Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/11/21

There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

Central Division

  • With the Carolina Hurricanes off, they returned Jake Gardiner and Jake Bean to the taxi squad, per CapFriendlySpencer Smallman and Joey Keane were sent to the minors in corresponding moves.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned Kole Sherwood to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Sherwood played in his first game of the season on Saturday, playing just under nine minutes.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve returned Frans Nielsen to the taxi squad.  They’ve made that move many times this season after the veteran cleared waivers though the 36-year-old has still played in 27 games this season.
  • The Nashville Predators announced the recall of Tanner Jeannot from the taxi squad.  The Preds also added to their long list of injuries, transferring Mathieu Olivier to injured reserve.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning sent Ben Thomas back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 24-year-old has played in four games this month, his first taste of NHL action.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights recalled Nicolas Hague from the taxi squad, per CapFriendlyNick Holden, who recently cleared waivers, was sent to the taxi squad to keep them cap compliant.

North Division

  • The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned forwards Clark Bishop and Alex Formenton to the taxi squad. Both players played Saturday night with Formenton scoring a goal on four shots. Both will likely wait until the team plays again on Monday against Winnipeg.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Montreal Canadiens made a number of moves. The team has Otto Leskinen, Jake Evans and Cayden Primeau to the taxi squad, leaving the club with $2.825MM in LTIR relief. Montreal has also sent Brandon Baddock and Lukas Vejdemo to the Laval Rocket of the AHL while bringing Xavier Ouellet back to the taxi squad from Laval.
  • The Edmonton Oilers sent James Neal and Tyler Ennis to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  While they won’t bank any cap space from this, it does extend their waiver exemptions.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs sent Martin Marincin back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Like Edmonton, Toronto doesn’t gain any cap space from this as they’re in LTIR but they extend Marincin’s waiver exemption.
  • The Winnipeg Jets returned Kristian Vesalainen to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 21-year-old has played in eight games this season, recording one assist.

East Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have recalled forward Tanner Laczynski from the taxi squad. The 23-year-old is expected to make his season debut Sunday. Laczynski signed last season after a successful four-year career at Ohio State University and has been faring well at Lehigh Valley in the AHL with six goals and 10 points in 14 games there. The Flyers promoted both Laczynski and Wade Allison to the taxi squad late Saturday.
  • The Boston Bruins promoted Jack Ahcan from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The blueliner made his NHL debut last month against Buffalo.
  • The Buffalo Sabres recalled Arttu Ruotsalainen from the taxi squad before their game against Philadelphia today, per CapFriendly.  He made his NHL debut on Friday, playing nearly 16 minutes.
  • The New Jersey Devils brought up Marian Studenic from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly and will have the winger make his NHL debut tonight.  Nicholas Merkley was sent to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
  • The New York Islanders are back in action which means that Oliver Wahlstrom is back up from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The winger has played in 32 games this season despite being sent to the taxi squad 25 times.
  • The New York Rangers have brought up Vitali Kravtsov, Kaapo Kakko, and Anthony Bitetto from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  With the vacancies on the taxi squad, Jonny Brodzinski was recalled from the minors to bring it back to the minimum four players.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins returned Drew O’Connor to the taxi squad and Josh Currie to the minors, per a team release.  O’Connor has an assist in ten games this season while Currie has played just once.

West Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/10/21

There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

Central Division

North Division

  • As expected, Alex Formenton is back up with Ottawa as the Senators announced that they’ve recalled him from the taxi squad. The winger has two goals in seven games since being recalled in late March.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Lukas Vejdemo to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. Vejdemo is currently injured but his recall was needed to keep the taxi squad at the minimum of four players with Cayden Primeau, Jake Evans, and Otto Leskinen expected to be recalled for their game against Winnipeg.
  • The Maple Leafs have recalled Michael Hutchinson from the taxi squad and Martin Marincin from AHL Toronto, per CapFriendly. Hutchinson will continue to serve as the backup goalie with Frederik Andersen retroactively placed on LTIR while Marincin gives them an extra blueliner to carry on the active roster.  With the team in LTIR, they can afford to carry reserves instead of a minimum-sized group.

East Division

  • The Sabres announced that they have recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea to the taxi squad from AHL Rochester while assigning Steven Fogarty to the Americans. Dea has played just once so far with Buffalo while Fogarty has suited up in eight games, notching a goal and two assists.
  • The Devils have shuffled up their taxi squad, sending Ben Street to AHL Binghamton while promoting Marian Studenic, per the AHL’s transactions log. Studenic has seven points in 19 minor league games so far this season.

West Division

 

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Several Players Clear Waivers

Saturday: All four players passed through waivers unclaimed, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

Friday: The Ottawa Senators have placed Clark Bishop on waivers in order to be able to place him on the taxi squad once again. He’s not the only one on the wire, as the Edmonton Oilers have placed veteran forward Kyle Turris and the Montreal Canadiens have placed Paul Byron on waivers. The New York Islanders have also signed Kenneth Appleby to an NHL contract, meaning he has to clear waivers to remain in the AHL.

For Bishop and the Senators, this is a simple move to regain the roster flexibility they have had for most of the season. After clearing waivers before the season began, Bishop was able to move freely between the active roster and taxi squad depending on need, saving the Senators some cash on off days. His exempt status expired earlier this month, meaning he needed to clear again to be assigned to the taxi squad. With just three points in 12 games, Bishop is likely to clear again.

Byron too should be used to this by now, given he has cleared waivers twice this season and is part of a near-daily rotation through the taxi squad. The 31-year-old forward was once an important part of the Canadiens attack but is limited to mostly fourth-line duties these days. Given his contract carries a $3.4MM cap hit through the end of the 2022-23 season, he will clear again.

Turris hasn’t cleared this season, but it won’t be a surprise if he does. The 31-year-old forward is a shadow of the player that once scored 64 points for the Ottawa Senators and is overpaid even at $1.65MM this season. Turris signed a two-year deal with the Oilers in the offseason that the team is probably already regretting after he registered just five points in his first 25 games this season. Moving his deal to the taxi squad could bury $1.075MM of it, giving the Oilers some added flexibility.

Appleby, the biggest unknown of the bunch, is a 25-year-old minor league goaltender that would need an NHL deal in order to serve as the taxi squad netminder. In two appearances with Bridgeport this season he has an .896 save percentage and there is no suggestion that he’ll ever see time in the Islanders net.  CapFriendly reports that Appleby receives a two-year contract, making him eligible to be exposed to Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/09/21

There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division 

  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Austin Strand and Christian Wolanin from the taxi squad, adding them to the active roster in time for tonight’s game against San Jose. Wolanin would be making his Kings debut if he gets into the lineup this evening.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have made their typical gameday recalls.  Per CapFriendly, David Backes, Chase De Leo, and Sam Carrick have all been recalled from the taxi squad.  Carrick has a point (one goal, one assist) in his two games since being promoted earlier this month.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Michael Bunting from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 25-year-old had a hat trick on Monday and has four goals and an assist in five games this season.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have promoted Kyle Burroughs, Keaton Middleton, and Liam O’Brien from the taxi squad on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly.  Middleton is expected to make his NHL debut tonight.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled Luke Johnson and Kyle Rau from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The two have been shuffled back and forth routinely in recent days to save some cap room.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Antti Suomela and Jeffrey Viel from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Viel has ten penalty minutes in five games this season while Suomela has suited up in four NHL contests thus far.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Nicolas Hague from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 22-year-old has picked up 14 points in 32 games this season while logging just over 16 minutes per contest.

North Division

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have added Joseph Duszak to the taxi squad, filling the sixth available spot with the young defenseman. Duszak, 23, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Maple Leafs in 2019 and split last season between the ECHL and AHL. This season he has eight points in 19 games for the Toronto Marlies.
  • The Ottawa Senators have re-assigned Alex Formenton to the taxi squad, a normal off-day move as they prepare for action tomorrow night. Formenton has two goals in seven games for the Senators this season.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have sent Cayden Primeau and Jake Evans back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Both were up on emergency recalls the last two days and will likely be promoted again tomorrow.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have sent Kristian Vesalainen back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The 2017 first-rounder has just an assist in eight games this season while averaging just 7:35 per outing.

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned Zac Dalpe to the taxi squad, moving Liam Foudy to the AHL in the process. Foudy, one of the team’s top prospects, has just three points in 18 games this season and is still looking for his first NHL goal. The 21-year-old still has a very high offensive ceiling but hasn’t been able to find much consistency at the highest level so far.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have brought Mathias Brome and Taro Hirose straight up from the AHL to the active roster, moving Evgeny Svechnikov to the taxi squad in the process. Gustav Lindstrom has also been re-assigned to the taxi squad from the AHL.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes are off today which means Jake Bean is once again back on the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Bean has 11 points in 29 games this season and will almost certainly be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Detroit.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Brandon Pirri from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  It’s his fourth recall in just over three weeks although he only has played once in the NHL this season.  Alec Regula was also sent to AHL Rockford.
  • The Nashville Predators have sent David Farrance and Tyler Lewington to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Farrance logged nearly 14 minutes in his NHL debut yesterday while Lewington had an assist in his Nashville debut in that game as well.

East Division

  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Arttu Ruotsalainen from the taxi squad, moving Steven Fogarty back in his place. Ruotsalainen is expected to make his NHL debut tonight after playing 13 games for the Rochester Americans in his first year of North American pro hockey.
  • The Boston Bruins have sent Anton Blidh to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The winger has a goal in six games this season, four of which have come over the past two weeks.
  • The New Jersey Devils have promoted Ben Street from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The veteran has 14 points in as many games with AHL Binghamton but hasn’t suited up in the NHL this year.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Shayne Gostisbehere to the taxi squad while recalling Derrick Pouliot, per CapFriendly, a move that frees up a bit of extra cap space for the day.  Tanner Laczynski was also sent to AHL Lehigh Valley.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/08/21

There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have assigned Christian Wolanin to the taxi squad now that he has cleared the protocol following his March trade. He’ll skate with the team for the first time today.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have assigned Hudson Fasching to the AHL, moving him off the roster and giving him a chance to get his game going at the minor league level. The 25-year-old forward hasn’t scored in four games for the Coyotes this season.

North Division

Central Division

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Drew Shore to the taxi squad, giving them an extra forward ahead of their game tonight against Florida. Shore has failed to score a single goal at any level this season, with just one point in seven AHL games.
  • The Florida Panthers have recalled some very interesting names to the active roster, bringing up Brady Keeper and young goaltending prospect Spencer Knight. Knight, the 13th overall pick in 2019, recently ended his college career and turned pro with the Panthers.
  • The Nashville Predators have done a similar move, recalling David Farrance and Tyler Lewington from the taxi squad. Farrance, 21, was one of the best players in college hockey the last two seasons and could quickly step into the NHL with the Predators.
  • As usual, the Detroit Red Wings have made a number of transactions, starting with a recall of Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith, and Evgeni Svechnikov from the taxi squad. The team has moved Frans Nielsen, Calvin Pickard, and Dennis Cholowski–the latter from the AHL–to the taxi squad in their place.
  • The Dallas Stars have made their regular forward shuffle. Today, the move is promoting Justin Dowling and Joel L’Esperance from the taxi squad to the active roster.

East Division

  • After clearing waivers, Richard Panik has been moved to the Washington Capitals taxi squad according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. Daniel Carr has been promoted to the active roster in his place. Panik has recorded just three goals and nine points in 36 games this season and now finds himself on the outside looking in.
  • As expected, both A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst have been immediately loaned to the AHL after the New Jersey Devils acquired them last night. The pair of minor league forwards were part of the return for Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, but don’t look to have big futures in New Jersey and were likely included for contractual reasons.
  • After sending them down yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have brought C.J. Smith and Brandon Davidson back up from the AHL and added them to the taxi squad. The pair played but couldn’t help Rochester topple the Syracuse Crunch yesterday.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/07/21

There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forwards Michael Chaput and Lane Pederson from the taxi squad. Pederson has only played in two games with the ‘Yotes this season but has recorded a point, while Chaput is scoreless through ten games.

North Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Alex Formenton from the taxi squad, an expected move with the team back in action later today. The 21-year-old Formenton has two points in five games for the Senators this season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Kristian Vesalainen from the AHL to the taxi squad. Vesalainen has actually played eight games for the Jets this season, but is still looking for his first NHL goal.

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved Liam Foudy and Alexandre Texier to the taxi squad for their off day, as they prepare to take on the Lightning in a rematch tomorrow night. The Blue Jackets downed their divisional rival last night with both youngsters in the lineup. Columbus continues to move players off the roster between games in order to bank cap space and save some salary.
  • The Dallas Stars have re-assigned Justin Dowling to the taxi squad after he played in yesterday’s game against the Blackhawks. Dowling, 30, has played 16 of his 65 career NHL games this season.
  • As usual, the Detroit Red Wings have made several moves, assigning Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith and Evgeny Svechnkiov to the taxi squad. Mathias Brome, Dennis Cholowski and Gustav Lindstrom have been moved back to the AHL to make room.

East Division

  • The New York Islanders have returned Grant Hutton to the AHL after using him for taxi squad purposes this week. The 25-year-old defenseman has never played in an NHL game and has just two points in 14 contests for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have sent C.J. Smith and Brandon Davidson to the Rochester Americans in time for the Amerks game this evening. Smith, 26, has seven points in six AHL games this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/06/21

Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today:

Boston – Jaroslav Halak
Los Angeles – Matt Roy
Montreal – Joel Armia
Ottawa – Jacob Bernard-DockerShane Pinto
Vancouver – Travis BoydJalen ChatfieldThatcher DemkoAlexander EdlerAdam GaudetteTravis HamonicJayce HawrylukNils HoglanderBraden HoltbyBo HorvatQuinn HughesZack MacEwenMarc MichaelisTyler MotteTyler MyersAntoine Roussel, Brandon Sutter, Jake Virtanen*

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: None

One more name for the Canucks as their list continues to grow and now includes 18 of the team’s 22 active roster players. The team also has two taxi squad players and three coaches affected by the protocol, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Today in his 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman indicated that April 16 is now the earliest the Canucks could return to play.

*denotes new addition

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/06/21

There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

North Division

Central Division

East Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/05/21

There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have moved Matthew Villalta back to the AHL, recalling Troy Grosenick and Sean Durzi to the taxi squad once again. Durzi looked poised to make his NHL debut over the weekend but instead had to watch again and wait patiently while the Kings move players in and out. The 22-year-old defenseman has 13 points in 24 games for the Ontario Reign this season.

North Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Alex Formenton and Filip Gustavsson from the taxi squad as they prepare for action tonight in Winnipeg. The team is coming off an impressive win in Montreal on Saturday night and now actually sit just five points out of fifth in the North.

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved Liam Foudy back to the taxi squad after their listless performance against the Panthers last night. There were high hopes for the 21-year-old Foudy this season, but he has just three points in 16 games and is still looking for his first NHL (regular season) goal.
  • After a huge win over the Lightning yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings have moved Frans Nielsen, Michael Rasmussen, and Givani Smith to the taxi squad. The Red Wings always do this on off days to save some cap and cash with players that have cleared or are ineligible for waivers. Several, if not all three, will be back up tomorrow.
  • The Dallas Stars have moved Landon Bow, Nicholas Caamano and Ty Dellandrea to the taxi squad, while sending Colton Point to the AHL. Point is no longer needed because Anton Khudobin has been activated from the COVID protocol.

East Division

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned Radim Zohorna and Drew O’Connor to the taxi squad, pushing Maxime Lagace to the AHL to make room. Zohorna, 24, was a great story last month when he scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, but has just one other appearance.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Samuel Morin and Shayne Gostisbehere from the taxi squad. When Gostisbehere cleared waivers recently, the Flyers explained that it was more about roster flexibility than punishing him for poor play. He’ll make his return to the lineup tonight against the Bruins.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have added Arttu Ruotsalainen to the taxi squad, sending Jean-Sebastien Dea to the Rochester Americans. Ruotsalainen has 13 points in 13 games with the Amerks this season, his first in North America after several outstanding years in Finland.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/04/21

There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

Central Division

North Division

  • With their NHL goaltenders finally getting healthy, the Ottawa Senators have demoted young keeper Filip Gustavsson to the taxi squad. Forward Alex Formenton was also re-assigned to the squad. Even in just a small four-game sample size, Gustavsson has clearly been the Senators’ best goalie this season and it is hard to imagine that he will spend much more time off the active roster moving forward.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Veini Vehvilainen from the taxi squad, reports David Alter of The Hockey News.  He was acquired from Columbus last month and immediately went to the taxi squad after clearing quarantine; he’ll serve as Toronto’s backup goalie tonight.  Alex Galchenyuk was also recalled from the taxi squad with Timothy Liljegren being sent to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have assigned Gustav Olofsson to Laval of the AHL from the taxi squad while recalling Brandon Baddock, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Olofsson has 59 career NHL games under his belt but has yet to play with Montreal this season while Baddock was recently injured in the minors and is simply up to keep their taxi squad at the minimum number of players.

East Division

West Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Show all