Blackhawks Bits: Fleury added to COVID protocol; de Haan removed

The Chicago Blackhawks gathered for their first post-Christmas practice on Monday with another round of roster shuffles preceding those happenings.

On the COVID-19 front, Chicago still has one player in the league’s protocols as defenseman Calvin de Haan was removed while goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was added:

The situation remains fluid, but having only one player in the protocol — even if it’s someone as important to the team as Fleury has been — is a pretty substantial benefit for the Hawks.

The Rockford IceHogs were not as lucky, though, with a bunch of players and coaches added to the COVID protocol on Monday:

One other pair of organizational moves was made on Monday to fill the roster spot left vacant by Fleury’s absence and the team’s first addition to the taxi squad this season:

As for Monday’s practice, one of the primary focuses was on the penalty kill, which has been abysmal over the last month of the season:

For the 5-on-5 portions of practice, here’s what the lines looked like:

Chicago’s Tuesday game against the Blue Jackets was already postponed. At the moment, the Blackhawks are scheduled to head north to play the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday evening. Here’s what practice looked like for the Jets on Monday:

Should that Wednesday game happen, coach Derek King already ruled out Fleury’s odds of being available for that game. King also provided an update on the team’s vaccination/booster shot status: