Blue Jackets HC Brad Larsen, assistant Steve McCarthy enter COVID protocol

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without head coach Brad Larsen and assistant coach Steve McCarthy Tuesday evening, as both have been placed in the league’s COVID protocol. In their absence, the Blue Jackets will be led by associate coach Pascal Vincent. The team is at home to face the New York Islanders Tuesday evening.

Larsen, 44, was hired as head coach of the Blue Jackets last summer after serving previously in an assistant role and has posted a 32-29-5 record so far behind the bench. In fact, Columbus has done better this season than many expected after the trade of Seth Jones and other key players. Specifically, the play of Patrik Laine has been an impressive turnaround. The relationship between the two has resulted in plenty of media speculation on several occasions, and yet Laine is currently having the best offensive season of his career with 49 points in 47 games.

With Larsen and McCarthy out, it would be possible for the Blue Jackets to bring up some coaches from the minor leagues to help Vincent in Tuesday’s game, though that would leave another vacancy. The Cleveland Monsters are set to take on the Chicago Wolves Tuesday evening.