Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/07/21

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:

Central Division

• The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled two players from the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL and assigned them to the taxi squad. NHL.com’s Brandon Cain reports that forwards Brandon Pirri and Tim Soderlund have been recalled, while the team has assigned Mikael Hakkarainen and Brad Morrison from the taxi squad to the AHL.  Defensemen Wyatt Kalynuk and Lucas Carlsson were later recalled to Chicago from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
• The Nashville Predators announced they have recalled forward Rem Pitlick and defenseman Ben Harpur from the taxi squad. The team has also assigned defenseman Alexandre Carrier to the taxi squad. Pitlick has yet to play for the Predators this year but has eight goals in eight games with the Chicago Wolves.
• The Carolina Hurricanes have once again recalled goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Petr Mrazek isn’t quite ready to return so Nedeljkovic will serve as the backup.
• The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve returned forward Michael Rasmussen to the taxi squad.  He played more than 15 minutes on Thursday night and has three assists in ten games this season.
• The Florida Panthers returned forward Owen Tippett to the taxi squad, reports George Richards of Florida Hockey Now.  He has played in 15 games this season but just once over the last two weeks.
• The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled defenseman Andreas Borgman from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  With Jan Rutta dealing with an injury, Borgman will make his season debut.

East Division

• The Buffalo Sabres announced they have recalled forward Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Brandon Davidson from the taxi squad. The team will also return blueliner Henri Jokiharju to the taxi squad. The 22-year-old Mittelstadt has appeared in seven games for Buffalo with a goal and three points. The 29-year-old Davidson has appeared in just three games with the Sabres.
• With the Boston Bruins back in action today, they recalled defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and forward Jack Studnicka from the taxi squad plus Zach Senyshyn from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
• The New Jersey Devils recalled forward Michael McLeod from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 23-year-old has played in 19 games so far this season, recording three goals and one assist.
• The Philadelphia Flyers recalled forward Connor Bunnaman from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The second-year winger has played in 15 games in 2020-21, picking up one assist.  Defenseman Nate Prosser was sent to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.

North Division

• The Montreal Canadiens announced they have recalled forward Laurent Dauphin and defenseman Xavier Ouellet from the Laval Rocket and assigned them to the team’s taxi squad for their upcoming road trip to Western Canada. Both are likely to assist if injuries mount on that six-game, 10-day trip.  Forward Paul Byron was also assigned to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
• As their usual paper transaction, the Ottawa Senators announced they have recalled defenseman Erik Brannstrom from the taxi squad and returned Braydon Coburn to the taxi squad. The 21-year-old Brannstrom has two goals and five points in 11 games since joining the Senators’ rotation last month.
• The Calgary Flames recalled forward Zac Rinaldo from the taxi squad, sending defenseman Oliver Kylington to the taxi squad in a corresponding move, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960.  Rinaldo has played just once this season, playing just 2:04.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Mikko Lehtonen from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 27-year-old was a top point producer in the KHL but has managed just three assists in nine games so far this season.

West Division

• The Anaheim Ducks made their usual flurry of moves, assigning forwards Trevor Zegras and Vinni Lettieri and defenseman Josh Mahura to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  To make room on the taxi squad for those three, forward Chase De Leo and defenseman Andy Welinski were sent to AHL San Diego.
• The Arizona Coyotes have loaned forward Frederik Gauthier to the taxi squad and sent goaltender David Tendeck to the minors, per CapFriendly.  Goaltender Adin Hill was also recalled from his conditioning loan.
• The Colorado Avalanche changed around their taxi squad, sending forwards Logan O’Connor, Kiefer Sherwood, and Jayson Megna to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  In corresponding moves, forwards Nick Henry and Travis Barron were sent to AHL Colorado.
• The Los Angeles Kings sent two players down on their off day, assigning defenseman Tobias Bjornfot and Rasmus Kupari to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Additionally, defensemen Cole Hults and Markus Phillips plus forward Aidan Dudas were sent to AHL Ontario while defenseman Daniel Brickley was recalled to the taxi squad.
• The Minnesota Wild assigned forward Kyle Rau to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  He has played in each of the last three games for Minnesota, averaging just over eight minutes per game in that stretch.
• The San Jose Sharks loaned forward Noah Gregor and defenseman Frederik Claesson to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Gregor has played in 13 games this season with the Sharks while Claesson has suited up four times.
• The St. Louis Blues sent forward Dakota Joshua and defenseman Jake Walman back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Both players have been recalled on game days and sent down when the Blues aren’t in action over the past week or so.