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COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/04/21

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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. Today, commissioner Gary Bettman announced some in-arena adjustments for the league to follow, but also released a statement on the current situation:

With about 20 percent of our season played, we are mindful of the fact that we might be seeing a more aggressive transmission of the virus and will continue to make adjustments to our Protocols as we consult on a daily basis with, and adhere to, the recommendations of our medical advisors.

It is important to note that, while we have seen almost 100 players enter our COVID Protocols, fewer than half have done so because of confirmed positive tests – and, among that group, many have not been symptomatic. Our priority has been and will continue to be to act conservatively with an abundance of caution, understanding that there are many things about the transmission of COVID-19 that are still being discovered. As a result, we won’t hesitate to take additional measures as indicated by what we are learning and as directed by our medical advisors.

Here is the CPRA list for today:

Buffalo – Taylor Hall, Rasmus Ristolainen, Brandon Montour, Tobias Rieder, Jake McCabe*
Chicago – Adam Boqvist, Ryan Carpenter, Lucas Wallmark
Colorado – Tyson Jost, Gabriel Landeskog*
Dallas – Andrej Sekera
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
Minnesota – Marcus Foligno, Nick Bjugstad, Nick Bonino, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson, Jared Spurgeon, Nico Sturm*
New Jersey – Connor Carrick, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, Travis Zajac, Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Pavel Zacha, Jack Hughes, Damon Severson, Ty Smith, Matt Tennyson, Jesper Bratt, Nathan Bastian, Nikita Gusev, Yegor Sharangovich
Pittsburgh – John Marino
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: Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings; Aaron Dell, New Jersey Devils;

Of course, the list does not include Buffalo head coach Ralph Krueger, who has also tested positive and is isolating away from the team. McCabe joins four other important members of the Sabres that are sitting out, though it is not clear how many have actually tested positive.

The addition of Landeskog is also important to note, given that the Avalanche are not shutdown like the Minnesota Wild, their last opponent and have a game scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The team is already dealing with a long list of injuries and now will likely be without their captain as well.

It is important to note that Dell wasn’t actually on the list because of the outbreak among the Devils, but because of quarantine rules after he was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, he still won’t get to practice with his new team until the Devils go back to work.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/03/21

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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 for today:

Buffalo – Taylor Hall, Rasmus Ristolainen, Brandon Montour*, Tobias Rieder*
Chicago – Adam Boqvist, Ryan Carpenter, Lucas Wallmark
Colorado – Tyson Jost*
Dallas – Andrej Sekera
Detroit –Filip Zadina
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
Minnesota – Marcus Foligno, Nick Bjugstad*, Nick Bonino*, Joel Eriksson Ek*, Marcus Johansson*, Jared Spurgeon*
New Jersey – Connor Carrick, Aaron Dell, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, Travis Zajac, Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Pavel Zacha, Jack Hughes, Damon Severson, Ty Smith, Matt Tennyson, Jesper Bratt, Nathan Bastian*, Nikita Gusev*, Yegor Sharangovich*
Pittsburgh – John Marino*
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: Sam Gagner, Detroit Red Wings; Jonathon Merrill, Detroit Red Wings; Kaapo Kakko, New York Rangers

The big news is the addition of five players from Minnesota and one from Colorado, who played each other last night (and twice before that). Tomorrow’s game between the two clubs is expected to be postponed, but it is not clear yet how many matches will be affected.

The Devils are up to 17 players on the list as they deal with the biggest outbreak of the regular season, while the Sabres–who played the Devils on the weekend–are now up to four. Both teams currently have all activities suspended and games postponed.

Marino’s placement for the Penguins comes at a brutal stretch while they’re without almost all of their top options on defense, though again it is not clear if he has tested positive or how long he will be kept away from the team.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/02/21

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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 Anaheim Ducks are still listed as TBA, but the rest of the list is in:

Anaheim – TBA
Buffalo – Taylor Hall*, Rasmus Ristolainen* 
Chicago – Adam Boqvist, Ryan Carpenter; Lucas Wallmark
Dallas – Andrej Sekera
Detroit – Sam Gagner, Jonathon Merrill, Filip Zadina
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
Minnesota – Marcus Foligno
New Jersey – Connor Carrick, Aaron Dell, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, Travis Zajac, Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Pavel Zacha, Jack Hughes*, Damon Severson*, Ty Smith*, Matt Tennyson*, Jesper Bratt*
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: Jesper Fast, Carolina Hurricanes; Nicolas Beaudin, Chicago Blackhawks; Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks; Adam Erne, Detroit Red Wings; Robby Fabbri, Detroit Red Wings

The huge news today is the exploding outbreak in New Jersey, where now 14 players are listed in the COVID Protocol. The Sabres, who played the Devils on Sunday (and Saturday) before they were shut down, also now have two players listed and have shutdown their own operation for the rest of the week.

*denotes new addition

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

Connor Carrick Out 4-6 Weeks With Broken Finger

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The New Jersey Devils will be without Connor Carrick for at least a month, after the defenseman underwent surgery on his right pinky finger. The team announced a recovery timeline of four to six weeks, meaning Carrick will have to be removed from their plans for the time being. The injury was suffered in practice last Thursday when Carrick blocked a shot.

Carrick, 25, seemed to finally find a home with the Devils after arriving in New Jersey through a trade with the Dallas Stars. The young defenseman played in 20 games for them down the stretch and averaged nearly 20 minutes a night, before eventually signing a two-year, $3MM contract with them in the offseason.

Unfortunately, that role hasn’t continued this season with Carrick averaging fewer than 14 minutes a game in the four contests he did suit up for. The right-handed defenseman has been a bottom-pairing option for the team with little impact, meaning this injury won’t drastically change their game plan.

Still, losing defensemen for more than a month always puts pressure on a team’s depth chart. Should the Devils be forced to deal with any other injuries, Carrick’s absence will be notable.

Injury Notes: Tarasenko, Kase, Archibald

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The St. Louis Blues will be without sniper Vladimir Tarasenko for at least their next two games, as he isn’t traveling with the team on their latest road trip. Tarasenko suffered an upper-body injury last night and will be re-evaluated on Monday.

Here’s some more injury news from around the league:

  • The Anaheim Ducks acquired Erik Gudbranson today from the Pittsburgh Penguins, perhaps in part due to the fact that Josh Manson has been placed on injured reserve. He’ll be joined there by Ondrej Kase, with both players out for at least the next two games. The Ducks say a further update will be given next week, but those are two very important players to lose for a pair of weekend tilts against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
  • The New Jersey Devils have activated Will Butcher from injured reserve, though he is still not expected to play tonight when they take on the Arizona Coyotes. In his place, Connor Carrick has been moved to IR with an upper-body injury suffered yesterday in practice.
  • Josh Archibald hasn’t scored a point yet for the Edmonton Oilers, and won’t get one anytime soon. That’s because he’s been placed on injured reserve with a right foot fracture and will miss two to four weeks.

New Jersey Devils Sign Joe Morrow

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26-year-old Joe Morrow is set to join his sixth different NHL franchise. Or seventh if you count his recent training camp stint with the New York Rangers. The New Jersey Devils must have seen something they liked while he was in camp with their cross-town rivals, as the team has announced a one-year, two-way contract with Morrow. The deal is worth the minimum $700K at the NHL level and $250K in the AHL. He has been placed on waivers today for the purpose of reassignment to AHL Binghamton.

Morrow has quietly established himself as a capable puck-moving depth option on the blue line, despite a career in which teams have been willing to move on from him quickly. Morrow was traded twice before even making his NHL debut; first from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who current Devils GM Ray Shero selected in the first round in 2011, to the Dallas Stars, then from the Stars to the Boston Bruins. Morrow played in 65 games with Boston in his first four pro seasons, but failed to impress and the team opted not to qualify him in 2017, making him a free agent. Morrow signed with the Montreal Canadiens and finally looked like his ability had caught up to his draft billing, but the Habs dealt him to the Winnipeg Jets before the end of the season. After continuing his career-best campaign with Winnipeg, even contributing in the playoffs, the Jets held on to him last year. However, he failed to capitalize in 41 games, the most NHL action he had seen with one team in a season, and the Jets also decided not to extend a qualifying offer. Morrow received little attention in the off-season and his PTO with the Rangers didn’t pan out.

However, the Devils see a smooth skating defenseman with 162 games of NHL experience and strong AHL production and are clearly willing to take a chance. It’s likely not a coincidence that Morrow’s signing comes after New Jersey surrendered 12 goals in it’s first two games of the new season. Despite adding P.K. Subban this summer to a defense corps that also features other highly-mobile rearguards like Sami Vatanen, Damon Severson, and Will Butcher, it’s apparent that Shero is not happy with the early results and is looking to add depth. Morrow’s career production is very similar to that of Connor Carrick and superior to the likes of Mirco Mueller and Matt Tennyson, plus he brings the most playoff experience of the group. One could argue that he has a better defensive track record than the rest as well. If Morrow can find his groove in the AHL, he could easily challenge for a higher spot on the depth chart and perhaps even a regular role in New Jersey.

Connor Carrick Avoids Arbitration With New Jersey Devils

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Connor Carrick doesn’t have to worry about his arbitration hearing later this month. He has re-signed with the New Jersey Devils, inking a two-year contract that will carry a $1.5MM average annual value. Carrick will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal.

Carrick has had a rough career so far, never staying in one place for very long. Originally selected in the fifth round by the Washington Capitals, he exploded in the OHL following his 2012 draft and immediately became known as a legitimate NHL prospect. It took him almost no time to reach the highest level, suiting up 34 times in 2013-14 as a teenager (he actually turned 20 on the day of his final game that season). That didn’t mean his journey had ended though, as Carrick was back in the AHL for the majority of the next two seasons before being flipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade for Daniel Winnik in 2016. Showing promise once again he played 130 games for the Maple Leafs before being sent south to the Dallas Stars for a conditional seventh-round pick when there wasn’t enough room on the roster. Dallas gave him only 14 games before flipping him again at the deadline to the Devils for Ben Lovejoy.

Now finally he may have found a home. Playing in 20 games down the stretch for New Jersey, Carrick averaged nearly 20 minutes a night and scored seven points. This contract represents a bigger commitment than any team had made to him previously, and likely means he is a favorite for the third-pairing role behind P.K. Subban and Damon Severson. That’s not a bad place to be in for a 25-year old with good possession stats and some interesting offensive upside.

Where his role on the team ultimately lies however still might be dependent on the other two restricted free agent defensemen the Devils have to sign. Mirco Mueller and Will Butcher both filed for salary arbitration and have hearings scheduled for a few weeks from now. With Andy Greene and Sami Vatanen both unrestricted free agents next summer, one-year arbitration settlements for Mueller and Butcher could mean the Devils have a lot of decisions coming in a year’s time. That uncertainty may be exactly why Carrick and the Devils wanted a two-year term, guaranteeing he’d be under contract and not needing another negotiation in an extremely busy 2020.

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