Another day, another NHLer diagnosed with the mumps.
This time, though, it’s two more players.
The New Jersey Devils have confirmed that center Travis Zajac and defenseman Adam Larsson have tested positive for mumps, per the Bergen Record:
The diagnostic process takes so long -- five to seven days -- that Zajac is already over it and has skated the last two days.
Larsson is still recovering and in isolation, as is the protocol.
“Travis had it, but he’s over it,” [Devils GM Lou] Lamoriello said this morning. “This only came about the last two days. Adam is on the recovery period right now from what the doctors said.”
The Ducks, Blues, Wild and Rangers have all dealt with the mumps to varying degrees this season. Minnesota lost nearly two-thirds of its defense to the illness (Ryan Suter, Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin, Keith Ballard and Christian Folin) while other teams, like New York, were fortunate to have the virus isolated to a single individual (Tanner Glass).
The league and NHLPA are aware of the outbreak and say they’re doing all they can to contain it.
“It is certainly an outbreak that was unexpected and has caused unwanted disruption at the team level, but it is not something we have any significant control over,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said, per CBC. “As long as our clubs are doing what they need to do to minimize risk of contraction, we are hopeful that the wave of cases will run their course and life will return to normal in the relatively near term.”