MONTREAL — In case NHL fans forgot, COVID-19 is still a thing. The Rangers found that out Friday when the team learned that center Ryan Strome had been placed into the league’s COVID-19 protocol. He will not be available for Saturday’s game in Montreal, and because of that, the team called up center Greg McKegg from AHL Hartford.
In accordance with the league’s policy on disclosing information on COVID-19, the Rangers could not say whether Strome has tested positive or has been deemed to be a close contact of someone who was. The team could not even say whether Strome had traveled with the team to Canada.
According to the protocol, if Strome tested positive, he would be tested again to confirm the positive result, then tested again 24 hours later. If that test was also positive, he would be tested a third time, 24 hours after that. If he remains positive, then he would be out of action and in isolation from the team for 10 days after his symptoms began and at least 24 hours after they ceased.
Strome played in the Rangers’ first two games, Wednesday in Washington and Thursday at home against Dallas. He had an assist on Chris Kreider’s power-play goal Wednesday. With him out of the lineup, third line center Filip Chytil is likely to step up into Strome’s second-line role, between Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko. The Rangers play the Montreal Canadiens Saturday at the Bell Centre.
