The Minnesota Wild, who just played the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena are reportedly facing issues related to their current COVID-19 outbreak.
The Wild were scheduled to practice at Climate Pledge Arena in the early afternoon on Wednesday. The practice was cancelled 30 minutes before it was scheduled.
The decision was made after the players had went through a COVID-19 test while at the practice rink.
Minnesota's three coaches, who didn't travel with the team; were placed in COVID-19 protocol on Tuesday, it appears some players on the team have tested positive as well.
This morning, it was confirmed by The Athletic's Michael Russo that Prolific goal scorer Mats Zuccarello and recent acquisition Rem Pitlick had been placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol after testing positive prior to Wednesday's cancelled practice.
Both Zuccarello and Pitlick will have to test again over the next couple days to check for false positives. If they continue to test positive, both players will have to quarantine for at least 10 days & be symptom-free prior to their return, meaning neither of the players could potentially be eligible to return until November 10th against the Arizona Coyotes.
Mats Zuccarello currently leads the Minnesota Wild with 7 points (3G 4A) in 6 games. While Rem Pitlick got an assist in his Wild debut against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.
This is a massive blow to the Minnesota Wild who are off to a phenomenal 5-1 start to the season. They will be without their top goal scorer until at least November 10.
Connor Dewar, Kyle Rau and Jon Lizotte have now been called up from the Iowa Wild.
Here is the official announcement from the Minnesota Wild on Twitter.
This is following the Chicago Blackhawks who recently had 5 players in COVID-19 Protocol, after Jonathan Toews & Henrik Borgstrom were added on Tuesday.
However, Jonathan Toews returned to the Blackhawks roster on Wednesday night when they played the Toronto Maple Leafs In Chicago.
Also, the St. Louis Blues added Ryan O'Reilly and Brandon Saad to COVID-19 Protocol on Tuesday.
The use of the COVID-19 list doesn’t necessarily mean any of the players or coaches tested positive. They could have been deemed a close contact of someone who had tested positive.
