New Jersey Devils’ Full-Blown COVID-19 Outbreak Puts Season On Hold
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils are done playing hockey while they try to get a COVID-19 outbreak under control.
The New Jersey Devils season was already very, very strange. Corey Crawford retired before ever taking the ice in an actual game after signing a two-year deal in the offseason. Nico Hischier still hasn’t had a team skate after getting injured in an offseason workout. Mackenzie Blackwood was dominant, before he found himself on the COVID-19 protocols, and now the Devils season is coming to a halt after a full-blown outbreak.
Four new Devils players were added to the protocol on Monday, forcing the NHL to postpone Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Getting ahead of things, the league and the Devils announced they will postpone the next three games on the schedule, with the first possible day to come back is February 9th against the Penguins.
That seems like a best-case scenario for the Devils. Already, Blackwood, Kyle Palmieri, Michael McLeod, Andreas Johnsson, Pavel Zacha, and Travis Zajac are all on the COVID-19 protocol list after playing with the team. That shows that there are at least a fear that they could have the virus, but it’s probably a better bet that some of them have tested positive or show symptoms. The way this virus works, more will likely be added to the list before anyone is taken off.
Blackwood actually is eligible to come off on Tuesday, but it’s likely the Devils play it as safe as possible since activities are on hold anyway.
Next. 3 Ways To Fix Penalty Kill. dark
Sami Vatanen, Aaron Dell, and Connor Carrick are also on the COVID-19 protocol list, but that seems to be more for travel reasons, although that hasn’t exactly been confirmed.
First and foremost, the hope here is that all the Devils are and stay healthy. This virus can be vicious, even to young athletes. Marco Rossi was forced to put his first NHL season on hold because he wasn’t able to full overcome the virus’ effects after getting sick in November. He’s out for the entire season, and now doctors are trying to figure out the best path forward.
Rossi is expected to eventually be fine, but missing an entire season due to a virus that many think doesn’t impact young people is eye opening. If the Devils lost Jack Hughes or Ryan Murray due to the outbreak, the outlook for the season changes completely. So, here’s to hoping the outbreak is handled. The NHL will likely look into how the Devils handled themselves and what led to the outbreak itself. For now, the Devils are on break to give the team time to get fully healthy. Who knows. When they come back, maybe everyone will be back in the lineup.