NHL finally, mercifully changes testing protocols

According to a report from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the NHL is making some long overdue changes to its COVID-19 testing protocols. The league has had daily, even multiple tests daily, for awhile now but given that most players who have tested positive for the virus have either had a false positive result or have been asymptomatic, the league is changing its policy such that asymptomatic players will NOT be tested. While we don't have official confirmation from the league on this just yet, I take this to mean that players will only be tested if they are feeling symptoms of COVID-19. The result will likely be much fewer positive test results in the league as a whole.

From Seravalli:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the same policy that the NFL and the NBA are utilizing. 

To me, and I understand that not everyone will feel this way, this change in policy is long overdue. The vast majority of positive test cases in the NHL were due to faulty results. The players who did indeed test positive and had contracted the virus however, seemed mostly unaffected. These are young men in top physical condition, after all. And to go a step further, the term "asymptomatic" always seemed funny to me... doesn't "asymptomatic" just mean "healthy"? But I digress...

Regardless of anyone else's opinions on the matter, I suspect that this change in policy will be well received from the players themselves. Multiple NHL players from Carter Hart to Ryan O'Reilly to head coach Bruce Cassidy have been critical of the league's policy and have been pushing for changes. To date, I believe only two NHL players have missed significant time due to COVID-19 illness and that's Vancouver Canucks veteran Brandon Sutter who reportedly is still dealing with "long COVID" and Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald who developed a heart condition after dealing with the virus last offseason.

Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi is the lone unvaccinated player in the NHL and reportedly suffered no serious symptoms when he tested positive for the virus in December.