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Mark Scheifele Added To COVID Protocol

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4:20pm: Johnston reports that Scheifele produced another positive test today and will not be eligible for the Jets this evening. He is still in the COVID protocol.

9:35am: The Winnipeg Jets may not have had the widespread issue that was feared yesterday, but they didn’t come out of their COVID testing unscathed. Mark Scheifele has been added to the protocol, joining captain Blake Wheeler. Scheifele could be unavailable for tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

As a reminder, inclusion in the protocol 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 COVID Protocol Related Absences list–which actually won’t be released for the first time until tomorrow–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.

The Jets are in freefall right now, with losses in each of their first three games and now two of their most important forwards on the shelf. Top prospect Cole Perfetti was loaned to the AHL yesterday, but the team doesn’t have enough forwards to dress this evening without making additional recalls. Winnipeg takes on the Ducks in their home opener to try and get things back on track.

It’s not clear yet how long Scheifele will be out, but Chris Johnston of TSN sheds some light on his specific testing situation. He tested positive for coronavirus yesterday morning, is asymptomatic, and has since tested negative. If he produces another negative test, he could play tonight, but his results won’t be known until later today.

Nathan MacKinnon Unavailable Due To COVID Protocol

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Oct 19: MacKinnon has provided two consecutive negative tests, and traveled last night to meet the team in Washington. He is expected to make his debut tonight against the Capitals.

Oct 12: If you thought the COVID Protocol Related Absences list was a thing of the past, you might have jumped the gun. After both the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken announced key players were unavailable due to the protocol yesterday, the Colorado Avalanche dropped a bomb today. Nathan MacKinnon will not practice today, with the team announcing it is a protocol-related absence. Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic confirmed that MacKinnon has tested positive and will be out tomorrow. The star forward is asymptomatic and the team hopes he will be able to return in a few days.

To reiterate, inclusion in the protocol 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 COVID Protocol Related Absences list–which actually won’t be released for the first time until tomorrow–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.

MacKinnon meanwhile is out indefinitely and could potentially miss tomorrow’s season opener if he is not cleared in time. The Avalanche recently were without head coach Jared Bednar after he tested positive, playing two preseason games without the bench boss. Hopefully, for Colorado’s sake, MacKinnon is not forced to miss even that much time.

In his absence, the Avalanche moved Nazem Kadri up to the first line according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, with J.T. Compher sliding into the second-line center spot.

Jack Johnson Placed In COVID Protocol

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While Colorado will have head coach Jared Bednar back behind the bench tonight, they will be down a defenseman as Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that Jack Johnson has been placed in COVID protocol.  He’s presently asymptomatic but will be out indefinitely.  The team has confirmed (Twitter link) that Johnson is in the protocol.

It has been a tough few days for the Avalanche on this front with star center Nathan MacKinnon also missing time due to a positive test; he won’t be back for tonight’s game either.  With the team also without Gabriel Landeskog (suspension) plus Valeri Nichushkin and Devon Toews (injuries), Colorado’s depth is getting tested early on.

The positive test for Johnson derails what was a good first few weeks in Colorado for him.  He was able to land a one-year, one-way contract off a PTO and scored in his Avalanche debut while logging nearly 19 minutes.  Unfortunately for him, he’ll be out of the lineup likely for the next few games at a minimum.

Predators Place David Rittich In COVID Protocol

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The Predators will be without goaltender David Rittich for tonight’s game against Carolina as the team announced that they have placed him in COVID protocol.  Connor Ingram has been recalled from AHL Milwaukee in his place.

Rittich is in his first season with Nashville and hasn’t yet made his regular season debut with the team, serving as the backup to Juuse Saros in their season-opening loss to Seattle.  He had a 2.86 GAA along with a .901 SV% in 19 games last season between Calgary and Toronto which led the Preds to sign him to a one-year, $1.25MM contract this summer.

That meant that Ingram, who has been viewed at times as a possible backup of the future, would have to start in the minors again this season and he cleared waivers earlier this month.  He was limited to just five AHL games last season after being in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program but before that, he was one of the top netminders in that league in 2017-18 and 2018-19 before being even better in AHL Milwaukee after being acquired, posting a 1.92 GAA with a .933 SV% in 33 games in 2019-20.

NHL Down To Four Unvaccinated Players

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The NHL expected that 98% or perhaps even 99% of their players would be vaccinated against the Coronavirus before the start of the 2021-22 season. It seems that they have somehow bettered that mark. Commissioner Gary Bettman has revealed that there are currently only four unvaccinated players in the league. This is understood to mean that all but four of the roughly 736 players on NHL rosters as of yesterday’s deadline are vaccinated – 99.5% of all players. Bettman spoke to his appreciation and respect for how the players have handled the pandemic in many ways over the past two years:

Throughout all of this, we had great collaboration and cooperation with the players and Players’ Association. This doesn’t happen to get to this point without that collaboration and cooperation. Yes, the players have stepped up to get vaccinated, but even thinking about how the players had to function the last two years, to go into the bubble… Having to adhere to the protocols last season so we could administer 330,000 tests to keep everybody healthy. The fact that we were in the bubble and I think we did 35,000 tests and didn’t have one positive. Everybody banded together to do the right thing. Maybe that’s why hockey is the ultimate team sport.

Of those four players, two have previously been confirmed as New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who has at least considered receiving the vaccine, and Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi. While Montreal Canadiens forward Jesse Ylonen is also unvaccinated and veteran Vancouver Canucks defenseman Travis Hamonic has been speculated as such as well, neither are considered to be part of this group of four as they are both currently in the AHL.

Bettman also noted that all team personnel and all officials are vaccinated. As a whole, the NHL is about as close to full protection against COVID-19 as could reasonably be expected, not to mention lightyears ahead of the other top North American pro sports leagues.

And yet, Coronavirus will continue to play a part in this NHL season. The Seattle Kraken have already dealt with numerous players entering the COVID Protocol before they can even play their first game in the league, while individual players like Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Vegas’ Mattias Janmark are also sidelined by positive tests. The league and its players have done their best to this point, but will have to continue to adhere to COVID Protocol policies and procedures as all involved hope to play a full and uninterrupted schedule this season.

Five Kraken Players In COVID Protocol

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Oct 12: Johansson has been cleared and can play tonight, but Hakstol told reporters including Clark that Jarnkrok, McCann, Oleksiak and Donskoi are all still unavailable. The lineup is a “work in progress” for the Kraken.

Oct 11: Just after the Vegas Golden Knights announced that Mattias Janmark is in the COVID protocol, their opponent for tomorrow night had some even worse news. Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic that Calle Jarnkrok, Marcus Johansson, Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak and Joonas Donskoi are all in the COVID protocol.

Just like with Janmark, it is important to remember that inclusion in the protocol 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 COVID Protocol Related Absences list–which actually won’t be released for the first time until tomorrow–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.

Still, this is troubling news for a Kraken team that is expected to play the first game in franchise history tomorrow. Clark notes that the team is trying to get Alex Barre-Boulet, claimed off waivers today from the Tampa Bay Lightning to Vegas in time to play tomorrow night for the Kraken. Losing Jarnkrok, Johansson, McCann and Donskoi from the forward group is taking a huge chunk of the team’s offensive potential off the ice, though it is not confirmed yet if all of them will miss tomorrow’s game.

The team will have to make some adjustments to the roster before today’s deadline, not exactly the start that GM Ron Francis was likely hoping for as the Kraken get ready to take the ice for the first time.

Brandon Sutter Out Indefinitely For Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks aren’t expecting Brandon Sutter back anytime soon. The veteran forward is dealing with long-term symptoms from COVID-19, general manager Jim Benning told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic, and will be out “for a while.” The team is focused on getting Sutter back to full health before putting him on the ice.

Sutter, 32, signed a new one-year, $1.125MM contract with the Canucks this offseason to stay with the team he’s been a part of since 2015. The checking center had just nine goals and 12 points last season but is still an effective enough bottom-six option that can take some of the tough defensive matchups. Without him, the team has Nic Petan in the fourth-line center spot at practice.

Earlier this year, Sutter detailed his experience with COVID-19 to Drance after being one of the many Canucks that tested positive for coronavirus last season. He explained then that he had trouble catching his breath and experienced light-headedness. Benning explained as camp started that Sutter was experiencing “fatigue” and he has not joined the team since. The executive confirmed today that Sutter does not have myocarditis. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet tweets that Sutter trained for most of the offseason without experiencing issues, but the fatigue “started to become debilitating” in mid-August.

Sutter will not be listed on the Canucks active roster and it is not clear when he will be available to the team this season.

Mattias Janmark Unavailable Due To COVID Protocol

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The Vegas Golden Knights kick things off tomorrow against the Seattle Kraken, the second game of the 2021-22 regular season. Unfortunately, it looks like they may be missing one of their forward options. Mattias Janmark was unavailable to the team today because he has been put in the league’s COVID-19 protocol.

As a reminder, inclusion in the protocol 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 COVID Protocol Related Absences list–which actually won’t be released for the first time until tomorrow–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.

Janmark has not had a good camp with the Golden Knights, who signed him to a one-year, $2MM contract this offseason after a trade brought him to Vegas last season. The 28-year-old was playing on the fourth line recently, not exactly what was expected of a player that made such a strong impression in the playoffs and was supposed to add some valuable depth scoring to the lineup.

His addition to the protocol so close to the regular season is a reminder that there will still be lineup disruptions throughout the year, even for those players and teams that are fully vaccinated. It is not clear yet how long Janmark will be unavailable.

Defense Notes: Hamonic, Hajek, Capobianco

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Training camp is well underway but the Vancouver Canucks are still awaiting the arrival of veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic. Now, with the deadline to opt out of the coming season arriving on Friday, the team is left to wait to see if they will have the reliable blue liner back after extending him this off-season. Yet, it appears that they will remain patient and calm with Hamonic, who has family concerns to take into account with his decision. Hamonic previously opted out of the 2020 playoff bubble due to his daughter’s respiratory infection and with the NHL returning to a full slate of travel this season, he may be concerned about potential exposure to the Coronavirus and bringing that home. GM Jim Benning tells Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma that he is “confident” that Hamonic will arrive to camp and play this season, but also notes that “he’s dealing with a personal issue and I think everybody should just leave it alone.” Benning did however speak to the team’s COVID vaccination status when discussing Hamonic, which may also imply that he is unvaccinated, adding another layer to his decision. Whatever the cause, time is running out for Hamonic to make his decision, but the Canucks hope the veteran defenseman will be back in the fold as soon as possible.

    • Just a few years after being one of the cornerstone prospects in the Ryan McDonagh trade return, Libor Hajek’s job with the New York Rangers could be in jeopardy. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that sources believe Hajek has slid outside a starting job on the Rangers’ depth chart and possibly even outside of a roster spot. Behind established 23-year-old Ryan Lindgren, 21-year-old rising sophomore K’Andre Miller, and 20-year-old rookie Zac Jones, the 23-year-old Hajek has not done enough to assert himself as a roster lock and can no longer depend on his upside with so much talented youth around him. Lindgren and Miller both greatly outplayed Hajek last year and Jones came in late in the season, after a long college season that ended in a National Championship with UMass, and proceeded to match Hajek’s season point total in just ten games.  Beyond just the youngsters, Brooks reports that veteran free agent addition Patrik Nemeth is also above Hajek on the depth chart. With four lefties seemingly locked into roster spots, Hajek would have to unseat a righty to make the team – and that certainly won’t be Adam Fox or Jacob Trouba – or hope that New York opts to carry eight defenseman, five of which are lefties. Another promising rookie, Nils Lundkvist, is currently penciled in for the final spot on the right side, while a potential fifth lefty spot would also be open to competition from veterans Jarred Tinordi and Anthony Bitetto and promising prospect Matthew Robertson. This all goes to show that there are a lot of defensemen in the mix for the Rangers and Hajek no longer has the shine of a budding star. Even though the likes of Miller, Jones, Lundkvist, and Robertson are all waiver-exempt, don’t be surprised to see New York subject to Hajek to waivers anyhow in order to ensure the best players are on the NHL roster. Whether that decision ultimately means Hajek’s days in the Big Apple are numbered remains to be seen.
    • The Arizona Coyotes have announced that Kyle Capobianco is currently sidelined with a knee injury, which is exactly what the young defenseman did not want in training camp this year. Though PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that he is only considered day-to-day, this is a critical preseason for Capobianco. The left side of the Coyotes blue line was obliterated this off-season with the trade of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, free agent departures of Alex Goligoski and Jordan Oesterle, and retirement of Niklas Hjalmarsson. Even with the addition of Shayne Gostisbehere to a left side now led by Jakob Chychrun, Capobianco flew up the depth chart into a top-three slot. This was his chance to finally secure an NHL starting job, but he risks missing out with a surplus of right-handed defensemen also jockeying for position. If youngsters like Victor Soderstrom, Conor Timmins, and Ty Emberson all prove they should be on the NHL roster while Capobianco sits out, he could lose his starting job, especially with veterans Ilya Lyubushkin and Anton Stralman able to play their off-side.

Mike Hardman, Kevin Lankinen Absent Due To COVID Protocols

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While things are mostly back to normal in terms of the schedule and divisional alignment this season, there are some things that haven’t changed. One of those is the continual risk of players being forced to miss practices and games due to COVID protocols. Last year we saw a daily COVID Protocol Related Absences list, which at times grew to dozens and dozens of players. This season may not be as rampant, but already some are missing training time due to league rules.

Today, Mike Hardman and Kevin Lankinen have been ruled out of Chicago Blackhawks’ practice due to the protocol. Both players were present yesterday. As a reminder, being in the COVID protocol does not necessarily mean a player has tested positive for Coronavirus. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons:

(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

Missing a few days at the beginning of camp is not going to derail the Blackhawks’ season, but this is an important reminder that the NHL is not completely back to normal. For Chicago in particular, Lankinen has been replaced by Collin Delia in the first practice group according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. It is unclear how long each player will be held out for.

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