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COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/01/21

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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 today’s group:

Carolina – Jesper Fast
Chicago – Nicholas Beaudin, Adam Boqvist, Ryan Carpenter; Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Wallmark
Dallas – Andrej Sekera
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Sam Gagner, Jonathon Merrill, Filip Zadina
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
Minnesota – Marcus Foligno
New Jersey – Mackenzie Blackwood, Connor Carrick, Aaron Dell, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, Travis Zajac, Andreas Johnsson*, Janne Kuokkanen*, Michael McLeod*, Pavel Zacha*
NY Rangers – Kaapo Kakko*
Vegas – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – 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: Patrik Laine, Columbus Blue Jackets

The big news is the huge outbreak in New Jersey, where three games have been postponed because of the ten players on the CPRA list. The Devils will not play for the next week, though obviously test results could extend that even further. Several of these players took part in yesterday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, but thankfully no Sabres players were included here today. It’s important to remember that at least some of the Devils listed are because of travel protocols (Vatanen, Dell), or, in the case of Carrick because he left the team for the birth of a child.

Laine meanwhile hit the ice today for the first time since his trade to the Blue Jackets after serving his 48-hour quarantine. He’s expected to be in the lineup tomorrow night to make his Columbus debut.

Kakko too was added today for the Rangers, who recalled Jonny Brodzinski from the AHL earlier today. The young forward has two goals in eight games and will now miss some time as he moves through the protocol. The Rangers play this evening against the Penguins and Thursday against the Capitals.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/31/21

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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 today’s group:

Carolina – Jesper Fast
Chicago – Nicholas Beaudin; Adam Boqvist; Ryan Carpenter; Alex DeBrincat; Lucas Wallmark
Columbus – Patrik Laine
Dallas – Andrej Sekera*
Detroit – Adam Erne; Robby Fabbri; Sam Gagner; Jonathon Merrill; Filip Zadina
Los Angeles – TBA
Minnesota – Marcus Foligno*
New Jersey – Mackenzie Blackwood; Connor Carrick; Aaron Dell; Kyle Palmieri*; Sami Vatanen*; Travis Zajac
Vegas – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov; Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – 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

No word yet on the status of Andreas Athanasiou and Blake Lizotte who were both on the list Saturday, but the list now says TBA, suggesting the two could be activated soon.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/30/21

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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 today’s group:

Carolina – Jesper Fast
Chicago – Nicolas Beaudin*, Adam Boqvist, Ryan Carpenter*, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Wallmark
Columbus – Patrik Laine
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Sam Gagner, Jon Merrill, Filip Zadina
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
New Jersey – Mackenzie Blackwood, Connor Carrick*, Aaron Dell, Travis Zajac
Vegas – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – 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: Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes; Dmitry Orlov and Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Of today’s new additions to the list, a growth in the group of Blackhawks should not come as much of a surprise after the team canceled practice today in response to growing concerns about COVID. Both Beaudin and Carpenter played in Chicago’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, but the hope is that no other players or staff were infected at that time and the cancellation of practice will stop any further spread and hopefully prevent the Blackhawks from being the next team to see games postponed.

As for Carrick, the Devils defenseman left the team to return home to his wife for the birth of their child. While this departure falls under the COVID protocol, it does not pose a threat to any other team members. The Devils do however still have several other players on the list.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/29/21

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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. The list is in:

Carolina – Jaccob Slavin, Jesper Fast
Chicago – Adam Boqvist, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Wallmark
Columbus – Patrik Laine*
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Sam Gagner, Jon Merrill, Filip Zadina
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte*
New Jersey – Mackenzie Blackwood, Aaron Dell, Travis Zajac*
Vegas – Alex Pietrangelo
Washington – Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Samsonov
Winnipeg – 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: Warren Foegele, Carolina Hurricanes; Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes; Jordan Martinook, Carolina Hurricanes; Curtis McElhinney, Tampa Bay Lightning; Tucker Poolman, Winnipeg Jets

Zajac’s appearance comes as no surprise after the Devils announced this morning he would not travel with them to their next two games. He joins Blackwood and Dell on the sidelines. Lizotte’s addition is a bit concerning, given that he took part in last night’s game against the Minnesota Wild after Athanasiou was already ruled out.

The big news is the three Carolina players that are out of the protocol, along with Laine finally arriving in Columbus to start his 48-hour quarantine.

Importantly, no other Golden Knights players appeared on the list today, a good sign that they can potentially get back on the ice in the coming days. The league had reserved judgement on their next few games after postponing Thursday’s affair against the St. Louis Blues. Pietrangelo remains the only player held out, though their training facilities are still locked down.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 01/28/21

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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. The Montreal Canadiens are still listed as TBA, but the rest of the list is in:

Carolina – Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, Teuvo Teravainen, Jesper Fast
Chicago – Adam Boqvist, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Wallmark
Detroit – Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Sam Gagner, Jon Merrill, Filip Zadina
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou*
New Jersey – Mackenzie Blackwood, Aaron Dell*
Tampa Bay –  Curtis McElhinney
Vegas – Alex Pietrangelo*
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: None

The huge news is obviously Pietrangelo, who is the mystery player that has caused the Golden Knights and Blues to postpone their game this evening. The former St. Louis captain played on Tuesday night against his old team, but now finds himself out along with the rest of the Golden Knights coaching staff. It is not clear if Pietrangelo has tested positive or how long he will be held out. The Blues do not have anyone listed and took their morning skate as usual today.

Athanasiou’s appearance is also news, after playing on Tuesday night in Minnesota. The speedy forward has been one of the Kings’ best players so far with five points in seven games, but now will at least miss tonight’s rematch against the Wild.

Dell’s appearance is actually good news for the Devils, as he arrives in New Jersey and can start his quarantine after being claimed off waivers earlier this month.

*denotes new addition

Snapshots: Devils, Lyubushkin, Koivu

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New Jersey has yet to have top center Nico Hischier in the lineup this season but it appears as if he is getting closer to suiting up.  Marc Ciampa of the Devils’ team site relays several updates from head coach Lindy Ruff who indicated that Hischier has started to skate on his own as he works his way back from a leg injury.  While there’s no timetable for his return still, the fact he’s now back on the ice for workouts is certainly a big step in his rehab.

Meanwhile, winger Jesper Bratt is in town and is going through his mandatory quarantine period which means he should be available to begin skating with the team in the next few days.  As for goaltender Aaron Dell, he has not yet received his work visa and thus has not been able to travel to New Jersey to start his quarantine period so the Devils will be waiting a while for their new backup to become available.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Coyotes have been without defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin all season as he has been waiting to get an immigration issue resolved. The good news is the issue has been cleared up as Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner is scheduled to land in Arizona today.  The bad news is that he’ll still need to go through a quarantine period before he can even begin to skate with Arizona so while this is a big hurdle that has been cleared, it’ll still be a little while before he’ll be able to play.  The 26-year-old suited up in 51 games with the Coyotes last season as their sixth defender.
  • While the Blue Jackets lost a center with yesterday’s trade of Pierre-Luc Dubois to Winnipeg, they will be getting one back for their next game as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that Mikko Koivu will be able to suit up on Tuesday against Florida. The veteran has yet to suit up with his new team this season as he has been on the COVID Protocol List.  While he isn’t a top-line option like he was in his prime with Minnesota, he’ll give them some extra depth down the middle at a time where their options are limited.

New Jersey Devils Claim Aaron Dell

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The New Jersey Devils have added some more goaltending depth, claiming Aaron Dell off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jason Spezza, the other Maple Leafs player on waivers, has cleared.

The claim of Dell, 31, comes as no surprise after the goaltending shuffle that has occurred over the last few weeks, which included the Devils claiming Eric Comrie as well. Given the fact that the team will now have four goaltenders on the NHL roster once quarantines are over, it seems likely that Comrie too will find himself back on waivers at some point. Scott Wedgewood, who is currently the Devils backup, hasn’t cleared waivers himself, meaning he can’t go to the taxi squad or AHL either at the moment.

It’s a complicated scenario, but the crux of it is that the Devils have turned a glaring lack of depth into an overloaded position in a matter of days. Since Corey Crawford’s unexpected retirement just before the start of the season, New Jersey was facing a perilous situation with only three goaltenders in the entire organization. Now, after acquiring Comrie and Dell, they likely have too many.

Dell doesn’t have an exceptionally long history in the NHL but has spent the last four seasons as the primary backup with the San Jose Sharks, posting strong enough numbers. Through 107 appearances in the NHL, he has a .908 save percentage and a 48-34-12 record. With the veteran off to New Jersey, the Maple Leafs are back to Michael Hutchinson as their third-string option. Luckily, he cleared waivers earlier this month and can remain with the taxi squad for the time being.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto’s Aaron Dell, Jason Spezza Among Those On Waivers

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Jan 18: Spezza, Biega, Kellman, and Ritchie have all cleared waivers. Dell was claimed by the New Jersey Devils.

Jan 17: The Toronto Maple Leafs responded after losing rookie forward Nicholas Robertson to injury Saturday by placing a couple of their players on waivers Sunday. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that third-string goaltender Aaron Dell and veteran forward Jason Spezza are among those on waivers. Detroit Red Wings’ Alex Biega and San Jose Sharks’ Joel Kellman also made the list. The Calgary Flames also placed forward Brett Ritchie on waivers after signing him to a one-year deal earlier today.

Toronto’s roster moves all comes back to Saturday night’s injury of rookie forward Nick Robertson, who is expected to miss time. Because of the lack of cap space to recall a replacement for Robertson (other than Travis Boyd), the team was forced to make some roster moves, including risking losing Aaron Dell, who the team has been holding on to as a third-string goalie, waiting for the goalie market needs die down to pass him through waivers. There was talk that Toronto might be able to use the new emergency recall rule, but The Athletic’s James Mirtle shot that down, reporting that rule can only be used in COVID-19 cases. Unfortunately for Toronto, the team will likely lose the former San Jose Sharks’ netminder. Dell, who struggled behind San Jose’s weak defense last season, was brought in to serve as a third option in case either Frederik Andersen or Jack Campbell struggle or are injured during the season. He will almost assuredly be claimed with many experts suggesting that he will be claimed by either the Edmonton Oilers or New Jersey Devils.

Spezza is another interesting candidate. Teams might be interested in bringing in the veteran forward, but Johnston reports that Spezza isn’t interested in playing for any other team other than Toronto as he wants to remain close to his family. The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel reports that the 37-year-old was ready to retire in the offseason had the Leafs not brought him back. He has played in all three of the Maple Leafs games so far this season. NOTE: Spezza’s agent Rick Curran told Johnston that Spezza will retire if he is claimed by any other NHL team.

Biega is no stranger to waivers, but the 32-year-old has served as a sixth/seventh defenseman for years. He played in 49 games with the Red Wings last year and would make a good candidate for the taxi squad as well. He has not appeared in either of the Red Wings two games this year. Kellman appeared in the Sharks’ first game of the season, but was a healthy scratch Saturday and now looks headed for the taxi squad as well. The 26-year-old scored seven points in 31 games for the Sharks last season.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/18/21

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It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.

  • Pierre Engvall has been promoted from the AHL roster to the taxi squad by the Toronto Maple Leafs after Nick Robertson suffered a knee injury on the weekend. Engvall’s $1.25MM contract actually makes it difficult for him to see the active roster given how tight the cap space is for Toronto, though it could be possible in the coming days should Aaron Dell and Jason Spezza both clear waivers today.
  • Given it is a game day for the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Romanov has been recalled from the taxi squad. The rookie defenseman has been excellent so far for Montreal but will find himself on the taxi squad between games in order for the Canadiens to accrue extra cap space throughout the season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled both Ville Heinola and Kristian Vesalainen from the taxi squad, while moving Tucker Poolman to non-roster status. Poolman has been listed on the COVID Related Protocol Absences list for the last two days.
  • The same can be said about Shayne Gostisbehere of the Philadelphia Flyers, who today was given the non-roster designation as well. Connor Bunnaman has been recalled from the taxi squad for the Flyers, who are expected to be without Sean Couturier when they take on the Buffalo Sabres this evening.
  • Mackenzie MacEachern has been assigned to the taxi squad by the St. Louis Blues, while Jake Walman is up in his place. Colton Parayko missed practice today but is expected to play, meaning Walman’s recall may just be precautionary.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Kevin Czuczman to their taxi squad from AHL camp, adding some depth to the traveling group after placing Mike Matheson on injured reserve. The team also assigned Sam Lafferty to the taxi squad, while sending Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau to the AHL. Given that Kasperi Kapanen practiced today and is clear of the COVID protocols, expect him to be added to the active roster before tomorrow’s game.
  • Linus Ullmark will miss tonight’s game for the Buffalo Sabres due to personal reasons, so the team has recalled Jonas Johansson from the taxi squad. Carter Hutton, the team’s other goaltender, allowed five goals on 27 shots in his first appearance this season.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad, replacing him with Ben Harpur who was recalled from the AHL. Olivier played in the Predators game on Saturday, recording six hits in just under 12 minutes of ice time.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Maple Leafs Sign Aaron Dell

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Toronto has added some depth between the pipes, announcing the signing of goaltender Aaron Dell to a one-year deal.  The contract is worth $800K.

The 31-year-old made a strong first impression in his rookie NHL year back in 2016-17 when he posted a .931 SV% in 20 games with San Jose.  At that time, Dell looked like their possible starter of the future but he hasn’t come close to duplicating that type of success since then.

Last season, he made 30 starts for the Sharks with Martin Jones struggling and while both goalies had near-identical goals against averages (3.00 for Jones, 3.01 for Dell), Dell had the better save percentage by a decent-sized margin (.907 to .896).  Accordingly, it looked like he’d have at least a chance at landing a backup spot in the NHL.

That won’t be the case with the Maple Leafs, however, as Frederik Andersen and Jack Campbell are set as their tandem between the pipes.  Instead, Dell will likely begin next season as the starter with the Marlies, their AHL affiliate; that void was created when Kasimir Kaskisuo opted to sign with Nashville earlier today.  Assuming he does wind up there, it’ll be his first AHL action since 2016-17.

With 107 career NHL appearances under his belt, Dell gives Toronto a strong insurance policy if one of Andersen or Campbell goes down and if that doesn’t happen, he should be one of the better starters at the minor league level.  The Maple Leafs had to pay a bit of a higher price in that it’s a one-way deal but at that cap hit if he’s needed with the big club, it’s a price that is certainly worth paying.

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