Red Wings place forward Tyler Bertuzzi in COVID protocol

The Red Wings will be without one of their top forwards for Wednesday night’s contest against the Kraken, as Detroit announced that winger Tyler Bertuzzi has been placed in COVID protocol.

Bertuzzi is one of only a very small group of players who have declined the COVID vaccine, which has prevented him from crossing the border to play road games in Canada this season.  Despite that, he’s off to the best start of his career with nine goals and nine assists in 20 games, good for third on the Red Wings in scoring.  That will be put on hold again with him being added to the list of those in the protocol.

As is always important to note when a team places a player into protocol, it doesn’t mean that it’s a confirmed positive test.  However, if it does turn out that he has tested positive, then Bertuzzi will be out for at least 10 days.  The Red Wings, who are carrying a full 23-player roster, would be eligible to designate him as non-roster status, allowing them to bring someone up from AHL Grand Rapids to take Bertuzzi’s place.  With this announcement coming just before puck drop, that won’t be an option for Wednesday night, but since they’re off until Saturday after this one, they’ll be able to add someone in time for their next game.