CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins on Monday added six players -- Evan Rodrigues, Teddy Blueger, Tristan Jarry, John Marino, Mike Matheson, and Dominik Simon -- to the league's COVID protocol list.
It was the first time the Penguins added any players to COVID protocol since Nov. 14.
Mike Sullivan said following Monday's practice at the Lemieux Complex that "for the most part," the players in protocol are doing well.
"There are a couple of the guys that have mild, almost cold-like symptoms," he said. "But most of them are doing very well, there's a handful of them that are asymptomatic. So none of them to this point have anything significant."
No Wilkes-Barre/Scranton players were recalled to Pittsburgh yet to the active roster or the taxi squad. Jake Guentzel missed practice with a non-COVID illness, Jason Zucker was absent with a lower-body injury, so the Penguins went through the practice with just five defensemen and 11 forwards. Lemieux Complex goaltending coach Mike Chiasson filled in as the Penguins' second goaltender in practice.
With Wednesday's game in Toronto postponed, the Penguins' next scheduled game is Friday in Ottawa. The Senators have COVID issues of their own, with goaltender Filip Gustavsson, head coach D.J. Smith, video coach Mike King and three members of the team's support staff added to COVID protocol on Dec. 21, and goaltender Anton Forsberg added to protocol on Monday due to a close contact.
"We have to prepare like we're going to play against Ottawa," Kris Letang said of the Penguins' situation. "And if we don't, we just go back out there and try to practice and get as healthy as possible as we can get. It's just the way it is right now. You just go day by day and try to get back into it."
The NHL on Dec. 18 announced enhanced COVID protocols similar to those of last season, with one of the changes being that players and all members of the traveling party are tested for COVID every day. While the NFL has adopted the policy of not testing asymptomatic vaccinated players, that's not something the NHL is able to do at this point because of nearly a quarter of the league's teams being in Canada.
"With the guidelines and rules of Canada, it's impossible to have happen," Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said of moving away from testing asymptomatic players on Sunday.
Letang on Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the current system, but acknowledged Canada being a factor.
"I think the Canadian border is mainly an issue about testing," he said. "At the end of the day, I think it's going to stay like this. COVID's not going to disappear tomorrow. So we have to find a way to be able to do our job, and it seems like other leagues are doing something different and it's looks like it's working."
With the Penguins now having four consecutive games postponed due to COVID-related issues that don't seem to be clearing up any time soon, Bryan Rust said that he thinks the Penguins' staff has been good at communicating with the players and adapting on the fly throughout this process.
"I think the uncertainty of this all is a little bit crazy, but we were expecting that coming in," Rust said. "I think we're just trying to take the necessary steps to try and be as healthy as possible and as safe as possible but also come to the rink and trying to get our job done."
