What the NHL Is Asking of the Vancouver Canucks Is “Not Going to Be Too Safe”

“What we’re being asked to do is not going to be too safe.”

If you haven’t heard about the situation the Vancouver Canucks are in regarding their current COVID-19 outbreak, it’s the worst any team in the league has seen this season.

The Canucks haven’t played since March 24th as the team was ravaged by a COVID outbreak involving a variant of the virus. Many players were symptomatic and the peak number of players that were placed in protocol was 25. The team is being put back on the ice this week and is scheduled for a game Friday against the Oilers. To complete its 56-game schedule, Vancouver must play its remaining 19 games in 31 days, including five games in their first seven days back on the ice. To accommodate the Canucks games, the NHL has the North Division now ending its schedule May 16th; the regular season was originally scheduled to end on May 11th.

As of today, seven players remain in COVID protocol for Vancouver.

Players in the United States have begun to get vaccinated, including the Blackhawks just today, however rollout has been much slower in Canada.

Veteran forward J.T. Miller spoke with the media on Wednesday as the team is preparing to return to the ice for their one practice before getting ready to take on the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.

Part One:

Part Two:

The Canucks are not in the heat of the playoff race in the North Division, sitting 10 points behind the fourth-place Montreal Canadiens.

What the NHL is asking the Canucks to do is downright stupid and dangerous to their health. “I hope people don’t take this the wrong way, I’m a super competitive guy… but this isn’t about hockey for our team,” Miller said in the interview, “This is about the health and safety of our players, their family and their children. This isn’t about making the playoffs.”

We don’t know the full long-term effects that having a case of COVID can do. Mental “fog” and issues breathing are just two of the effects that we do know about and according the ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, one Canucks player who had COVID and was told he is no longer contagious, is experiencing the “fog” side effect and although is planning on playing when the Canucks return, is concerned for “the unknown.”

Miller emphasized in his comments on Wednesday, the hesitation to return so quickly comes from what the COVID-19 virus does to ones athletic capabilities and the challenges that full recovery poses, even for elite athletes. For example, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who tested positive for COVID-19 in January, still uses an inhaler prior to every game to aide in his recovery.

To expect the Canucks to step onto the ice as the same team that last played on March 24th, as far as competitiveness goes, is a ridiculous ask of the league.

Miller said that even players who were in protocol but never tested positive would still need more time to get back to game speed before being thrown into the 19 games in 31 days schedule. “It’s frustrating, we try to talk about our number one priority is our players health and their families safety and it’s impossible to achieve that with what we’re being asked to do.” Miller said in the media call.

The NHL has generally fumbled their way through this season when it comes to their handling of teams with COVID. To force a team that nearly had their entire roster in the COVID protocol and have double-digit positive cases to finish a season at the drop of a hat and without the team being in true playoff contention is horrible, horrible optics for the league. If the league does not take a good hard look at what Miller is saying about the team as they try to head back onto the ice, they are going to face harsh criticisms if/when Canucks players face more serious health issues or injuries due to being pushed back into play too early.

Canucks general manager Jim Benning said last week that no Canucks players have said they want to opt out of the rest of the season.

Of course they haven’t, these are hockey players. The current culture of the sport would eat them alive for saying they did not want to finish the season. Look what happened with Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask when he left the team to be with his family during the postseason bubble last summer. You think the reception from the NHL community would be generally accepting of a team opting out of the final 19 games of the season? Yeah right.

There’s no winning in this situation.

You hope for the best in the actions from the league moving forward after Miller’s comments and you hope for the fullest of recoveries from the players and the families affected by this outbreak. If the Canucks didn’t play another game this season, yes there would be negative financial implications, but everyone is already operating with negative financial implications this season. The NHL needs to address this and make the right decision to, for once, not put money over the health and safety of its players.

written by

Mario Tirabassi is a writer for Bleacher Nation. You can follow him on Twitter @Mario_Tirabassi.

more blackhawks news

Blackhawks 0, Senators 2 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

Remember when the Blackhawks went to California for three games and started each game like they had 45 minutes of hockey to start caring? And dug a deep hole in each game that they were only able to escape from...

Blackhawks at Senators – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Don't look now, but the Chicago Blackhawks have won six of their last ten games. They still sit in second for the NHL draft lottery, but they're trending in the right direction; they're .500 in the month of March with...

These 3 Blackhawks Veterans Are Having Terrific Seasons

Entering Thursday night's action, the Chicago Blackhawks have the second-worst point percentage in the NHL -- even while they're 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. And they own the second-worst goal differential in the league (minus-76). It's been a long,...

28 on 28: Steve Larmer’s Rookie Season Remains the Blackhawks’ Standard

We're ten games away from the end of the 2023-24 regular season, and Connor Bedard continues to put up remarkable numbers for at age 18 in his first professional season. He will likely join Steve Larmer on the list of...

The Greatest Sports Watching Day of the Year, Next Year’s TV, an IceHogs Stunner, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Congratulations, sports fans! Today, March 28, 2024 is the greatest sports viewing day of the calendar year. Hands down, lock it up, no competition. It's Opening Day in MLB and Sweet 16 day one in the NCAA men's basketball tournament....

NHL Notes: Penguins Paradox, Torts Apologizes, Doan’s Dazzling Debut, Rangers Punch Ticket, More

It's a mid-week edition of NHL Notes and we have plenty to cover around the league. The Penguins find themselves with a tricky decision as their season draws to a close. John Tortorella dished out an apology to one of...

We Need to Talk About Jason Dickinson As a Selke Trophy Candidate — Again

Back in early February as the Blackhawks wrapped their pre-All-Star Game schedule, I wrote about Jason Dickinson's case for Selke Trophy votes. We're now ten games away from the end of Chicago's regular season, and with Dickinson reaching 20 goals...

Slaggert’s Big Night, Bedard’s Tape, Felcman to Rockford, Anderson, Tinordi, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I'm gonna continue to smile, just like Landon Slaggert, because of his performance in last night's Blackhawks win. The former Notre Dame captain had his parents and young brother in the stands and he had one helluva game last night....

Blackhawks 3, Flames 1 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

The message Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson was trying to get across with Monday's bag skate clearly landed. The start Chicago had on Tuesday night was a polar opposite of what they showed in the three games in California. They...

Blackhawks vs Flames – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

After a disappointing road trip that saw the Blackhawks get smoked for 7 of 9 periods, the team got a bag skate on Monday to think about their effort. They'll get back on the ice tonight in front of a...

Latest News

Washington State vs. Illinois Women’s Basketball: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

Two hot teams meet when the Washington State Cougars (21-14) host the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-15) on April 1, 2024. The Cougars will put their three-game win streak on the line against the Fighting Illini, who have won three straight.On...

Villanova vs. Penn State Women’s Basketball: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Villanova Wildcats (21-12) will try to extend a three-game winning streak when they host the Penn State Lady Lions (22-12) on April 1, 2024. The Lady Lions have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Villanova...

Brewers vs. Mets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Milwaukee Brewers are moneyline favorites (-110) to begin their season with a road win over the New York Mets on Friday at 1:40 PM ET, live on SNY.Freddy Peralta takes the mound for Milwaukee while Jose Quintana is New...

Braves vs. Phillies Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Philadelphia Phillies (0-0) host the Atlanta Braves (0-0) in an Opening Day game at 3:05 PM ET on Friday.The Braves will look to Spencer Strider against the Phillies and Zack Wheeler.Braves vs. Phillies Pitcher Matchup and Game InfoWhen: Friday,...

Suns vs. Thunder Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The game starts at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The matchup's point total is...

Brewers vs. Mets Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Milwaukee Brewers (0-0) begin their 2024 season with a road matchup against the New York Mets (0-0) on Friday, with first pitch at 1:40 PM ET.The Brewers will give the nod to Freddy Peralta versus the Mets and Jose...

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) are 8-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 29, 2024. The game starts at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup's point total is set at 212.5.Our computer predictions...

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena as heavy, 14-point underdogs. The contest airs at 8:00 PM ET on...

Rockets vs. Jazz Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Utah Jazz (29-44) will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets (37-35) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Vivint Smart Home Arena as 7.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 9:30 PM ET on...

Bulls vs. Nets Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Chicago Bulls (35-38) hit the court against the Brooklyn Nets (28-45) as 5.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup has an over/under set at 214.5 points.Before you place an informed wager...

more blackhawks news