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 list:
St. Louis – David Perron, Jake Walman, Nathan Walker
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: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
For the second straight day, a Washington player was removed from the list after Ilya Samsonov came off on Saturday. However, don’t expect an immediate return for him (or Samsonov who returned to the ice for the first time today). Kuznetsov has been on the list since May 4th which means he has been away from the team since then; expecting either of them to jump into a playoff series after being off for that long would be tough. However, at the very least, the Capitals should be looking forward to having some reinforcements as their series against Boston progresses.