Nine NHL players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past seven days, the league announced Monday.
Eight players who reported for voluntary workouts in Phase 2 of the league's return-to-play plan have had results come back positive, as has one player who did not report.
A total of 35 players have tested positive since Phase 2 began on June 8. There have been 23 positive results from over 2,900 tests administered to players who reported for workouts after 15 players tested positive last week. Twelve players who did not report have also tested positive.
With Olympic participation reportedly included in the NHL and NHLPA's modified collective bargaining agreement, it's time for hockey fans to think about what the tournament may look like. This edition forecasts Team Sweden's roster.
The Swedes have performed relatively well in Olympic Games involving NHL players. Canada has won three of the last four gold medals (2014, 2010, 2002), but Sweden was victorious in 2006 and grabbed silver in 2014.
Others in this series: Canada USA Finland Czech Republic - July 10 Russia - July 12
Sweden
Head coach: Rikard Gronborg
Gronborg led Tre Kronor to back-to-back gold medals at the 2017 and 2018 World Championships. He's even made some noise about becoming the NHL's first European head coach in nearly 20 years.
Forwards
RvS.Media/Robert Hradil / Getty Images Sport / Getty
LW
C
RW
Gabriel Landeskog (29)
Mika Zibanejad (28)
William Nylander (25)
Filip Forsberg (27)
Elias Pettersson (23)
Viktor Arvidsson (28)
Victor Olofsson (26)
Nicklas Backstrom (34)
Elias Lindholm (27)
Andre Burakovsky (27)
William Karlsson (29)
Rickard Rakell (28)
Joel Eriksson Ek (25)
(All ages as of February 2022)
Extra: Adrian Kempe (25)
This would arguably be Sweden's deepest group of forwards since the 2006 team. The timing is excellent, too, as the majority of these players will be in their primes in 2022. Backstrom is an exception, but the intelligent playmaker should age gracefully, and Zibanejad and Pettersson would be able to shoulder the load down the middle of the ice.
The last three spots were tough decisions. Burakovsky's combination of size and speed - along with his breakout season with the Colorado Avalanche - earned him a position. Wanting to take a defensive center, we project Eriksson Ek will be more effective in that role than Mikael Backlund in 2022. Continuing with the youth movement, Kempe earned a job over veteran wingers like Jakob Silfverberg and Gustav Nyquist.
Just missed the cut: Backlund (32), Silfverberg (31), Nyquist (32), Jesper Bratt (23), Calle Jarnkrok (30)
Defense
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
LD
RD
Victor Hedman (31)
Erik Karlsson (31)
Rasmus Dahlin (21)
John Klingberg (29)
Hampus Lindholm (28)
Jonas Brodin (28)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (30)
Extra: Oscar Klefbom (28)
While the forwards are impressive, Sweden's blue line remains its bread and butter. It's arguably the best group of any nation. Injuries have slowed down Karlsson, but he can still be a difference-maker if healthy. Hedman, Klingberg, and Dahlin were all locks, but we could've gone in many directions for the last four spots.
Brodin and Lindholm aren't flashy and don't get much media attention, but they're two of the best defensive rearguards in the game. The shutdown pairing complements the dynamic top four very nicely.
Chicago Blackhawks phenom Adam Boqvist could force his way on this team with a hot start next season - and it helps that he's right-handed - but he came up just short with so much experience available elsewhere.
Just missed the cut: Boqvist (21), Mattias Ekholm (31), Niklas Hjalmarsson (34), Adam Larsson (29)
Goaltending
RvS.Media/Robert Hradil / Getty Images Sport / Getty
G
Robin Lehner (30)
Jacob Markstrom (32)
Extra: Linus Ullmark (28)
It's a passing of the torch in Sweden's goal. Henrik Lundqvist will be 39 for this tournament, so he wasn't a legitimate consideration. But the Swedes are still in good shape. Lehner is one of the best goalies in the NHL, and Markstrom, who just had his best season, isn't too far behind.
Ullmark is coming off a breakout year and could contend for the backup role.
The NHL and players' association have finalized a tentative agreement on return-to-play protocols for Phases 3 and 4, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
The two sides continue to work on the details of a new collective bargaining agreement. It was reported Saturday that the new CBA will run for six years.
Both the return-to-play and CBA agreements will need to be ratified by the league's board of governors and the entire NHLPA, McKenzie reports. Players will have 72 hours to vote.
Some of the details in the tentative agreement include a limit of 30 skaters in Phase 3 (training camps) with an unlimited number of goalies. Only players eligible to play in the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign will be permitted to skate in Phase 3, according to McKenzie.
Players who wish to opt out may do so without penalty but must notify their club by 5 p.m. ET on July 7. All 24 teams participating in the return must submit a list of players to the league by July 9, McKenzie adds.
Players must undergo a pre-participation medical exam, and if both the doctor administering the exam and the team's infectious disease expert determine that a player is at "substantial risk of developing a serious illness," the player will be deemed unfit to play but will be able to seek a second opinion, according to McKenzie.
All players and team personnel must be tested for the coronavirus 48 hours prior to returning to the club's training facilities and every second day after that, according to McKenzie. If the results aren't available within 24 hours, the individual won't be permitted to remain in club training facilities until they receive a negative test result.
Failing to comply with return-to-play protocols in the bubble "could lead to significant financial penalties and potentially the loss of draft picks," according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.
Personnel who are authorized to leave the bubble - either for medical reasons or personal circumstances - will be required to quarantine upon their return pending four negative tests over a four-day span, Seravalli adds. That time frame could be increased depending on location or circumstances outside the bubble.
Training camps are reportedly slated to open July 13, with teams traveling to their respective hubs by July 26 before qualifying-round games begin Aug. 1. The Stanley Cup is to be awarded in early October.
Edmonton and Toronto are reportedly the two locations that have been selected as hub cities to host the remaining games. The conference finals and Stanley Cup Final will reportedly be held in Edmonton, and family members will be permitted to enter the bubble at that point, according to Seravalli.
The veteran blue-liner, who's undergone three separate surgeries since he last played in December, will try to rejoin the Blackhawks' lineup if play continues this summer, a source told The Athletic's Scott Powers.
Seabrook, 35, underwent surgery on his right shoulder in December, his left hip in January, and his right hip in February. He was initially ruled out for the season, but the pause in play combined with his progress in rehab has apparently made Seabrook's return a possibility.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion hasn't been cleared for contact, but he has been skating and is on track to join the club for training camp, according to Powers. Camp is reportedly expected to open July 13.
Seabrook was limited to 32 games this season and contributed four points while averaging 18:09 of ice time per contest.
The players may have been exposed to the coronavirus at a bar in Clayton, Missouri, where several members of the team congregated over a week ago, according to Thomas. One player reportedly tested positive just days after that gathering.
It is not known whether those who tested positive were experiencing symptoms.
The team reportedly canceled practice on Friday and shuttered its training facility for the weekend due to the test results. The Blues are expected to practice Monday.
Fifteen of the 250 NHL players who reported to team facilities for Phase 2 tested positive for the virus as of Monday. An additional 11 players who did not report for voluntary workouts have also tested positive since June 8, when Phase 2 commenced.
Phase 3 of the NHL's return plan, which signifies the start of training camp, is slated to begin July 10. The NHL and the players' association are reportedly closing in on a new six-year collective bargaining agreement, as well as an agreement on the details of the league's return-to-play plan.
Don't count Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien among those fantasizing about landing Quebec native and presumptive No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere in the 2020 draft.
The veteran head coach confirmed as much recently, saying the club's focus is solely on beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round of the playoffs rather than entering the lottery for a chance to draft the hometown phenom.
"Everybody's got their opinions and they're entitled to them," Julien told NHL.com's Dave Stubbs. "Some fans, rightfully so, get excited about seeing the possibility of seeing that guy (Lafreniere). But imagine if we didn't win the first round and we don't get Lafreniere? How are the fans going to react then?"
He continued: "I know there are a lot of comments going around that say, my gosh, we should lose in the first round so we have a chance at the first pick overall and have a chance at a local boy, Lafreniere. Trust me, I'd love to have this player on my team. But there's no guarantee even if we go out in the first round that we would have that player."
The Canadiens are the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. After a place-holder team won the No. 1 overall pick in last month's draft lottery, it was determined each team eliminated from the play-in round will enter the next stage of the lottery and own a 12.5% chance at winning the top selection.
"If we win (against the Penguins), we're getting better as a team," Julien said. "If circumstances go the other way, then maybe we do get a shot at him. But at the end of the day we're built to win. We're professional athletes, we're competitive. There's no reason in the world to think otherwise. That's the direction we're going."
Montreal went 1-1-1 against Pittsburgh this season, with the Penguins outscoring the Canadiens 8-7.
