Due to the NHL’s new policy on reporting injuries, when a player leaves or misses practice, speculation is rampant. That’s because the league's Return to Play protocol really doesn’t allow teams to report anything at all.
Update on injury reporting for 2020 Return to Play. pic.twitter.com/d1lmNMMTbH
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 11, 2020
Here are some key names around the league of players who have missed practice.
Cale Makar, the leading candidate to win the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year missed practice on Saturday, per the NHL’s website. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters, “I can’t say anything about Cale except that he was not fit to practice.”
No additional update at this time.
On Saturday, Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich left the ice early. Reporters asked head coach, David Quinn about him leaving. He said, “I’m not allowed to elaborate on injuries.” Buchnevich was not at practice at all Sunday . When Quinn was asked if he was in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, he said, “That’s not the case.”
On July 18, several Bruins were deemed unfit to participate, per head coach Bruce Cassidy. It eventually came out that their best player, David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase were in quarantine but tested negative for COVID-19.
Important to note: Cassidy said "We had no injuries." There were a bunch of players missing today: Pastrnak, Kase, Krug, Rask, Krejci, Coyle, Wagner, Ritchie, Kuraly.
— Amalie Benjamin (@AmalieBenjamin) July 18, 2020
That means they all fall under the NHL designation of "unfit" to participate.
Bruins resident bad boy Brad Marchand had this to say when he found out “Pasta” was quarantined. "I thought he was on a two-day hangover."
Brad Marchand on David Pastrnak being in quarantine: “Boy, that’s news to me. I thought he was on a two-day hangover” Even on a Zoom Conference call, the Marchy personality is still there pic.twitter.com/nFQk6j4qOI
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) July 18, 2020
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