Tim Stuetzle will have to isolate himself in a Calgary hotel until Sunday.
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Tim Stuetzle was no longer able to dodge COVID-19.
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Captain Brady Tkachuk and defender Artem Zub are officially the last standing on the list of the Ottawa Senators who haven’t spent time in NHL protocol this season.
As the Senators prepared to face the Calgary Flames Thursday night at the Saddledome, they learned that they will not have Stuetzle after he tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday night and was included in the protocol.
He will now have to isolate himself at a Calgary hotel until Sunday, which means he won’t be available to face the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at Rogers Place Arena as the Senators wrap up this two-game trip.
Tkachuk and Zub are now the only players in the club’s regular squad who have not contracted the virus. Blueliner Erik Brannström, who missed a long stretch with a thumb injury, and the center Adam Gaudette They’ve also avoided testing positive so far, but none have been here all season.
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At this point, Stuetzle can return against the Buffalo Sabers Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Center.
NO CHANCE FOR CHYCHRUN
senators general manager Pedro Dorion He has been working on the phones to see if there is anyone who can help improve the club, but the reality is that there have not been many business conversations with teams more focused on trying to avoid the virus.
Although there has been no lack of discussion about the future of the defender jakob chychrun With the Arizona Coyotes, he likely won’t meet the requirements of what the Senators are trying to accomplish here.
The Senators probably kicked the tires with the 23-year-old Coyotes captain, but it’s doubtful that he ends up here.
With a contract that will pay him an average annual value of $ 4.6 million during the 2024-25 campaign, there has been no lack of interest in Chychrun and it is believed that more than 10 teams have had conversations with Arizona general manager, Bill Armstrong, to reach the an agreement.
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A league executive called Chychrun’s sale price “a king’s ransom” but also noted that “there will be someone to pay for it” because he is the type of player who can make an impact. The Coyotes are in the middle of another rebuild and the belief is that Chychrun would not be opposed to moving.
The belief is that the Coyotes want a pair of first-round picks and a high-level prospect who can play right away in exchange for Chychrun.
His numbers are not very good this season, with only two goals and seven points with a -29 efficiency in 26 games, but he is not exactly surrounded by talent.
The Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers are believed to be among the teams that have shown strong interest in Chychrun.
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The Panthers have the assets to make the deal and he was born in Boca Raton, Fla., Where his father, jeff , Ottawa native and former NHL member, and mother nancy make your home.
You may look at Chychrun and wonder why the senators would not be more interested, but the reality is that they have jake sanderson coming from the University of North Dakota at the end of the season. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, he has a chance to enter the NHL right away.
Sanderson has six goals and 22 points in 17 games for UND this season, accepted an invitation to play for Team USA at the Beijing Olympics next month and is second in the NCAA in scoring among the Blueliners.
This is a deal that makes the most sense for a playoff contender, and once the schedule speeds up for the Senators, they will still have a hill to climb and there is no need to give up the assets that would be needed to make this deal.
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HOME SWEET HOME?
Blueliner Jacob Bernard Docker He skated in the top six on Monday in Edmonton and we will see on Wednesday in Calgary if he will get a chance to play in front of his family on Thursday.
The Senators had a day off scheduled for Tuesday away from home.
Bernard-Docker, 21, grew up in Camrose, a three-hour drive from Calgary. His parents have never had a chance to see him play in the NHL because when he signed last season from UND, the club was playing on empty courts.
“It’s pretty exciting for sure. My parents haven’t seen me play an NHL game, so it’s going to be a really great experience for me, so I’m looking forward to it, ”he told reporters Monday in Edmonton.
Bernard-Docker has been paired with thomas chabot so there is a possibility that it will play. Bernard-Docker was on the protocol list before the club headed to western Canada, but he’s got his legs back.
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“The first few days were tough after taking that five-day break, but I feel better every day,” Bernard-Docker said Monday. “Sometimes you just give him (Chabot) the album and let him do the rest. It is fun.
“We are trying to develop our chemistry in practice.”
THE LAST WORDS
defending Michael del zotto He has three goals and seven points in four games for Belleville this season.
The 31-year-old is trying to show the Senators that he deserves to be back in the NHL after struggling to find consistency in Ottawa.
“I definitely came in with a chip on my shoulder,” Del Zotto told the Belleville Senators website. “Happy to work and improve every day and show the people who sent me here that I am an NHL player every day and that the last 12 or 13 years have not been a fluke.”
Twitter: @sungarrioch
Reference-ottawasun.com