3 Blackhawks flagged by the NHL's Covid protocols.

We're sorry Blackhawks fans but we've got some very bad news to kick off your Saturday afternoon.

According to an official announcement from the Chicago Blackhawks' organization, 3 members of the Blackhawks roster have been flagged as a result of the National Hockey League's Covid protocols. The big name on that list is star forward Patrick Kane, arguably the franchise's most valuable player. Kane is not alone unfortunately as he is joined by fellow Blackhawks forward Ryan Carpenter and Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson.

Normally when a player is flagged for covid protocols I always highlight the importance of waiting for secondary testing given the fact that we have seen cases of false positives in the past. That being said, the announcement here that 3 members of the Blackhawks roster have all entered the league's Covid protocols at once would suggest to me that this is very unlikely to be the case here.

The news could not come at a worse time for a Blackhawks squad that has had some significant struggles to start the regular season. Thus far the Blackhawks have been winless through their first 5 games of the regular season and boast a -12 goal differential over that stretch of play. It's certainly not the start that the Blackhawks were hoping for after some big time offseason acquisitions and now it would appear as though getting that first win of the season will be even more difficult, especially with Patrick Kane out of the lineup. In spite of the team struggling around him, Kane has still managed a point per game pace this season with a goal and 4 assists through the first 5 games of the regular season.

There's no telling how long Kane, Carpenter or Gustafsson may be sidelined for at this time, that will likely depend on both further testing and whether or not the players prove to be asymptomatic. Players need two consecutive negative tests in order to return to play, but the timeline on that has varied a great deal in individual cases around the league. Players in some cases have returned the very next day, while in other cases they have had to remain out for an extended period of time.