The Seahawks and Kraken have both postponed upcoming games after a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases throughout the NFL and NHL.
The Kraken were scheduled to play against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, but the team announced on Dec. 17 that the game would be postponed. Only four players on the Flames roster are not currently in COVID-19 protocol.
On Saturday, the Kraken announced that the team’s home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs scheduled for the following day would also be rescheduled, due to a number of Toronto players entering COVID-19 protocol over the previous two days.
The decision to postpone the games was made by the NHL, the NHLPA’s and the Clubs’ medical groups. The NHL is in the process of reviewing and revising its regular season schedule and a makeup date has yet to be determined for either Kraken game.
Saturday’s Kraken home game against the Edmonton Oilers is still on as scheduled, as is the team’s toy drive, benefitting Mary’s Place. Fans going to the game are asked to continue to adhere to Climate Pledge Arena’s COVID-19 vaccine policy and mask mandate.
Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks has been pushed to Tuesday, Dec. 21.
Twenty-five players on the Rams are currently on the COVID-19/reserve list.
“We have made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the NFLPA as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week resulting in a substantial increase in cases across the league,” the NFL said in a statement. “We continue to make decisions in consultation with medical experts to ensure the health and safety of the NFL community.”
The Seahawks were one of only four teams in the league without a player currently infected with COVID-19, until Tyler Lockett and Alex Collins both tested positive for the virus on Thursday.