HabsWorld.net -- 

Wednesday is an off day for the Habs but there is plenty of news surrounding the team including more players in COVID protocol, a Logan Mailloux update, and more.

Two More Out

The Habs won’t have Paul Byron or Cayden Primeau available for the next ten days as both have entered COVID protocol.  Byron actually hasn’t tested positive but is a close contact of someone who has.  He was nearing a return from his hip injury but that will be put on hold for the time being.

As for Primeau, he did test positive which takes him out of the running to start Thursday’s game in Carolina as he was expected to do.  (Samuel Montembeault will get the nod now.)  He is set to spend five days in Tampa Bay and then will return home to New Jersey to finish his quarantine before coming back to Canada.

While the NHL and NHLPA jointly announced the amount of time someone needs to be quarantined from ten days to five, local health units can still override that.  At the moment, Quebec does not have a lower threshold for days in quarantine so the current rules still apply for them.  Also worth noting is that once a player tests positive, they won’t be tested for another 90 days so anyone currently in COVID protocol will be clear basically through the trade deadline in March.

Early Cancellation

It’s only Day Four at the World Juniors but the tournament has come to an end.  Following positive tests by two players on the US team plus one on Czechia and Russia, the IIHF has decided to cancel the rest of the event effective immediately.  Each of Montreal’s prospects got in two games.

Worth noting, with the Habs basically down to one healthy recallable skater in Laval (J-S Dea), this would in theory make Kaiden Guhle and Jan Mysak recallable if there is another rash of COVID protocol placements before Montreal hits their unplanned bye week following Saturday’s game in Florida.  As things stand, the Canadiens will be off for a week and a half after that game due to attendance-related postponements of their upcoming home games.

Mailloux Reinstated

With January 1st fast approaching, the OHL had a decision to make regarding Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux who had been under indefinite suspension through the end of the calendar year.  The league announced that he will be reinstated as of Saturday.  As a result of some recent COVID-related postponements in that league, the 2021 first-rounder will wind up missing 26 games in total.

Mailloux has been allowed to skate with London while under suspension so it’s possible he’s able to make his season debut as soon as Saturday in Erie (COVID permitting).