Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues has been placed into the NHL’s protocols for covid-19, a team spokesperson said. He is not currently part of the Penguins’ active roster.
This is the first time the Penguins have had a player in the protocols since Nov. 13.
The NHL as a whole has been largely shutdown since Tuesday because of a rise in positive tests among players over the past two weeks. The Penguins have not practiced in five days and have not played a game since Dec. 19, with three games postponed.
They are scheduled to resumed practicing Monday. Their next scheduled game is a road contest Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, though the likelihood of that game happening as planned is questionable, at best, for a variety of reasons.
Rodrigues has been one of the NHL’s more surprising players this season. Appearing in all 30 of the Penguins’ games, Rodrigues has 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists).
Primarily a reserve throughout his seven-year career, Rodrigues, 28, has emerged on the team’s top line and top power-play unit this season.
