Detroit Red Wings D Man Filip Hronek Tests Positive for COVID

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek will miss Saturday’s noon home game against the Philadelphia Flyers because he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Hronek tested after the All-Star break and was negative. “And then he didn’t feel great last night and ended up testing today again and was positive,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said.

The Red Wings have been without defenseman Nick Leddy (upper body) and Troy Stecher (wrist surgery). But both players seem close to returning. They both skated Thursday. Stecher was full contact and Leddy was not.

“Are they available for Saturday?” Blashill said. “That’ll be determined tomorrow. If needed, we can get somebody here for the game Saturday.”

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Hronek logged more than 20 minutes and was -2 with one assist in the Red Wings’ 6-3 win against the Flyers. That game pushed the Red Wings’ record back to .500 (21-21-6).

“I would say coming out of the all-star break we knew that there was potential for different people to potentially get COVID,”  Blashill said. “For multiple reasons, one because we were going to test.”

Like most NHL teams, the Red Wings have learned they simply have to roll with the punches when it comes to the pandemic.

“It is what it is,”  Blashill said. “Would we all love to not have COVID in our lives? Yes. But that’s not the reality of it. I think we’re all getting back closer to normal but understanding that this is still part of it. So we’ll miss him for the minimum of five days and we’ll go from there.”

That would mean Hronek would also miss Monday’s game against Minnesota, but could be back in time for Thursday’s road game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Hronek is usually second in minutes played among defenseman. Moritz Seider leads the team in minutes played.