Ducks await COVID-19 test results as uncertainty looms

Some stayed home, some skated, some underwent treatment.

Everyone wondered what might happen next, with the Ducks unsure whether they would be deemed healthy enough by the NHL to play their next game, which was scheduled for Saturday against the New York Rangers at Honda Center. It was still on the schedule, as of Friday afternoon.

But, as with everything in these days of COVID-19, it was subject to change.

“It’s a challenge, but that’s our circumstance,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said during a Zoom call from Great Park Ice in Irvine.

Eakins couldn’t say who was next to enter the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol or who might be next to exit it. Test results weren’t expected back until perhaps as late as Friday evening, after the Ducks opted to take the more reliable PCR tests for their players, coaches and staff members.

So, news of a second consecutive postponement and a sixth in the past 10 scheduled games wasn’t expected until later Friday. The Ducks’ game Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings was postponed until Sunday by the NHL when the league determined they didn’t have enough players.

Seven players, including team captain Ryan Getzlaf and goaltender John Gibson, were in the league’s protocol and an eighth, rookie center Trevor Zegras, was ruled out in advance of Thursday’s game because he hadn’t had sufficient practice time.

Additionally, three players, including left wing Adam Henrique, were on injured reserve and unable to play.

Compounding matters was an outbreak among players on the roster of the Ducks’ AHL team, the San Diego Gulls. The AHL had postponed several recent Gulls games and the team only resumed practicing at midweek. The Gulls were set to return to action Friday against Stockton.

Postponing the Ducks-Red Wings game was the league’s call, according to Eakins. The Ducks simply reported the status of their players to the league and the league determined they didn’t have enough healthy players available to play, so the game was shifted to Sunday.

“You can’t just call the league and say, ‘Hey, we’re not playing tonight. We don’t like our lineup. We’ve got a whole bunch of guys out. We’re not playing tonight. We’re just giving you guys a heads-up,’” Eakins said of the process. “It doesn’t work that way. It’s just a conversation.”

The Ducks managed to cobble together a lineup for their game Tuesday against the equally depleted Philadelphia Flyers and, thanks to Troy Terry’s hat trick, grabbed a 4-1 victory that ended their four-game winless streak (0-2-2). When four additional players tested positive Thursday, the league stepped in and postponed the game against Detroit.

Gibson, center Sam Carrick, right wing Vinni Lettieri and defenseman Hampus Lindholm joined Getzlaf, left wing Nicolas Deslauriers and center Derek Grant in the league’s protocol. Zegras exited the protocol, but Eakins had already determined he wouldn’t play without a full practice.

Defining a full practice grew trickier Friday, though. Eakins said only a handful of players were on the ice. Several others had arrived to undergo treatment on injuries. Others arrived only to be tested and then headed directly for home to continue their five-day quarantines. Some stayed home entirely.

Of the seven in the league’s protocol, Eakins said only Carrick suffered from significant symptoms, with the team’s medical staff initially believing he had a case of the flu before a positive COVID-19 test Thursday. The others were asymptomatic and frustrated they couldn’t practice or play.

“I’ve had every other guy driving me crazy with text messages or calling me, begging to find a way they can play,” Eakins said. “Unfortunately, I can’t. We’re bound by the league rules. We’re going to respect them. I think the league is doing their best to keep everyone safe and following the guidelines of the CDC.

“All of our guys are vaccinated. I would lay money down on the table that we’re in the top-5 teams of being boosted in the league. I think that’s why we’re getting guys (who are asymptomatic), who are dying to play. They are dying to come in and work out while they wait to test negative.

“I think that’s the frustrating part from the players’ side.”