FILE - In this June 22, 2016, file photo, the NHL logo is shown during a press conference in Las Vegas. NHL free agency day began with two rivals helping each other out of a jam by way of a trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Cody Ceci, a 2020 third-round pick and minor leaguers Ben Harpur and Aaron Luchuk from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, forward Connor Brown and minor leaguer Michael Carcone. The teams announced the trade early Monday, roughly 3½ hours before the start of free agency. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)John Locher/Associated Press

Minnesota Wild Games Postponed Through Feb. 9 Because of NHL COVID-19 Protocols

Jenna CiccotelliFeb 3, 2021

The Minnesota Wild will not play until at least Feb. 11 as they deal with issues related to COVID-19.

According to an NHL release, the Wild's games have been postponed through Tuesday, and the team's facilities are closed until further notice because of the addition of five players to the league's COVID Protocol Related Absence List.

Minnesota's next scheduled game is Feb. 11 against the St. Louis Blues.

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According to The Athletic, Nick Bjugstad, Marcus Johansson, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jared Spurgeon and Nick Bonino were moved to the list Wednesday after Marcus Foligno was added Sunday.

The additions to the list further deplete a Minnesota roster that was already missing Matt Dumba, Mats Zuccarello and Alex Stalock.

The Wild aren't the only team that has been affected by COVID-19 this season. On Tuesday, the Buffalo Sabres' fixtures were postponed through Feb. 8. The New Jersey Devils have postponed games through Saturday, and they had 17 players on the league's COVID-19 Protocol List as of Wednesday, per Shanna McCarriston of CBS Sports.

Earlier this season, the Dallas Stars were forced to delay the start of their campaign when 17 players tested positive for COVID-19 in training camp. The Carolina Hurricanes missed four games in January, and the Vegas Golden Knights returned to practice Wednesday after nearly a week out of action.

According to an analysis from TSN's Travis Yost, the many postponements have put the league's goal of completing a full season by the beginning of May in jeopardy since six teams already needed to play more than every other day to complete their schedules before the Wild's postponements.