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Canadiens Player Receives Two Positive COVID-19 Test

By Valérie Bayeur

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 19: Jesperi Kotkaniemi #15 of the Montreal Canadiens leaves the ice after receiving a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding Travis Sanheim (not pictured) of the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 19, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 19: Jesperi Kotkaniemi #15 of the Montreal Canadiens leaves the ice after receiving a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding Travis Sanheim (not pictured) of the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 19, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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More than two players within the Montreal Canadiens have been in contact with someone affected by COVID-19. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia were put on the COVID-19 protocol list last Monday and the game against the Edmonton Oilers was postponed. All four games were postponed against the Edmonton Oilers and the Ottawa Senators this week. General manager Marc Bergevin mentioned during his conference on Thursday that there was one player whose test came back positive twice. Marc Bergevin did mention that the positive test came from one of the variants of the Coronavirus.

‘’There are many possibilities how the player got affected, it could have been on the last trip or in an elevator, we have no idea how it happened’’, said Marc Bergevin. We don’t know whether Kotkaniemi or Armia is the one affected, but Bergevin mentioned that this player is completely fine and healthy.

The National Hockey League decided to cancel all four games this week and the training centers have been closed. ‘’The positive side is that our injured players won’t have to be absent for the four games. The negative side is that our players won’t be practicing for seven days. The players get to rest, but they need to get in shape, ‘’ mentioned Bergevin. The Montreal Canadiens best goal-scorer Tyler Toffoli is currently injured and missed the last game against the Vancouver Canucks where Montreal won 5-4 in a shoutout. This pause will give him time to recover from his lower-body injury.

The NHL will decide when the games will be played. Marc Bergevin could not say when they would be played because the NHL has control over the schedule. With Montreal’s tight calendar, it is possible that they might play three games in four days. ‘’If the situation stays the same, everything should be all right on Monday’’, said Bergevin.

It is unlikely that Bergevin will make any trades during the next weeks, although it would be ideal for the quarantine situation. If a player is traded to a Canadian team, he will have to quarantine for 14 days and miss some games. Many fans were expecting to see a trade happen during this period because the players wouldn’t miss too many games. There has been a lot of rumors about Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators, but Bergevin mentioned that he doesn’t have any cap space and to not expect a big trade before the deadline.

This situation might not be ideal for the Montreal Canadiens, but Marc Bergevin and the players will have to manage the best they can. Hopefully, the players will be able to take advantage of the situation, get some rest and come back stronger.

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