Photo: Ron Futrell/Twitter

According to TSN, at least four Vegas Golden Knights players tested positive for COVID-19 and sources have indicated that number could be higher. In addition, multiple family members of Golden Knights’ players have tested positive just ahead of Thanksgiving in the United States.

The Golden Knights have stated that each player who has contracted the virus has been in self-quarantine and are all recovering well. This is the largest known COVID-19 outbreak for an NHL club since March.

The team has closed their off-ice player areas such as locker room, gym, and training room through the holiday weekend.

In addition, a “significant” number of players on the Columbus Blue Jackets have contracted COVID-19 over the last seven-to-10 days. Their team facility has been closed since last week but no voluntary workouts were scheduled this week in observance of the holiday.

The team stated that those who tested positive immediately went into quarantine.

In a second surge of COVID-19, the United States is nearly averaging 200,000 cases per day, and that could soon go up with many Americans traveling for the holiday.

It is unknown whether the Washington Capitals have had any players test positive for COVID-19 yet.

The NHL is targeting a January 1 opening night for the 2020-21 season, which would mean training camps could begin in a matter of weeks, but the league has acknowledged that the date could slip a little bit. The NHL and NHLPA are currently having some negotiation disagreements regarding salary deferral.

By Harrison Brown