Boston Bruins F Kuhlman Placed On COVID Unable To Play List

Boston Bruins forward Karson Kuhlman was one of 22 NHL players placed on the list of players unavailable to play or practice in accordance with the League’s COVID Protocols.

Last week when speaking to the media after a training camp session, Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said that Kuhlman hadn’t skated at camp to that point, due to a ‘COVID Testing issue’. Cassidy did not, however, specify if Kuhlman actually tested positive for the virus. 

Kuhlman finally skated with the injured players at practice Tuesday but just about 19 hours later, the NHL said he had been put on the ever-growing list of ‘players who are unavailable to play or practice on January 13, 2021, in accordance with the League’s COVID Protocols’. Like Cassidy, the NHL did not say what protocol exactly, that Kuhlman was not in accordance with.

Here’s the full description of the NHL COVID Protocols:

Such “COVID Protocol Related Absences” can be the result of a number of factors including, among others: (1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.

The League will maintain a dedicated list, to be launched later this week on media.nhl.com, which will be updated daily to reflect the Players on each Club that are unavailable to practice or play due to a COVID Protocol Related Absence – no additional detail will be provided either by the League or the Club, including the precise reason the Player is unavailable or how long he might be out.

Kuhlman will obviously miss all three games of the Boston Bruins’ season-opening three-game road trip that begins Thursday night in Newark, NJ against the New Jersey Devils. It is not known if he will be cleared when the Bruins have their home opener at TD Garden on Jan. 14.