Flames add 17 more people to COVID protocol

The Calgary Flames announced that 17 more people have been entered into the COVID protocol: seven players, three coaches and seven support staff. Rasmus Andersson, Byron Froese, Johnny Gaudreau, Erik Gudbranson, Trevor Lewis, Jacob Markstrom and Tyler Pitlick have joined the other players, while Ryan Huska, Kirk Muller and head coach Darryl Sutter are also now in the protocol.

Only seven active players are not in the protocol for the Flames. Games were originally postponed through Thursday, but there is no way the Flames can ice a roster for Saturday unless a huge number of these are false positives that are confirmed negative in the coming days. That certainly doesn’t look like the case given how many other positives there have been, meaning the Flames will be dormant for a while longer.

Notably, the Flames were already on a four-game losing streak when they were originally shut down, meaning this could be a critical time for the organization’s Stanley Cup hopes. Depending on how long the league keeps Calgary in the dark, the Flames may have to return to the ice extremely shorthanded and at the very minimum will be rusty from spending a minimum of 10 days in quarantine. The hope is obviously that none of the players, coaches or staff experience any serious symptoms and can get back on the ice as soon as possible.

Eric Francis of Sportsnet passes on some good news. Assistant general manager Chris Snow, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2019, is not one of the staff members who tested positive.