Vancouver Canucks’ timeline of positive COVID-19 tests a cause for concern

Tuesday morning, news broke that Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luke Schenn and forward Juho Lammikko had both tested positive for COVID-19.

This comes after the club faced the Carolina Hurricanes — who currently have six players in COVID protocols — on Sunday night.

Hurricanes forwards Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis stayed behind in Vancouver to quarantine as a result.

The Hurricanes game against the Minnesota Wild, which was scheduled for tonight, has also been postponed.

The most troubling thing about the Canucks’ timeline of tests, however, is that the first test that came back positive was conducted before the team’s game against the COVID-ridden Hurricanes.

Under the NHL’s COVID protocols, teams must test every three days. Under that cycle, the Canucks tested players and staff on Sunday before the game against Carolina took place.

The Canucks were informed of Schenn’s positive result from a Sunday afternoon test on Monday — a day in which the club was already scheduled to have a day off.

On Monday, the Canucks conducted additional tests on all players, coaches, and training staff, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

As a result of those Monday tests, the club learned of Juho Lammikko’s positive result Tuesday morning. That would suggest that the spread of the virus has already begun within the Canucks’ locker room.

Originally scheduled for a 10 AM morning skate ahead of their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team did not hold a morning skate, and players could be seen wearing masks in team-designated zones — which they’re not typically required to under the league’s COVID protocols.

“It’s our decision, but we work with the players, and there has to be a comfort level here,” said President Jim Rutherford on the decision to cancel morning skate. “No one was comfortable here at the building, nor would we expect them to be.”

The club tested all of its players and staff once again this morning and are expected to receive the results sometime prior to 6 PM, according to Rutherford.

The results of those tests will likely decide the fate of Tuesday night’s 7 PM game against Columbus and potentially postpone further games, as players who test positive are required to quarantine for ten days.