22 NHL players unavailable due to COVID-19 protocol
The NHL announced 22 players on 16 different teams are unavailable Wednesday for the opening night of the 2021 season due to COVID-19 protocols.
All those players can't practice, travel, or play. COVID-19-related absences can be due to a positive test, symptomatic individuals awaiting test results, mandatory quarantine, or isolation due to high-risk contact with another person who tested positive.
Here's the full list of players:
| Team | Player |
|---|---|
| Arizona Coyotes | Lawson Crouse |
| Boston Bruins | Karson Kuhlman |
| Colorado Avalanche | Erik Johnson |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Mikko Koivu |
| Detroit Red Wings | Darren Helm |
| Detroit Red Wings | Christian Djoos |
| Edmonton Oilers | Gaetan Haas |
| Edmonton Oilers | James Neal |
| Florida Panthers | Markus Nutivaara |
| Los Angeles Kings | Cal Petersen |
| Los Angeles Kings | Kurtis MacDermid |
| Los Angeles Kings | Sean Walker |
| Minnesota Wild | Alex Stalock |
| Nashville Predators | Mikael Granlund |
| Nashville Predators | Luca Sbisa |
| New York Rangers | Justin Richards |
| Philadelphia Flyers | Shayne Gostisbehere |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Kasperi Kapanen |
| San Jose Sharks | Max Letunov |
| Vancouver Canucks | Jordie Benn |
| Vancouver Canucks | J.T. Miller |
| Winnipeg Jets | Nikolaj Ehlers |
The league will release these lists daily throughout the season. No additional details, including the precise reason or potential absence length, will be provided.
The release also stated the Dallas Stars will announce their positive tests prior to their first game. Their season opener is postponed due to an outbreak that infected 17 players.