February gets a lot busier for Kraken as NHL reschedules COVID-19-related postponed games

Forward Karson Kuhlman was on the ice for the first time with the Kraken on Wednesday as they practiced for a stretch of three home games in four days, starting Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks.

On Monday the Kraken won for the first time in over month, snapping a nine-game losing streak, and they are looking ahead to what is a now full schedule in February.

All seven of the Kraken’s games that were recently postponed because of COVID-19 have new dates, with the bulk of them being rescheduled for February.

The NHL had planned a break from Feb. 6-22 so players could participate in the Winter Olympics, but the league changed that plan after the postponements and announced that there would be no Olympic break.

Here are the rescheduled February games:

• Feb. 9 vs. Arizona.

• Feb. 11 at Anaheim.

• Feb. 14 vs. Toronto.

• Feb. 17 at Winnipeg.

• Feb. 19 at Calgary.

• Feb. 21 at Vancouver.

• Feb. 22 vs. the New York Islanders.

In addition, the Kraken’s March 23 game at Arizona was moved to March 22, and their postponed game against Ottawa from January will be played April 18.

The Feb. 11 game at Anaheim was originally slated for March 25. Overall, the league rescheduled 95 games that were postponed, most in the past five weeks, and more than 60 percent of the players were in COVID protocol.

The rescheduled games come after the league’s All-Star break from Feb. 3-6. The Kraken also face the St. Louis Blues on Friday, the red-hot Florida Panthers on Sunday and the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

The NHL changed its COVID testing policy Tuesday for after the All-Star break. Asymptomatic players won’t have to test unless entering Canada. The NFL and NBA implemented a similar policy in recent weeks.

Of the seven recently postponed Kraken games, four were at home. The games at Winnipeg and Vancouver were postponed in hopes of holding them in front of full crowds, because Canada has instituted arena-capacity regulations. The players will be tested test for those games and the one at Calgary.

The league also is likely to lighten the enhanced restrictions that have been in place since late December. A meeting is scheduled for Jan. 31 to discuss that.

Kuhlman ready to roll

Kuhlman, a right-handed shot who can play both wings, joined the Kraken off waivers from the Boston Bruins and arrived in Seattle on Tuesday. He skated on a line with Joonas Donskoi and Morgan Geekie during practice.

“The quick turnaround was actually good,” Kuhlman said. “It’s better you’re not just sitting by yourself and thinking too much. You get to come to the rink and go through your routine, and all the guys obviously are super friendly, and it seems like a great group here.”

Kuhlman, 26, has 15 points in 75 career games. He will likely work in a bottom-six role on either wing, where he can also be a penalty killer. He has been a strong two-way player and can add some defensive responsibility to that part of the lineup.

“It’s a whirlwind,” he said. “I think the first time going through (changing teams) as a hockey player as a pro. So yeah, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But I’ve gotten through it, and we’re here, and now is the easy part. You just get to play hockey and enjoy the city.”

Injury updates

Kuhlman’s potential linemate, Geekie, was placed on injured reserve Monday to make room for Kuhlman on the roster, and he skated at practice for the first time since Jan. 10. He wore a red, noncontact sweater.

Geekie has an upper-body injury and missed the past three games. He is day to day.

“Good to see Morgan in a red jersey,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “It doesn’t portray a timeline or anything. If he’s ready to go in the next few days, we’ll get him in. If not, he’ll continue to work at getting back. We’ll re-evaluate that later today and again tomorrow.”

Hakstol also said defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, who was the lone player missing from practice, was absent because of an illness that was not related to COVID. Because Oleksiak recovered from COVID at the end of December, he hasn’t been testing since, per the league’s rules.

Goalie shuffle

There haven’t been many postponed games the past couple of weeks as COVID numbers have declined across the NHL.

Goalie Chris Driedger was the only Kraken player in protocol before goalie Antoine Bibeau entered it Wednesday.

Joey Daccord arrived in Seattle in time to practice Wednesday as the Kraken’s second goalie. Originally, he couldn’t make it for the Monday game due to flight cancellations across Charlotte. Bibeau backed up starter Philipp Grubauer.

Driedger could return Friday, so Daccord might not get a chance to start the second game of the back-to-back set.