Blue Jackets won't send unvaccinated forward Zac Rinaldo to AHL

The Columbus Blue Jackets have taken a firm stance on COVID-19 vaccination. 

The Blue Jackets announced Friday that Zac Rinaldo, who is unvaccinated, has cleared waivers. He was initially supposed to be assigned to the club's American Hockey League affiliate. 

"Our position has been very clear that our organization is committed to doing everything we can to ensure the health and safety of our players, coaches, staff and fans," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement, per TSN. "Given the impact COVID-19 continues to have in our communities, we believe the best course of action given Zac's vaccination status is to not have him report to Cleveland at this time. While we respect an individual's right to make a personal choice with regards to being vaccinated or not, we have a responsibility to do what we believe is best for our organization. We will honor Zac's contract, but if he wants to pursue any other opportunities to play this season we will allow him to do so."

The Blue Jackets' decision to waive Rinaldo comes after he spoke at an "anti-vaccine passport" rally in Hamilton, Ontario last month, saying, "I'm not anti-vax, I'm not anti-mask. I'm pro choice."

He was not allowed to attend Blue Jackets training camp this fall due to his vaccination status. All 67 players who participated for Columbus received the shot. 

Rinaldo signed a two-way contract with the Blue Jackets as a free agent in August. He appeared in just four games for the Calgary Flames last season. 

The Blue Jackets fired assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre over his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. While players aren't required to be vaccinated, anyone in close contact with players, such as coaches and trainers, must receive the shots.