GARRIOCH: Show Expected To Continue As Ottawa Senators COVID-19 Numbers Rise

Article content

The Ottawa Senators roster took another hit Wednesday and the concern is that COVID-19 may not have finished making its way into the club’s locker room.

Article content

Fighting a COVID-19 outbreak, for the second time this week, senators canceled their skating on Wednesday, closed the Canadian Tire Center and added another player to the National Hockey League’s list of protocols.

As it stands, the Senators are scheduled to face the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, but defender Josh Brown became the sixth player placed on the COVID-19 protocol on Wednesday and internally some are wondering if the game should continue. .

And, judging by the way COVID-19 is spreading, don’t be the least bit surprised to see more names added to the list on Thursday. Senators’ owner Eugene Melnyk is in regular contact with the people at NHL headquarters, and the main concern is the health of the people in the locker room.

Article content

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told this newspaper in an email Wednesday that the league was “monitoring the situation” with senators. The league has not rescheduled any games as a result of COVID-19 this season and any team affected by the virus has been forced to bring in reinforcements from its American Hockey League affiliates.

“We would like to avoid rescheduling games, if possible,” Daly wrote in the email.

The reality is that the numbers here are getting so high that the NHL might have no other choice because the Ottawa club could easily hit double digits.

It is believed that there was talk of trying to reschedule Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins with Ottawa’s increasing cases, but the decision was made to go ahead because the senators were able to bring in Egor Sokolov, Erik Brannstrom and Scoutt Sabourin de Belleville from the AHL. .

Article content

Brown joined a roster that already included forwards Austin Watson, Connor Brown and Dylan Gambrell and defenders Nick Holden and Victor Mete. The latter tested positive before the Senators lost 3-2 to the Bruins in Boston.

Associate coach Jack Capuano also tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation in Ottawa.

Once a player is placed on NHL protocol, they are out of the team for at least 10 days. During that period, they must record two negative tests in a row before they can resume their activities. For example, Watson was placed on the COVID-19 protocol last Friday, will not be eligible to return until November 15, and must also have two negative results.

As a result of the outbreak, the Senators are involved in a daily testing regimen for all staff and players traveling with the team. Josh Brown’s result would have come from a test he had before Tuesday’s game, so it won’t be a surprise if there are more.

Article content

While Senators players were screened daily last season, that dropped to two to three times a week during training camp this fall and the start of the regular season with everyone fully vaccinated. The NHL Players Association and the NHL agreed to discuss testing frequency in mid-November, but those discussions are likely to be put on hold.

The Senators are just the latest team to experience an outbreak. The Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks have been through this multiple times this season. The Sharks were forced to play seven short players over the weekend.

The league wants to play a full 82-game schedule and have its players go to the Beijing Olympics in February. With a compressed schedule, Daly says the league is trying to avoid making schedule changes and believes that will only be done if absolutely necessary.

Article content

The Senators’ outbreak began 48 hours after the team returned from a three-game trip through Dallas, Chicago and St. Paul, Minnesota. All three cities are considered COVID-19 hotspots in the United States, and while everyone with Senators is vaccinated, we know that it does not provide 100% protection.

General manager Pierre Dorion doesn’t address players often, but he did make sure to go to the locker room to speak to the group before the Senators left on their trip. He told them the best option was to proceed cautiously while on the road and stay with their teammates as much as possible.

This is the first time that many of these players have had the opportunity to experience playing in some cities in the United States, such as Boston or Dallas.

Trying to prevent the spread, senators have done their best to turn back the clock to last season and try to institute another bubble scenario. Players were told not to leave their Boston hotel Monday night, meals were ordered, and the club was essentially closed.

Naturally, the players are concerned about their own health and that of their families, but it does not appear that the NHL intends to postpone this game unless the Senators cannot complete their roster.

[email protected]

Twitter.com/sungarrioch