Pavel Buchnevich left Rangers practice early, David Quinn not allowed to comment due to league policy

Anthony Scultore Updated: Jul 18, 2020

Rangers forward, Pavel Buchnevich left practice very early on today. Of course this raised some eyebrows, and even caused some outrageous talk of it being COVID related. That is absolutely ridiculous considering he would’ve never taken the ice if he was impacted.

Welcome to the new world of the NHL’s Return to Play protocol.

Pavel Buchnevich injured?

When asked about Buchnevich, David Quinn responded honestly. “I’m not allowed to elaborate on injuries,” the coach explained.

The absurdity of the NHL/PA vow of silence: Buchnevich leaves practice after a few turns and via Zoom, the coach accurately says that due to league policy, he cannot comment on the matter.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) July 18, 2020

That’s because the new policy specifically prohibits teams providing any information to a player’s absence. While the intent is to protect player privacy if they indeed test positive for coronavirus, it will lead to ridiculous and rampant speculation going forward.

Update on injury reporting for 2020 Return to Play. pic.twitter.com/d1lmNMMTbH
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 11, 2020

Pavel Buchnevich stats

The Rangers 25 year-old winger had 46 points in 68 games this season with 16 goals. The points are a career high, but he did score 21 goals in 64 games last season. Pavel Buchnevich is an integral part of the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Hopefully, the issue is mild and he will be on the ice tomorrow.

By Anthony Scultore

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

Mentioned in this article:David Quinn Pavel Buchnevich

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