Blackhawks goaltender Lankinen held out because of COVID-19 protocol

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32). (Tony Gutierrez/AP)

CHICAGO — Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Kevin Lankinen and forward Mike Hardman were held out of practice Friday because of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

The announcement on the team’s second day of training camp doesn’t necessarily mean that either player tested positive. General manager Stan Bowman said Thursday that the team was 100 per cent vaccinated.

The 26-year-old Lankinen is coming off a solid rookie season, going 17-14-5 with 3.01 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. He is expected to back up Marc-Andre Fleury this year.

Hardman, 22, made his NHL debut last season, finishing with a goal and two assists in eight games.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.