At one point last week, the Sabres had nine players - forwards Dylan Cozens, Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar, Casey Mittelstadt and Tobias Rieder, and defensemen Rasmus Dahlin, Jake McCabe, Brandon Montour and Rasmus Ristolainen - as well as head coach Ralph Krueger in the NHL's COVID protocol.
Yesterday, Mittelstadt was removed from protocol and now no Sabres players on the NHL's COVID-related absence list.
Krueger said in his weekly appearance on WGR 550 this morning that Cozens, Lazar and Mittelstadt will be among the players who will participate in this morning's pregame skate, but their status for tonight's game is still to be determined.
Krueger expects all players who were in protocol to be fully up to speed by next week.
The NHL is sharing the names of players who are "unavailable" to teams due to COVID protocols and updating a public list each day.
These "COVID Protocol Related Absences" can be the result of a number of factors including, among others:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol;
(2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol;
(3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol;
(4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or;
(5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.
No additional detail will be provided either by the League or the team, including the precise reason a player is unavailable or how long he might be out.
The Sabres loaned forward Rasmus Asplund and defenseman Will Borgen to the team's taxi squad yesterday.
Krueger said this morning on WGR that he has liked how far Borgen has come over the last few years, and praised the physical aspect of his game. He skated 17:26 in Monday's loss, his second game of the season.
"We have another solid NHL defenseman there and he ahas gone the proper route of being drafted, working within an organization and developing himself step by step with amazing pro habits," Krueger said. "We're really excited with what we've seen in Will and his future his bright."
