In and out of COVID protocol
Buffalo Sabres: Goaltender Dustin Tokarski has been put in COVID protocol.
Montreal Canadiens: Forward Brendan Gallaher and defenseman Sami Niku have been placed in COVID protocol.
Cory Wright: New York Islanders forward Kieffer Bellows is out of protocol but wasn’t ready to return last night. Defenseman Zdeno Chara skated on his own yesterday.
” won’t play. It’s his first time on the ice,” Trotz said. “Chara skated on his own. He will need a day or two. Those two guys are making their way back, but will not be in the lineup tonight.”
Forward Casey Cizikas is still in protocol.
St. Louis Blues: The Blues have placed defenseman Justin Faulk in COVID protocol.
TSN: Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington was placed in COVID protocol.
Vegas locks up their first-round pick
Vegas Golden Knights: The Golden Knights have signed 2021 first-round pick, 30th overall, Zach Dean to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Coyotes looking at Tempe not Houston
Craig Morgan: A statement from the Arizona Coyotes on the report of them being for sale and relocating: “This is false. Totally false. We’re not selling. We’re not moving. The Coyotes are 100 percent committed to playing in Arizona.”
TSN: Chris Johnston on the reports that the Arizona Coyotes could be looking for a new location, potentially to Houston.
“And then, needless to say, the Coyotes probably couldn’t have more forcibly denied this story. And look, no team of course if they were ever considering being moved would be able to do anything other but deny this story, but I think it’s a little deeper here.
In fact, I had a chance to speak to their president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez on Thursday. He was actually flying back when this report came out from New York where he was presenting on the plan they have for Tempe, Ariz. They have quite a big real estate and business plan for building an arena there. They’ve made that proposal to the city. They were the only group that stepped forward with the proposal for the piece of land that’s open to be built on.
So they’re waiting to hear back from the city. But Gutierrez couldn’t have been anymore clear that their only focus at the moment is finding solutions in Arizona and they think they have short-term solutions for next season that are lining up as well.”