Kraken forward Calle Jarnkrok is in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said Friday.
Hakstol did not provide further details: “He’s in the NHL COVID protocol. We’ll leave it at that.”
Jarnkrok, who played in the preseason finale Tuesday in Vancouver, missed Thursday’s practice because of what Hakstol called an illness. On Friday, he said the winger would go through the league’s protocol.
Entering the protocol doesn’t necessarily mean a player tested positive. It could mean he was exposed as a close contact to someone with it. Hakstol didn’t say which was the case for Jarnkrok.
Before preseason began, general manager Ron Francis announced that the entire Kraken roster was fully vaccinated.
Kole Lind, who cleared waivers this week, was a participant at Friday morning’s skate, likely in place of Jarnkrok.
“It’ll (affect the roster) like any injury,” Hakstol said. “That’s how we’ll approach it. Like an injury, we won’t look too far down the road, and then we’ll have a plan in place for that and be ready to adjust. That’s the way it is.”
Under the NHL COVID-19 protocol, a vaccinated player who tests positive will undergo a confirmatory test and then two more. If that player returns both those tests negative, he can resume training.
Otherwise, a player who has tested positive will be able to return “if at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, and at least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, and symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath, etc.) have improved.”
On Friday, Kraken players were wearing masks off the ice, which has been the norm around the league when a player has tested positive. The Pittsburgh Penguins had two players go into protocol last week and a similar routine, and New Jersey Devils unvaccinated goalie Mackenzie Blackwood entered protocol Friday.
Fully vaccinated players who test positive are treated as “a hockey-related injury” under the collective-bargaining agreement.
Gourde progresses
Yanni Gourde skated as a full participant on consecutive days, and Friday was another big step.
The forward, who has been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, centered the top line with wingers Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz for the first time. Jared McCann, who had been that unit’s center the entirety of the preseason, worked between Ryan Donato and Morgan Geekie instead.
Despite his meteoric recovery pace to go from the red no-contact jersey earlier in the week to being a part of all drills, Hakstol said Gourde is still on pace for the same recovery timeline.
“At this point, this was part of what our plan was,” Hakstol said. “Yesterday he was on the left wing, we wanted to put him up the middle, and today was a shift at that. No change in plan, he’s had a couple of good, hard work days in practice. It’s good to see him back with the regular squad, get more (line) rotations.”
Hakstol said Thursday that Gourde was likely to travel with the Kraken for its five-game road trip to begin the season, if only to keep a practice routine.
Notes
- Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer was one of three players named to the initial German national team’s Olympic roster. He is joined by Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider. Teams have been announcing their first three players throughout the week. Grubauer was the only Kraken named.
- Without Jarnkrok and with Gourde skating with the full group, Friday’s lines were different yet again. Along with the Gourde and McCann lines changing, Alex Wennberg centered a line with Joonas Donskoi on his left and Marcus Johansson on his right. Brandon Tanev skated with Riley Sheahan and a rotation of Nathan Bastian and Mason Appleton. Lind was the spare forward.