Pesce, DeAngelo enter COVID protocols

The Carolina Hurricanes’ blue line took another big blow Monday, as the team announced on Twitter that Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo have entered COVID protocols and will not travel to Dallas for Tuesday’s game with the Stars.

Pesce and DeAngelo make it three Canes’ blue liners in COVID protocol, with Ethan Bear having missed the last four games after entering protocol during the team’s west-coast trip.

Brendan Smith has jumped into the lineup in Bear’s absence, but now the Canes will have to go down the organizational depth chart to find replacements for Pesce and DeAngelo. With the trio of Bear, Pesce and DeAngelo out, the Hurricanes are without all three of the right-handed defensemen they started the season with.

Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour spoke about the potential of an outbreak following the initial Bear news. Though there’s obviously no way to know if the cases are connected, here is what Brind’Amour said following the Canes’ game in San Jose on Nov. 22.

“Your other question is the one that we worry about with the nature of it,” Brind’Amour said. “When you look around the league, it’s very rare that one guy gets it. It’s just an unfortunate thing that everybody is dealing with. We’ll take it as it comes, I guess.”

Maxime Lajoie, Joey Keane, Jesper Sellgren and Josh Jacobs are among the organizational defensemen available to call on. This article will be updated as the Canes announce roster moves.

***UPDATE Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.***

The Hurricanes announced their roster moves Monday evening, as Maxime Lajoie and Jalen Chatfield were recalled from Chicago. The pair has 80 career games in the NHL combined, with Lajoie spending time with the Canes last year and Chatfield appearing in 18 games for Vancouver.