Toronto Maple Leafs place Justin Holl, Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie in COVID protocols
A trio of Toronto Maple Leafs has landed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.
Justin Holl, Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie have all entered protocols, the club announced Friday.
Holl, 29, has appeared in 29 games this year scoring one goal and three points, while Kase, who has been featured on the Leafs top line, has scored eight goals and 17 points in 30 games.
Ritchie, meanwhile, was waived by the Leafs last week but went unclaimed. He’s appeared in 33 games scoring two goals and nine points.
As noted by our own Frank Seravalli, a total of 426 players have entered COVID-19 protocols since the Omicron variant took hold across the league.
426 #NHL players have entered COVID-19 protocol since omicron spread began on Dec. 11, according to data tracked by @DailyFaceoff.
So, ~60% of rosters were confirmed positive in 35 days. Key stat: Those 426 do not have to test again at all for 90 days from date of positive.
For the Leafs, COVID-19 has virtually fully run its course through the team. David Alter of The Hockey News noted on Twitter on Friday that Michael Bunting and Auston Matthews — two-thirds of their top line — are the only players who haven’t contracted the virus over the course of the last month.
The Leafs are scheduled to play a road game in St. Louis on Saturday night, but won’t play again until next Wednesday, due to the game that was scheduled for Monday against the New Jersey Devils also being postponed.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.