If you're looking for reasons for optimism heading into the weekend, here is one. Speaking to the media via Zoom Friday afternoon, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said the plan as of now is that David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase will travel with the team to Toronto on Sunday.
"Yeah, that's what's been indicated to me," Cassidy said. "Of course it could change, but that's the plan right now. You've seen it, day-to-day we get guys that for whatever reason are not able to participate. ... We hope that everyone's cleared to go at 5:30 on Sunday, unless we hear differently."
That would also include Nick Ritchie, who also missed Friday's practice. Paul Carey was absent Friday as well, though it's unclear if he'll make the group of 31 players the Bruins will take to Toronto even if he is cleared to travel.
Pastrnak and Kase have missed all but one day of the Bruins' return to play practices over the last two weeks. Both missed the first two practices last Monday and Tuesday, but then both got cleared to skate that Wednesday while most of the team had the day off.
However, the next day brought the revelation that Pastrnak had come into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, and he was sent back into quarantine and has not been cleared to practice since. Kase also hasn't practiced since. While the reasons for his absences haven't been confirmed, it is believed to be a similar situation as Pastrnak's, especially since the two had been spotted together around that time.
Bruins president Cam Neely said on Wednesday that his "best guess" was that Pastrnak and Kase wouldn't practice with the team until they got to Toronto, but it remained unclear if they would be able to travel with the team or if they would have to head to the bubble later.
If they are in fact able to travel with the team Sunday, that would seemingly be a significant first step in this lengthy battle to get them back on the ice.
All along there has been a belief that if players, teams and the league as a whole can just get to the bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton, they'll be able to pull this off given how secure the bubbles will be.
It's a sentiment that Cassidy echoed Friday, saying he thinks a lot of these day-to-day concerns, worries and frustrations around testing and outside contact and what people do away from the rink will fade away.
"I do. I think it'll fade a lot, to be honest with you," Cassidy said. "I think once you're in there, it might be the safest place to be in terms of not getting infected. You're going to have some outside people coming in that are working there, but they're all screened and tested as well, so you really shouldn't come in contact. The only way you would is if you left, and it's very punitive if you do, both internally from your teammates for letting them down and from the National Hockey League. So yes, I think once we're there hopefully everyone can sort of take a deep breath and feel a lot safer going forward, and hopefully that gets us all focused on the task at hand."
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