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Snapshots: COVID Protocols, Rangers, Kane

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Even with over 99% percent of players and 100% of staff being vaccinated against the Coronavirus, the NHL has still been faced with constant issues battling COVID-19 this season. While only two teams have had games postponed due to COVID outbreaks, 19 different teams have had to enter heightened COVID protocols at some this season. As a result, the league is contemplating stricter protocols for all teams if the virus continues to be a problem. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells TSN’s Chris Johnston that the NHL is currently working with league doctors to evaluate their COVID numbers and current protocols to see if changes can improve the state of the league’s battle with COVID. The NHL then plans to meet with the NHLPA soon to share their findings and to discuss options to better protect players and staff, as well as the league product. The COVID conversation will also impact the Olympic question, with understandable concerns from the league and players’ association about sending their stars to China given the ongoing spread of virus despite vaccination measures. The deadline for the NHL to pull out of the Winter Games in Beijing is January 10, so the upcoming meeting with the NHLPA could be a critical juncture for a decision.

  • Despite the havoc that the Coronavirus has wreaked on the past two NHL seasons (and counting), team valuations have somehow not just held strong, but in fact increased. Forbes published their 2021 NHL team values today with the impressive headline that the New York Rangers have become the league’s first $2 billion team. The Original Six franchise in the biggest market in North America increased in value by 21% from 2020 without making and significant improvement in their on-ice product. It bodes well for another potential jump next year, with the Rangers currently holding the best record in the Metropolitan Division. Unsurprisingly, New York is followed by fellow Original Six members in the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins. Yet, it is not just the storied franchises who continue see growth in their value. On average, each team improved in value by 32% this year following a 2% dip the year before. The factors contributing to these soaring numbers are the league’s new media contract, their many new facilities, and of course the addition of their newest team, the Seattle Kraken. The recent sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins for $900 million also provided Forbes’ Mike Ozanian with a very up-to-date benchmark of actual real world value of a top franchise. While the optics of the past couple seasons – canceled games, limited attendance, temporary realignment – may portray a struggling league, the NHL has actually excelled in the face of adversity in their battle with COVID-19.
  • One player who is likely more familiar with financial terms that he ever hoped is San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane. The controversial star has had quite the year with bankruptcy proceedings, a league investigation into illegal gambling, a league suspension for COVID Protocol circumvention and more. Kane has seemingly been losing money at every turn. However, he is now off his suspension and – though reassigned to the AHL – ready to get back on the ice and earning his pay check. Well, maybe not so fast. Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the organization is not yet ready to give Kane any game action, even with minor league Barracuda. Pashelka writes that concerns about his conditioning, having missed training camp and the first quarter of the season, have limited Kane in practice and will keep him from competiting again this weekend. Pashelka also mentions an undisclosed injury and quotes Kane as being on board with a slow approach to returning to play. However, the scribe also touches on what is likely the root cause of Kane’s inaction: trade value. It does not appear as if Kane is welcome back in the Sharks’ locker room, but with three years remaining on a hefty contract, he needs to play somewhere. The consistent scoring forward is an established asset: high-end ability on the ice, red flags off the ice. San Jose is working the phones to find a new fit for Kane and won’t gain any leverage by having play in AHL game. However, they could lose out if he is injured. As a result, Kane could be used sparingly until he is eventually dealt elsewhere.

Colin Blackwell Enters COVID Protocol

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The Seattle Kraken welcomed captain Mark Giordano back to practice after a stint in the COVID protocol, but it wasn’t a full group for the team today. Colin Blackwell is the latest Kraken to enter the protocol, head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The team has not confirmed whether or not Blackwell has tested positive for coronavirus.

Blackwell, 28, has unfortunately played in just eight games for the Kraken this season after starting the year on injured reserve. He was activated a few weeks ago and has three points so far on the year, including an important goal in the Kraken’s win against the Edmonton Oilers last week. He was scratched for the team in their most recent game and has been used sparingly when active, a disappointing result after his impressive 2020-21 campaign.

In 47 games for the New York Rangers, Blackwell scored 12 goals and 22 points, becoming one of the biggest surprises in the league. That ended up putting him on Seattle’s radar, and they made him their expansion selection ahead of some other interesting options. There was scuttle that a trade was involved with that selection, but it never came to pass.

Instead, Blackwell has become just another one of the depth forwards for the Kraken and someone that could potentially find himself on the trade block again in a few months. On an expiring deal that carries a cap hit of just $725K–less than the single-year league minimum–perhaps there will be another team that believes he can do more than play ten minutes a night. For now, he’ll have to stay in the COVID protocol until cleared to return.

The Kraken have also assigned Kole Lind to the minor leagues, according to Hakstol.

COVID Notes: Capitals, Heatherington, Cizikas

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The Washington Capitals have canceled practice tomorrow out of an abundance of caution, after having a scheduled off day today. No one else has tested positive for coronavirus or entered the league’s protocol, but with the team already missing three players–Garnet Hathaway joined Nic Dowd and Trevor van Riemsdyk in the protocol yesterday–an extra cautious approach seems prudent.

The Capitals are back in action on Friday in the first half of a back-to-back. The hope is that no other positives will emerge between now and then.

  • The Ottawa Senators have announced that Dillon Heatherington has exited the COVID protocol and is available for the team this evening. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia suggests that Heatherington could step into the lineup in place of Victor Mete, who has struggled mightily in recent weeks. The 23-year-old Mete played just 8:18 against the Carolina Hurricanes and 10:35 against the New Jersey Devils, his last two appearances.
  • Despite Casey Cizikas reaching ten days since he entered the COVID protocol, he isn’t ready to return for the New York Islanders. Head coach Barry Trotz told reporters including Andrew Gross of Newsday that Cizikas is “not really in the picture” at the moment, as he continues to work his way back. The 30-year-old forward hasn’t played since November 26 and has just one point on the season.

Garnet Hathaway, Marc Staal Enter COVID Protocol

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The Washington Capitals have lost a third player, as Garnet Hathaway finds himself in the league’s COVID protocol. The 30-year-old forward is expected to be unavailable for tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Hathaway joins Trevor van Riemsdyk and Nic Dowd in the protocol and on the sidelines as the team prepares for action. In Saturday’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, Hathaway played more than 16 minutes, something that is becoming routine lately as the Capitals deal with injuries and illnesses. With seven goals in 25 games, he’s also off to the best start of his career and could quickly eclipse the 11 goal total that stands as his career-high.

The team has not confirmed whether or not Hathaway has tested positive for coronavirus, but if he has and is experiencing any symptoms, he’ll be away from the club for a minimum of ten days. Hopefully, this outbreak stops there and the Capitals don’t lose any other players in the near future.

The Detroit Red Wings have also announced a player absence, indicating that Marc Staal has been added to the COVID protocol. Staal played nearly 19 minutes on Saturday against the New York Islanders and has actually been a relatively solid contributor for the Red Wings this season. His absence–which has not been confirmed as a positive test–would open the door for Danny DeKeyser’s return to the lineup after exiting the protocol in recent days.

Should Staal miss ten days after a positive test, he’d be out for the team’s next five games at least.

Kings Place Blake Lizotte In COVID Protocol

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The Kings have announced (Twitter link) a series of transactions highlighted with the placement of center Blake Lizotte into COVID protocol.  Taking his place on the roster is Jaret Anderson-Dolan while T.J. Tynan has also been recalled to replace Kale Clague who was just claimed off waivers by Montreal.

Lizotte has played in all but one game so far this season for Los Angeles, tallying a goal and four assists while logging 11:36 per game primarily on the fourth line.  The 23-year-old has also won a career-high 53.1% of his faceoffs, good for third on the team in that regard.

Anderson-Dolan was a regular with the Kings for the bulk of last season, getting into 34 games where he picked up 11 points before suiting up for Canada at the World Championships.  However, with more depth down the middle this season, he has spent all of 2021-22 so far with AHL Ontario playing heavier minutes and he has responded with 13 points in 16 contests with the Reign.  He should have an opportunity to move into Lizotte’s spot on the depth chart and play the type of role he had last season.

As for Tynan, the 29-year-old is in his first season with the Kings and cleared waivers back in training camp.  He has been quite productive with Ontario, collecting 17 points in 12 games which puts him second in team scoring.  Despite his consistent offensive numbers over the years, he has played in just 19 career NHL contests, the most recent coming back in the 2019-20 season with Colorado.

Capitals Place Trevor Van Riemsdyk In COVID Protocol

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Another day, another member of the Capitals in COVID protocol.  After center Nic Dowd was placed there yesterday, the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk has been added to COVID protocol and will not be available for tonight’s game against Columbus.

After having a limited role last season where he played in only 20 games, van Riemsdyk had played in all 24 games for Washington this season, notching seven assists while logging over 17 minutes per night on their third pairing.  The 30-year-old is also tied for the team lead in shot blocks with 36.  The team did not confirm whether van Riemsdyk has tested positive for the virus, but if he has and is experiencing any symptoms, he’ll be out for a minimum of ten days.

Washington has been carrying eight defensemen lately so they won’t need to call anyone up to take van Riemsdyk’s spot on the roster.  Instead, it appears that veteran Matt Irwin will draw in for him tonight based on practice lines.  Irwin signed with the Capitals in free agency over the summer but he has been a healthy scratch for every game so far.

Red Wings Place Tyler Bertuzzi In COVID Protocol

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The Red Wings will be without one of their top forwards for tonight’s contest against the Kraken as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Bertuzzi has been placed in COVID protocol.

Bertuzzi is now the only remaining NHL player to decline the COVID vaccination which has prevented him from crossing the border to play road games in Canada this season.  Despite that, he’s off to the best start of his career with nine goals and nine assists in 20 games, good for third on Detroit in scoring.  That will obviously be put on hold again with him being added to the list of those in the protocol.

As is always important to note when a team places a player into protocol, it doesn’t mean that it’s a confirmed positive test.  However, if it does turn out that he has tested positive, then Bertuzzi will be out for at least ten days.  Detroit, who is carrying a full 23-player roster, would be eligible to designate him as non-roster status, allowing them to bring someone up from AHL Grand Rapids to take Bertuzzi’s place.  With this announcement coming just before puck drop, that won’t be an option tonight but since they’re off until Saturday after this one, they’ll be able to add someone in time for their next game.

NHL Postpones Islanders Games Through November 30

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Dec 1: The league has announced that the Islanders are now cleared to resume their schedule and will play on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Revisions of the rest of the schedule will be announced when completed.

Nov 27: With the Islanders getting hit hard with a COVID outbreak, the league has decided to pause things for a few days as they announced that they’ve postponed their games through November 30th.  The games affected are Sunday against the Rangers and Tuesday versus Philadelphia.  If they’re able to return to action after that time, their first game back will be Thursday when they’re scheduled to host San Jose.  The league is in the process of reviewing and revising their schedule.

Per the league’s announcement, another player entered COVID protocol today, giving them eight players potentially unavailable to play.  While they didn’t reveal who it was, GM Lou Lamoriello told Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link) that forward Casey Cizikas is the one who tested positive today.  The other seven that aren’t available are forwards Josh Bailey, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, and Anders Lee plus defensemen Zdeno Chara, Andy Greene, and Adam Pelech.

The Islanders are the second team to have COVID-related postponements as the Senators had three games postponed due to their outbreak earlier this month.  As a result of that, the NHL’s ability to opt out of playing in the upcoming Olympics was activated and while there’s no indication that they’re leaning in that direction at this time, the more games they have to postpone will certainly affect their final decision on that matter.

Pesce, DeAngelo, McKegg Added To COVID Protocol

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The Carolina Hurricanes have lost another two defensemen, as both Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo have been added to the COVID protocol. The two will remain in Raleigh while the rest of the team travels to Dallas, suggesting they won’t be available tomorrow night at the very least. If the pair has tested positive–which the Hurricanes did not confirm–and have experienced any symptoms, they will be held out for a minimum of ten days.

The New York Rangers also have an unavailable player, as Greg McKegg will not skate today after entering the protocol. Like the Hurricanes, the Rangers have not confirmed whether or not McKegg tested positive for coronavirus, only that he will miss today’s practice with a COVID-related absence.

Ethan Bear had already been unavailable for the Hurricanes after entering the protocol a week ago, meaning a huge swathe of the team’s defense corps is now out of the lineup. The Hurricanes had been using Brendan Smith more than they likely expected, but now will also likely have to make some additional recalls. Like with the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Ottawa Senators, who have all faced severe outbreaks this season, the Hurricanes aren’t likely to receive any help from the league in terms of postponements unless things get much worse.

Already the Hurricanes had been faltering a bit of late, losing the Metropolitan Division lead after a 6-3-1 run. If they want to catch the Washington Capitals (who have played two more games) in the coming days, they’ll have to do it with a defense group that isn’t quite as established. Pesce logs more ice time than anyone not named Jaccob Slavin, while DeAngelo has been one of the best point-producing defensemen in the league this season with 19 in 20 games.

Carter Hutton Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Arizona Coyotes have placed Carter Hutton in the COVID protocol, despite him not even being on the active roster. The injured netminder was nearing a return, but now it appears the decision on which goaltenders to carry with the team won’t have to be made for a little while longer.

Hutton joins Andrew Ladd and Johan Larsson in the protocol, but the team did not confirm whether or not he had tested positive for coronavirus. If he did and is experiencing any symptoms, the netminder will be held out a minimum of ten days.

Without him, the team will continue to go with Karel Vejmelka and Scott Wedgewood, a pair that has actually been relatively good for the team so far. In fact, Wedgewood has a .940 save percentage in his six appearances, winning three times. While Vejmelka has a .905, quite a bit better than Hutton’s early-season showing, he still amazingly has a 1-9-1 record on the year.

The Coyotes will take on the Edmonton Oilers this evening, looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season.

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