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
The Caps get $100k fine + a 4 game suspension for each player? The players don’t have symptoms, have not test positive, were not with outsiders or near anyone with symptoms.
At the beginning of the pandemic in late January, Fauci said:
The one thing historically that people need to realize is that even if there is some asymptomatic transmission, in all the history of respiratory borne viruses of any type, asymptomatic transmission has never been the driver of outbreaks. The driver of outbreaks is always a symptomatic person. Even if there is a rare asymptomatic person that might transmit, an epidemic is not driven by asymptomatic carriers.
There is not a single study or meta-analysis that differs from this assessment.
It’s a shortened season already. The included player suspensions seems way too much for a first offense. Maybe fine the players too.