South Florida teams are feeling COVID-19 impact again. The Panthers are the latest
Just like that, it feels like it’s back to Square One with how COVID-19 is impacting the sports world again.
Even with high vaccination rates, all three North American sports leagues currently playing their seasons — the NHL, NFL and NBA — are seeing upticks in positive cases as the omicron variant rises.
And while the Florida Panthers aren’t the first team in South Florida to have their roster impacted by COVID-19 during the past couple weeks, they have come the closest to being the first area team to have their schedule impacted by the virus.
But the Panthers’ are ultimately playing on — for now. Their game against the Los Angeles Kings at FLA Live Arena is being played as scheduled Thursday night, although the Panthers’ roster looks like a shell of its usual self.
The Panthers are without seven of their main players — all of whom are in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols. This includes two of their top-six forwards (Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe), three of their core defensemen (Aaron Ekblad, Radko Gudas and Brandon Montour), high-energy fourth-line forward Ryan Lomberg and steady third-line winger Frank Vatrano.
Outside of the group in COVID-19 protocols, defenseman Gustav Forsling, who missed Tuesday’s game with the flu, also did not play. Plus, Maxim Mamin remains day-to-day with an injury and did not play. That doesn’t even include the four players on injured reserve (forwards Noel Acciari, Aleksander Barkov and Mason Marchment plus defenseman Markus Nutivaara).
The temporary solution: Florida called up four players from the Charlotte Checkers, its American Hockey League affiliate, on Thursday afternoon — forwards Grigori Denisenko and Cole Schwindt plus defensemen Chase Priskie and Matt Kiersted.
“We’re just trying to prepare our team the best we can,” said interim coach Andrew Brunette, who had just 12 skaters on the ice during the team’s morning skate before reinforcements arrived from the minor leagues in time for puck drop. “That’s all we can control.”
The NHL had already postponed 10 games this season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Most recently, the Calgary Flames’ season has been on pause since Monday and will remain that way through at least Saturday, resulting in four games being postponed so far. As of Thursday, the Flames have 30 members of their organization (including 18 players) in COVID-19 protocols. Also, the Carolina Hurricanes’ game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday was postponed after the Hurricanes had four players test positive.
This comes after the Ottawa Senators had three games postponed from Nov. 16-20. The New York Islanders lost two road games on Nov. 28 and Nov. 30.
“It’s not easy,” Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau said. “It’s worldwide. It’s everybody and not only us. Obviously a lot of teams are going through adversity. ... It’s whatever we can do. Right now, it’s more than hockey with everything going on, but I think we’ve just got to stick with it.”
Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat impacted, too
But it’s not just the Panthers feeling a roster crunch due to COVID-19 among South Florida teams.
The Miami Dolphins have six players on the NFL’s reserved/COVID-19 list — including each of their top three running backs in Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed and Phillip Lindsay as well as safety Jevon Holland and, rookie wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and practice squad running back Gerrid Doaks.
The Dolphins players who have tested positive are quarantining in a hotel. It’s unclear if any of them have symptoms, though co-offensive coordinator Eric Studesville said this week that “some feel better than others.”
The development comes at an inopportune time for the 6-7 Dolphins, who are entering a must-win game against the New York Jets on Sunday for their playoff hopes. The Dolphins went three months without any players testing positive prior to their cluster of cases in the past week.
The rules are considerably more onerous for players who are unvaccinated. At least two Dolphins — receiver Preston Williams and tight end Adam Shaheen — are unvaccinated.
It’s unclear if there are any other unvaccinated Dolphins. Dolphins coach Brian Flores has stopped short of ordering players not to leave their homes when they’re not at the facility.
”We tell them to be smart, be safe,” Flores said. “We understand we’re all living in a pandemic. There are a lot of things about COVID out of our control. Every decision they make or every place they go, we all should walk into where ever that is, market or store, understanding it’s out there and we have to take the right precautions. It’s a serious situation with hospitalizations and deaths. Nothing is more important to me than the health of our team. I take it seriously. The entire league takes it seriously. The entire country takes it seriously.”
There were around 100 positive tests across the NFL from Monday to Wednesday, with the majority of the cases asymptomatic, but the league said no game postponements are being considered at this time. The new Omicron variant, whose symptoms are milder but more contagious, is believed to be driving the uptick in cases.
The league on Thursday announced plans to change the testing protocol that would allow vaccinated players who test positive and are asymptomatic to return sooner, including one scenario that would require just one negative test. Under the original plan, players who are vaccinated and tested positive had to produce two negative tests at least 24 hours apart and show no symptoms to return to team activities. The second negative test has to be received by 4 p.m. Saturday for players to be active on Sunday.
Over 94 percent of NFL players are vaccinated and the overwhelming majority of Dolphins players have received the shot. The league has not mandated players receive the vaccination or booster shot, as it must be agreed upon with the players union. However, the NFL strongly incentivized it by relaxing protocols for vaccinated individuals. The league has mandated the vaccination and booster shot by Dec. 27 for Tier 1 and Tier 2 individuals — coaches, front-office staff and other team personnel.
“We tell them to be smart, be safe, understand that we are all living in a pandemic,” Flores said Wednesday. “There’s a lot of things about COVID that are, a lot of it is out of our control. It’s airborne. Really every decision they make or every place they go, we really all should walk into wherever that is, a supermarket or store, understanding that it’s out there and we have to take the correct precautions.”
The Miami Heat’s Caleb Martin is sidelined by the NBA’s health and safety protocols as well after testing positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. The NBA as a whole has had 60 players enter health and safety protocols this season, including 43 over the past two weeks — a group that includes two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“This just continues to be unique and uncommon times right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Enhanced protocols on the way
With positive cases rising, the NFL has implemented new COVID-19 protocols while the NHL and NBA are having discussions about updating theirs.
In addition to the new testing policies, the NFL said in a statement Thursday that “all clubs will implement preventative measures that have proven effective,” which include mask wearing regardless of vaccination status, outdoor or remote meetings, no in-person meals and no outside visitors while on the road.
The Dolphins had decided earlier Thursday to transition to the league’s enhanced COVID protocols before the new mandate was announced. The team continues to practice in person.
The NHL is going back to daily testing (instead of tests every third day), is requiring all team personnel to wear face masks at facilities and holding virtual meetings, according to ESPN. The league also wants social interactions outside of the hotel, rink or home to be limited. This would mean social distancing while at team facilities and no indoor dining on road trips.
The NBA is also reportedly working with the National Basketball Players Association in an attempt to ramp up testing for vaccinated players and staff.
“First and foremost, the number one objective for everybody in this association is making sure that players and staff members are healthy,” Spoelstra said. “Secondly, we want this business to keep on going and flourishing and we want to be able to do what we can do. So that is going to require more vigilance from everybody. ... This is just where we are. This continues to be our new normal and the more we can have a little bit of grace with each other and help each other get through this, the better it is for all of us.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 11:25 AM.
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