Several members of the San Jose Sharks organization have been placed in the COVID protocol, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, including five players. Head coach Bob Boughner is also out Saturday night, leaving the team to assistant John MacLean in his absence. Seven players have been put in the protocol; Andrew Cogliano, Jonathan Dahlen, Erik Karlsson, Jacob Middleton, Matthew Nieto, Radim Simek and Marc-Edouard Vlasic will all not play Saturday night. Additionally, San Jose Barracuda player Noah Gregor has also been placed in the protocol.
In the meantime, the Sharks have recalled Nicolas Meloche, Ryan Merkley, Nicholas Merkley, John Leonard and Jaycob Megna to fill out the roster for Saturday night. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweets that there are ongoing discussions with the league, but for now the game is still proceeding. The game had been delayed 30 minutes, however, to allow for the completion and analysis of further test results.
MacLean, while mostly serving as an assistant throughout his coaching career, does have some experience running a bench. In 2009-10 he was the head coach of the Lowell Devils, and then took over the New Jersey Devils for the 2010-11 season. Unfortunately for him, his time as head coach of that club didn’t last long, as, after a 9-22-2 start, he was fired during his rookie season with the Devils bringing Jacques Lemaire right back out of retirement to finish the season. He got another (albeit short) chance as a head coach Saturday night.
As a reminder, being placed in the protocol does not necessarily mean that these players have tested positive for coronavirus. They were not going to play Saturday night, but the Sharks have not clarified how long they will be unavailable. Logan Couture, who is also missing the game with an illness, is not in the protocol according to Kurz.
More must-reads: