, the losses of a checking forward and depth defenseman still hurt as the team cannot afford to be so short-handed if they want to start winning games.

COVID Notes: Sundqvist, Flames, Protocol, World Juniors

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The Blues have placed center Oskar Sundqvist in COVID protocol, per a team release.  It has been a tough year for the 27-year-old who missed 14 games at the beginning of the season due to a knee injury and Sundqvist has struggled to produce when he is in the lineup, collecting just a goal and three assists in 16 games.  St. Louis had been carrying an extra forward on their active roster so they won’t necessarily have to bring anyone up from AHL Springfield to cover for Sundqvist’s absence which will last for at least the next ten days.

Other COVID news from around the hockey world:

  • The Flames announced (Twitter link) that they did not have any positive tests among their players or staff yesterday. That’s certainly notable considering that they have 19 players and 13 staff in COVID protocol at the moment and this is the first day since Sunday that they didn’t have a single positive test among their group.  Calgary has had their games postponed through the holiday break although it wouldn’t be surprising if another game or two get postponed after it to allow some of their players to have a chance at being ready to return after serving their quarantine period.
  • The NHL and NHLPA jointly announced a return of the enhanced COVID protocols through at least January 7th. Among the highlights are daily testing, a reduction of in-person meetings, and dining restrictions.  The full document can be found here.
  • As a result of the recent increase in positive tests, Hockey Canada announced that the first four days of World Junior pre-tournament games have been cancelled. Originally, each country was supposed to play in at least two exhibition contests but that won’t happen now.  There remains a possibility for pre-tournament contests to be held on December 23rd and 24th.

Metropolitan Notes: Flyers, Shesterkin, Nemeth, Hurricanes

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The Flyers announced that they’ve placed Max Willman and a staff member in COVID protocol.  The 26-year-old has been a feel-good story for Philadelphia this season as he made his NHL debut this season and has chipped in with two goals and an assist in a dozen games.  Willman was originally drafted by Buffalo back in 2014 but didn’t sign.  He becomes the second Flyer currently in COVID protocol joining center Morgan Frost.

Meanwhile, goaltender Carter Hart will be unavailable for tonight’s game against Ottawa due to an undetermined illness.  The team announced (Twitter link) that Felix Sandstrom has been recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley to serve as Martin Jones’ backup.  They will get some help on the injury front, however, as winger Joel Farabee will return to the lineup after missing the last seven games due to a shoulder injury.  The 21-year-old has seven goals in 21 games so far this season.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is ready to return from his lower-body injury as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been activated off injured reserve with Keith Kinkaid being returned to AHL Hartford in a corresponding move.  The 25-year-old missed just over two weeks with the injury and had been off to a strong start to his season with a 2.05 GAA and a .937 SV% in 18 games.  Kinkaid, meanwhile, picked up the victory on Wednesday against Arizona.
  • From that same announcement, Rangers blueliner Patrik Nemeth has been placed in COVID protocol.  The 30-year-old had played in all 30 of New York’s games to this point, recording two assists along with 57 blocked shots while logging just over 17 minutes per game.  He’ll miss the next ten days.
  • Carolina won’t be getting any help on the injury front for a little while as Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site relays (Twitter link) that winger Jordan Martinook and defenseman Jalen Chatfield aren’t close to returning from their respective lower-body injuries. Martinook has been out for a little more than two weeks and head coach Rod Brind’Amour acknowledged that the 29-year-old could start skating soon but still will need a fair bit of time before he’s able to come back.  Meanwhile, Chatfield’s injury was more recent, sustained back on Sunday against his former team in Vancouver.

Kings Place Cal Petersen In COVID Protocol

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The Kings announced (Twitter link) a trio of roster moves on Saturday, headlined by the placement of goaltender Cal Petersen in COVID protocol.  To replace him on the roster, Jacob Ingham was recalled from ECHL Greenville while defenseman Jordan Spence was sent back to AHL Ontario.

Petersen has gotten off to a fairly quiet start to his season, posting a 3.10 GAA along with a save percentage of just .893, numbers that are considerably worse than last season when his performance earned him a three-year, $15MM extension back in September that gets underway next season.  As a result, he has been ceding starts to Jonathan Quick as of late with the veteran off to a stellar start to his campaign.  It should be Quick’s net to run with through the holiday break at a minimum as a result of this news with Petersen set to miss at least ten days.

Ingham hasn’t been able to duplicate the success he had at the end of his OHL career in the pros and has spent the bulk of the season at the ECHL level for the second year in a row.  His numbers with the Swamp Rabbits haven’t been the best either – a GAA of 3.28 with a .894 SV% in nine starts.  However, promoting him allows the Kings to keep their AHL goaltending intact for the time being.

As for Spence, he was just recalled on Friday and heads back to the minors before even being on the roster for a single game.  The 20-year-old is in his first professional year and has eight assists in 18 games with the Reign so far this season.

Canucks Place Tyler Myers In COVID Protocol, Expected To Convert Ashton Sautner To NHL Deal

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The Canucks have lost another defenseman as they announced (Twitter link) that Tyler Myers has been placed in COVID protocol.  Taking his place on the roster will be Ashton Sautner as Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Vancouver will be converting his AHL contract to an NHL one and will have him in the lineup against Toronto.  PuckPedia reports (via Twitter) that the deal will pay him $750K in the NHL and $220K in the minors.

Myers becomes the fifth Vancouver rearguard in COVID protocol joining Luke Schenn, Juho Lammikko, Brad Hunt, and Tucker Poolman; winger Tyler Motte and assistant coach Jason King are also in there.  Myers has logged heavy minutes for the Canucks this season and especially as of late as he played 29:26 in Tuesday’s game versus Columbus.  The 31-year-old is still looking for his first goal of the season while he has nine assists in 31 games.

As for Sautner, he’s no stranger to the Vancouver organization having played in 23 games with them between 2017-18 and 2019-20 and has been with their farm team since then.  This season, he has played in 18 games with AHL Abbotsford, picking up an assist along with 10 penalty minutes.  The Canucks only have three blueliners on NHL contracts not currently up with the big club including the currently-injured Jack Rathbone which has resulted in them deciding to convert Sautner’s deal.  He’ll need to pass through waivers to get back to the minors but that shouldn’t be an issue when the team is healthy enough to send him down.

Devils Place P.K. Subban In COVID Protocol, MacKenzie Blackwood Injured

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The bad news just keeps on coming for the Devils.  The team made a pair of announcements, revealing that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is dealing with a neck injury and will not be accompanying the team to Detroit for their game tonight while defenseman P.K. Subban has been placed in COVID protocol.

The Devils haven’t had a lot of good luck on the injury front when it comes to their goaltending.  When they were healthy, they wound up losing Scott Wedgewood on waivers to Arizona last month.  Earlier this month, Jonathan Bernier suffered a hip injury, one that could be a longer-term issue.  First-year pros Nico Daws and Akira Schmid have both seen action (Schmid’s coming this week) and New Jersey recently acquired Jon Gillies from the Blues, a player that had just signed an NHL contract days earlier.  Now, Blackwood’s absence – one that carries a day-to-day designation – means that Schmid and Gillies will serve as their tandem for the time being.

As for Subban, he is now the fifth Devil to enter COVID protocol, joining blueliners Ryan Graves and Christian Jaros plus forwards Nico Hischier and Jesper Boqvist.  Subban had been held out of their game against Vegas on Thursday for precautionary measures but that won’t count as time spent in protocol; he will still need to miss at least ten days unless follow-up testing reveals a false positive.

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