7 players have entered the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol: Rasmus Andersson, Byron Froese, Johnny Gaudreau, Erik Gudbranson, Trevor Lewis, Jacob Markstrom, Tyler Pitlick. 3 coaches are in protocol: Ryan Huska, Kirk Muller, Darryl Sutter. 7 support staff are also in protocol.
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Seven more Calgary Flames players (and three coaches) enter COVID protocol

Photo credit: Sergei Belski/USA Today Sports
The Calgary Flames’ COVID-19 outbreak has gone from bad to worse. On Wednesday morning, the club announced that an additional seven players (plus three members of the coaching staff and additional support staffers) have entered the National Hockey League’s COVID-19 protocol.
The seven players make it 16 players total currently in the protocol (and 27 members of the organization total):
- Goaltender Jacob Markstrom
- Defensemen Rasmus Andersson, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, Erik Gudbranson and Noah Hanifin
- Forwards Johnny Gaudreau, Brad Richardson, Milan Lucic, Tyler Pitlick, Trevor Lewis, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, Byron Froese, Adam Ruzicka and Andrew Mangiapane
- Head coach Darryl Sutter, associate coach Kirk Muller, assistant coach Ryan Huska
- Eight members of the club’s supports staff
Not in the protocol, for now:
- Goaltender Dan Vladar
- Defensemen Michael Stone and Oliver Kylington
- Forwards Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk, Blake Coleman and Dillon Dube (and injured forward Brett Ritchie)
If everything goes perfectly well and everyone is asymptomatic, here’s roughly when players would be allowed to exit the protocol:
- Dec. 22: Lindholm, Mangiapane, Richardson, Ruzicka, Tanev and Zadorov
- Dec. 23: Hanifin, Lucic and Monahan
- Dec. 24: Andersson, Froese, Gaudreau, Gudbranson, Lewis, Markstrom and Pitlick (and the coaches)
The Flames currently are scheduled to play on Saturday night against Columbus, but that seems improbable given the logistical, medical and cap challenges the Flames currently face.
We’ll have more on this story as it continues to develop.
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