[ad_1]
As the number increased for the Flyers on the league’s COVID protocol roster on Friday night, a potential predicament increased for the NHL.
At the very least, the situation looks like it gets more and more worrying and complex as we approach the outdoor games next weekend.
Oskar Lindblom and Scott Laughton were added to the NHL’s COVID protocol list on Friday. The Flyers now have seven players listed as out due to COVID protocol. Jakub Voracek, Morgan Frost, Claude Giroux, Justin Braun and Travis Sanheim remained on the list, which is updated daily by the NHL around 5 p.m. ET.
There are a number of factors that explain why a player may be placed on the COVID protocol list. A player absent due to the COVID protocol does not necessarily mean the player has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in December 2019 and finished his radiation treatments last July, when he was found to be without signs of cancer. The 24-year-old Swede has remained cancer-free, making two playoff games in 2020 and playing all 13 of the club’s regular season games this year.
According to league protocols, all teams receive daily COVID-19 tests. If they’re not on the road, the Flyers take their tests at the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, New Jersey. Since last Sunday, the Flyers have had new additions to the COVID protocol list every day, except Monday and Wednesday. Voracek and Frost were added on Thursday, while Giroux and Braun were added on Tuesday. Sanheim has been sidelined since Sunday, when he missed the Flyers’ 7-4 win over the Capitals over COVID protocol. Lindblom, Laughton, Voracek, Giroux and Braun all played in the match and trained on Monday.
It’s unclear how many Frost has been around the Flyers, if at all, recently. The 21-year-old center is on the casualty reserve and was scheduled for shoulder surgery last week at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo.
Two days ago, the NHL identified the Flyers’ appropriate return date for practice on Monday. The Flyers’ next scheduled game is Thursday of next week against the Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center. The team is then scheduled to travel to Stateline, Nevada to face the Bruins on February 21 in one of the NHL’s outdoor games in Lake Tahoe next weekend.
We’ll have to wait and see if those plans stay in place or if the NHL is forced to be heard again.
On different days this week, the Flyers have had games on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday all postponed due to COVID protocols. The Devils, who were originally scheduled to play the Flyers on Thursday and Saturday, had 18 players on Friday’s COVID protocol list. New Jersey has not played since Jan.31.
With the postponement of Sunday’s Flyers-Rangers game, the league is clearly trying to give the Flyers as much time as possible to improve and eventually settle down before the outdoor game.
Are there any other changes coming to pike? Stay tuned.
Subscribe and rate Flyers Talk
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | Youtube
[ad_2]
Source link