Leafs' post-Christmas break games now in jeopardy

This just in, the Toronto Maple Leafs have added defenseman Morgan Rielly and an unnamed staff member to the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list.

Earlier this week the team announced they had added forwards David Kämpf, Ilya Mikheyev, goaltender Petr Mrázek, defenceman Rasmus Sandin, goaltending coach Steve Briere and an unnamed member of the team’s medical staff into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, as well.

Check it out:

These players and staff members join forwards Alexander Kerfoot, Wayne Simmonds, Jason Spezza, John Tavares, defensemen T.J. Brodie, Travis Dermott, goaltender Jack Campbell and head coach Sheldon Keefe on the league's COVID-19 protocol list.

With so many people out of the lineup quarantining at home over the Christmas break, there's now real concern that the Leafs won't be able to return to action come December 27th.

From the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby:

It’s looking extremely difficult for the Maple Leafs to hit the ice with a healthy roster for Monday’s game in Columbus – if they play at all.

Four Toronto games have to be made up for certain during the league’s two-week window in February, one of them at home that was set for Scotiabank Arena Thursday night before the holiday. But before the Leafs can travel to Columbus, the league has to lift its travel ban on matches involving Canadian and American teams that was to be re-assessed this weekend. The Leafs have the Pittsburgh Penguins due in Toronto on Dec. 29. but there is belief the league might shelve all games until New Year’s Day, when it’s Winter Classic between St. Louis and Minnesota is still a go and the Leafs have a much more manageable date on this side of the border at home against Ottawa.

- Lance Hornby

"Everybody in the traveling party had PCR nasal swab tests performed on Monday morning in Edmonton and all those tests returned as negative and we had no players with any symptoms or any illness on Monday," Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said this past Saturday. "... We stayed an additional night in Edmonton on Tuesday night and then flew to Vancouver on Wednesday. ... Very early [Friday] morning Vancouver time, I received a call from our medical director, Dr. Noah Forman, informing me that two of our players had tested positive for COVID on the previous day's PCR tests that were performed in Vancouver, and we immediately then cancelled practice ... We performed another round of PCR and rapid antigen testing ... and were informed last night that we had two additional players, their PCR tests had returned positive results.

"... Two of the four players are entirely asymptomatic; one of the four had some mild symptoms at the beginning, and those have dissipated; and one has some fever and chills and body aches."