Nylander becomes 13th Maple Leafs player in COVID-19 protocol

The Toronto Maple Leafs placed William Nylander in COVID-19 protocol on Friday, bringing the total number of players on the team's list up to 13.

Maple Leafs captain John Tavares and goaltender Jack Campbell are also in protocol along with defenseman Morgan Rielly, who landed on the list Thursday.

The other Toronto players who received the designation are forwards Alexander Kerfoot, Ilya Mikheyev, Jason Spezza, Wayne Simmonds, and David Kampf; blue-liners TJ Brodie, Travis Dermott, and Rasmus Sandin; and netminder Petr Mrazek.

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, assistant Spencer Carbery, goaltending coach Steve Briere, and four other staff members are in COVID-19 protocol as well.

Nylander ranks second on the club with 13 goals and 18 assists over 30 games.

The NHL initially postponed three Maple Leafs games - on Dec. 16, 18, and 19 against the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and Seattle Kraken, respectively - due to a spike in COVID-19 cases around the league and in North America as a whole.

The league then began its holiday break - which normally runs from Dec. 24-26 - on the 22nd. The Leafs' clash with the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Dec. 23 was among those temporarily halted matchups.

On Friday, the NHL postponed all 14 games originally scheduled for Monday, Dec. 27. That included a game between Toronto and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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