Eller to leave NHL bubble at some point, may miss games

Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller knows what it's like to win a Stanley Cup. The 31-year-old had his name etched on hockey's greatest prize with the rest of his teammates in 2018. Still, some things are more important and Eller will be leaving the NHL bubble at some point. The protocol that follows may mean games are missed.

Eller and his wife Julie are expecting their second child around August 8th and he has been given permission to leave Toronto to be present for the birth. If the child is born on or around the due date, the Capitals will be involved in round robin play at the time to determine seeding for the official opening round of the playoffs. Eller admits he considered skipping the return of the 2019-20 season completely.

"A lot of thoughts going into the decision. Weighing the pros and cons. We're going to have a new addition to our family in a couple of weeks. But at the same time, I want to be with my team and win another Cup. We're working on making the necessary arrangements so I can be there for the birth and then come back to the bubble after that," he in a conference call on Tuesday.

Leaving the bubble is ok, as long as the team's general manager signs off on it. Returning is a bit more difficult. Should Eller leave, he'll "be required to return at least four consecutive negative PCR [Polymerase chain reaction] test results over a four-day period, and will be required to quarantine in their individual hotel room until such testing requirements have been fulfilled," as per the league's rules. That could mean missing a game or two while waiting for those negative test results to come back.

"You're going to have to take a lot of precautions when you leave," Eller said. "Depending on how you're going to travel and who you travel with ... I'll have to serve some time inside the bubble and test a number of times before I could rejoin my team and play games. We're working on trying to figure out how to do this in the best possible way. But that's what's going to happen."

Eller's teammate Carl Hagelin and his wife are also expecting a child, with a due date some time in September when Washington could be right in the middle of an elimination series. While he said Tuesday he isn't focusing on it too much, Hagelin also intends to leave the bubble for the birth and will have to undergo the same protocols in order to return as Eller.

Source: ESPN

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