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Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/08/22

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Even with four games being postponed, it’s still a very busy day on the NHL schedule with 11 games on tap which means there should be plenty of roster movement around the league.  We’ll keep track of all the taxi squad and other roster moves here.

Atlantic Division

 

Metropolitan Division

  • The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled wingers Anthony Greco and Lauri Pajuniemi to the taxi squad. Greco is second on AHL Hartford in points this season with 23 in 26 games while Pajuniemi has 15 points in 27 contests in his first season in North America.
  • The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated winger Jackson Cates from COVID protocol and recalled him from the taxi squad while defenseman Nick Seeler was also removed from COVID protocol. In corresponding moves, winger Connor Bunnaman and defenseman Yegor Zamula were sent back to the taxi squad.
  • With Jesper Bratt and Nathan Bastian entering COVID protocol, the Devils announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forwards A.J. Greer, Nolan Foote, and Marian Studenic along with defenseman Colton White from the taxi squad.  Bratt’s loss will be particularly noticeable as he leads New Jersey in goals (10), assists (22), and points (32) so far this season.

Central Division

  • The Stars have recalled goaltender Adam Scheel to the taxi squad, per a team release. The 22-year-old has a 3.57 GAA along with a .886 SV% in nine games with AHL Texas this season.
  • Colorado has recalled goaltender Hunter Miska and winger Mikhail Maltsev to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. Miska has struggled in limited AHL action this season with a .797 SV% in four appearances while Maltsev has 17 points in 23 games in the minors plus six appearances with the Avalanche.
  • The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forwards Victor Rask and Kyle Rau along with defenseman Dakota Mermis from the taxi squad.  To make room on the roster, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov were transferred to injured reserve but with the team off until Friday after their game tonight, both will be eligible to return at that time.

Pacific Division

  • The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Spencer Martin, defenseman Ashton Sautner, and forwards Justin Bailey and Sheldon Rempal to the taxi squad. Vancouver didn’t have anyone on the taxi squad before now but with the team set to resume their road trip with five more games starting next week, the extra reinforcements were needed.
  • The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Austin Wagner from AHL Ontario.  He played in 44 games with Los Angeles last season but has played exclusively with the Reign this year, collecting seven points and 52 penalty minutes in 19 games.  In a corresponding move, winger Samuel Fagemo was sent from the taxi squad back to the minors.  He has 11 points in 24 AHL contests this season.
  • Calgary has made a pair of moves, announcing (Twitter link) that center Byron Froese has been sent from the taxi squad to AHL Stockton while center Adam Ruzicka has been recalled to the active roster from the taxi squad.  Froese hasn’t played anywhere in more than a month while Ruzicka has a goal in five assists with the Flames this season.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Vegas Golden Knights Assign Adam Brooks To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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Per CapFriendly, the Vegas Golden Knights assigned forward Adam Brooks to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on a conditioning loan today.

Brooks has played just seven games since Vegas claimed him off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens on November 17. In those seven games, he has two goals, adding onto his one assist in four games with the Canadiens prior to the claim.

Vegas is Brooks’ third team in a very short span of time. He was a waiver-wire addition to the Canadiens as well, who claimed him from the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the start of the season.

It should be Brooks’ first AHL action since 2020-21, where he had 13 points in 17 games with the Toronto Marlies. He’s a very capable producer at the minor-league level, and in the short term, he should provide a boost to the Vegas farm team.

Tuukka Rask Officially Signs PTO With AHL’s Providence Bruins

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Jan 7: Rask’s return to the P-Bruins will have to wait. The AHL has announced that games originally scheduled for tonight and Sunday will now be moved to April due to COVID-19 protocols affecting the Phantoms, meaning there are no Providence games until January 14 against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Maine Mariners, Boston’s ECHL affiliate, play the Adirondack Thunder tonight, tomorrow and Sunday, so perhaps there is a chance that Rask sees action there instead.

Jan 6: After being rumoured this past week, unrestricted free agent goalie Tuukka Rask is officially on his way to making a comeback in Boston. The Bruins announced this morning that he’s signed a professional tryout agreement with their AHL affiliate in Providence.

Rask will play his first AHL game in 13 years when he starts for Providence against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tomorrow. His last season with Providence was in 2008-09, where he played in 57 games and posted a 33-20-4 record and .915 save percentage.

The 34-year-old Rask didn’t sign a contract with the Bruins this offseason after he underwent hip surgery, which left his playing future uncertain. Once it became clear that Rask would be able to return to NHL hockey, the NHL granted Rask and the Bruins an exemption, allowing Rask to use the Bruins’ facilities while unsigned to assist in his recovery.

His return casts some serious uncertainty over what the Bruins’ goalie depth chart could look like, however. The plan always seemed to be, at least after signing Linus Ullmark to a big-money deal this offseason, that Jeremy Swayman would head down to Providence to make room for Rask as he doesn’t require waivers.

That’s a tough decision to make at this point in the season, though. Swayman’s put up better stats than Ullmark this season and has received nearly equal usage, with Swayman putting up a .920 save percentage in 15 starts and Ullmark putting up a .917 in 14 starts.

It’s a decision to make later, though. For now, Bruins fans and staff are happy to have Rask back with the team, and Rask is certainly happy to get one more shot, maybe his last, at a Stanley Cup ring.

When Rask eventually plays for Boston this season, though, it will be the return of a living legend to the Bruins crease. He’s first in franchise history in terms of games played (560), wins (306), and save percentage (min. 50 games) (.921).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/07/22

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Just two games on the schedule this evening as the league continues to miss matches due to COVID and attendance restrictions. Still, both should be pretty great matchups as four current playoff teams do battle. Elias Lindholm will lead the Calgary Flames against his old club in Carolina, while the Washington Capitals will avoid facing Vladimir Tarasenko when they travel to St. Louis. As those clubs and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

  • Following the injury to Kirill Kaprizov, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Kyle Rau to the taxi squad. Kaprizov is expected to miss at least one game, with further evaluation still ongoing to determine how long he’ll be out of the lineup.
  • The Nashville Predators have reassigned Matt Luff to the taxi squad once again, his fourth transaction in the last four days. The 24-year-old forward played and scored last night for the Predators, despite seeing just seven minutes of ice time.
  • The Dallas Stars have assigned Thomas Harley to the Texas Stars, giving the 20-year-old defenseman a chance to play at the minor league level once again. Harley has played in eight games for Dallas but 17 for Texas this season.

Pacific Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have assigned Samuel Fagemo to the taxi squad, after he failed to dress for last night’s game. Fagemo has yet to make his NHL debut since being drafted 50th overall in 2019.
  • Forward Adam Ruzicka is back on Calgary’s active roster, coming up from the taxi squad. Ruzicka scored his first NHL goal earlier this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Michael Krutil Signs In SHL

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It appears as though Michael Krutil will not be returning to the Rockford IceHogs now that the World Junior Championship has been canceled. The young defenseman has signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Vaxjo Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League.

Krutil, 19, played seven games with Rockford before being loaned to Czechia for the junior tournament but ended up failing to get into a single game before the event was shut down due to COVID concerns. Selected 110th overall in 2020, he hasn’t actually signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks yet and had been playing on an AHL deal.

A blend of size and skill, the 6’3″ defenseman had three points in 21 games for the IceHogs last season as an 18-year-old, suiting up as one of the youngest players in the entire league. Now in Sweden, he’ll have a better chance to show off some offensive upside or at the very least, play more minutes than he was receiving in Rockford.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/06/22

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It’s a busy Thursday with 11 games on tap tonight. With that, you can bet that many teams will be shuffling their rosters and lining things up to be ready for when the puck drops. You can keep track of all of those roster moves right here.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers recalled forward Connor Bunnaman and defenseman Yegor Zamula from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, assigning them to the taxi squad as COVID-related absences are hitting their team hard at the moment. Bunnaman is pointless in four games this season, while Zamula could look to make his season debut if he’s elevated to the active roster.
  • Goaltender Hunter Shepard is on his way up to the Washington Capitals’ taxi squad from the AHL’s Hershey Bears, according to a team release. The 26-year-old netminder does not require waivers and has split this season between the AHL and ECHL.

Central Division

Pacific Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/05/22

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Just two games on the NHL schedule this evening after a full slate last night. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers will do battle in an all-Canadian matchup, while the St. Louis Blues travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Penguins. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling:

Atlantic Division

  • Ahead of their game, the Maple Leafs have sent Kyle Clifford to the taxi squad, a good sign that Auston Matthews will be ready to go. Matthews took the morning skate after initially receiving a positive COVID result on a rapid test earlier this week. After testing negative yesterday, his presence at the skate suggests that he has been cleared to return to action.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have returned Darren Raddysh to the AHL, after making his NHL debut a few days ago. Raddysh played in two games for the Lightning and failed to record a point.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Riley Barber, Luke Witkowski, and Kaden Fulcher from the AHL to the taxi squad, giving them some extra bodies as they head west. Detroit will take on the three California teams before returning home later this month.
  • The Ottawa Senators have reassigned Max Guenette and Lassi Thomson to the AHL, while moving Logan Shaw to the taxi squad. Thomson, 21, has played in 12 games for the Senators this season and has three points.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Cam Johnson from the taxi squad back to the minor leagues, though it’s still kind of a promotion for the netminder. Johnson had been playing in the ECHL when he got the call to the NHL taxi squad and will only be going back to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters for the time being. Meanwhile, the club has recalled Jake Christiansen and Liam Foudy from the AHL to the taxi squad.
  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Michael Sgarbossa to the taxi squad once again, after sending him down just yesterday. The veteran minor leaguer has 14 points in 15 games this season for the Hershey Bears.

Central Division

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Nicolas Beaudin to the taxi squad while assigning Brett Connolly there from the active roster. Kurtis Gabriel and Alec Regula are headed back to the Rockford IceHogs, where they can take part in this weekend’s back-to-back matches.
  • Matt Luff might not get a chance to play his former team tomorrow night, as the Nashville Predators have moved him back down to the taxi squad. Luff has played four games for the Predators this season after spending several years as a member of the Los Angeles Kings organization.
  • After he cleared waivers, Zane McIntyre has been loaned back to the Iowa Wild. The Minnesota Wild meanwhile have recalled Andrew Hammond from the taxi squad under emergency conditions and moved Hunter Jones up to the taxi squad from the AHL.
  • The Colorado Avalanche reassigned forwards Callahan Burke, Mikhail Maltsev, and goalie Hunter Miska to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles from the taxi squad today. Maltsev’s the only one of them that has NHL games under their belt this season.

Pacific Division

  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled prospect Adam Raska, a 20-year-old forward that has impressed in his first year of North American pro hockey. A seventh-round pick in 2020, Raska has six points in 21 AHL games but plays a physical, bang-and-crash style that made him a preseason fan favorite.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Jacob Larsson, while sending Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Bryce Kindopp, Danny O’Regan, and Greg Pateryn to the AHL from the taxi squad. Lukas Dostal will come up from the AHL to the taxi squad for the time being.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/04/22

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Eight games grace the NHL schedule this evening, as things start to get back to normal across the league. The Calgary Flames will face a shorthanded Florida Panthers team, while the defending champions try to get back in the win column against a Zach Werenski-less Blue Jackets’ squad. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

  • Arizona Coyotes forward Matias Maccelli is back with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, per the team. He didn’t get into a game during his call-up, and he’s still looking for his first NHL action, but he’s impressed with 21 points through 21 games in Tucson this year.
  • The Dallas Stars have reassigned Ty Dellandrea, Rhett Gardner, Riley Tufte, and Adam Scheel from the taxi squad to the Texas Stars, giving them some extra bodies for their games this weekend.

Pacific Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have reassigned Martin Frk and Jacob Moverare from the AHL to the taxi squad. Moverare, despite still waiting for his first NHL opportunity, has been involved in ten transactions since the middle of December, bouncing up and down on a near-daily basis.
  • The Seattle Kraken reassigned forward Kole Lind and goalie Joey Daccord to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers today, according to a team tweet. The two have combined to play seven games at the NHL level this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/03/22

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There is just one game on the schedule for the NHL tonight, as the Edmonton Oilers travel to New York to try and slow down the Rangers. Edmonton is in freefall after a hot start while the Rangers are continuing to ride the outstanding goaltending of Igor Shesterkin. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • With Jake Muzzin expected to return for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Teemu Kivihalme has been moved off the taxi squad and back to the AHL. Muzzin’s return will likely bump Alex Biega back to the taxi after he played in Saturday’s game against the Senators.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Alex Barre-Boulet and Maxime Lagace to the AHL, giving the Syracuse Crunch a boost as players come off the NHL’s COVID list. Andrei Vasilevskiy made his return to the Tampa Bay crease last night, and though he showed some obvious rust, there’s no need for Lagace any longer.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have sent Stefan Noesen and Alex Lyon to the AHL, moving them off the taxi squad for the time being. With the Hurricanes off until Friday, the pair can get in some time with the Chicago Wolves this week.
  • Pierre-Olivier Joseph has been activated from the COVID Protocol, but not back to the NHL roster. The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned the young defender to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but he will be the next man up should a need arise on the NHL blue line.

Central Division

  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Matt Tennyson to the taxi squad, adding another experienced body to the traveling group. The Predators are headed on a three-game road trip that starts tomorrow night.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Mikhail Maltsev and Hunter Miska to the taxi squad, while sending Trent Miner back to the AHL. Maltsev, 23, has 17 points in 23 games for the Colorado Eagles this season but is still looking for his first point with the Avalanche.
  • With Cam Talbot suffering an injury in the Winter Classic, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Andrew Hammond to the team’s taxi squad. Calen Addison, who was recalled to replace Jonas Brodin in the game, has also been loaned back to the taxi squad.
  • Riley Tufte is getting the call, but not quite to the NHL roster. The Dallas Stars have announced that the young forward has been moved from AHL Texas to the taxi squad. The hulking forward has played in five games with Dallas this season in a fourth line role, but has also flashed some scoring ability in the minors.

Pacific Division

  • Ashton Sautner and Spencer Martin have been sent back to the AHL from the Vancouver Canucks taxi squad, given the team doesn’t play again for another week.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have reassigned Jan Jenik from the taxi squad to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Jenik has suited up for three games with the ’Yotes this season, but only for about 20 total minutes of ice time and zero points. The young forward needs some more seasoning in the minors before he can make an impact at the next level.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Minor Transactions: 01/02/22

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The new year has brought with it a flurry of activity between NHL and AHL rosters. However, the top North American leagues are not alone in a noticeable uptick in transactions. Elsewhere, several other familiar names are making moves. With European leagues closing in on their postseasons prior to the stretch run in the NHL, expect these transactions to appear with greater frequency in the coming weeks, too.

  • Former AHL MVP Daniel Carr has finally found some consistency in his career. The skilled forward played for four different NHL teams over the past four seasons and was never able to hold down a roster spot despite his impressive minor league numbers, especially after leaving the Montreal Canadiens. He opted to leave North America last season, inking a two-year deal with HC Lugano of the Swiss National League. Carr only played in eight games for the team in 2020-21, but was a point-per-game player all the same. This year, he has 13 points in 12 games, continuing to make a major impact albeit in limited action. Lugano has decided to reward Carr’s strong play in hopes that he can be a core piece of the team moving forward and Carr has jumped at some long-term stability in his career. The team has announced a new three-year extension for Carr, which will keep him in Switzerland through the 2024-25 season and into mid-thirties. This likely marks the end of Carr’s NHL career, but he could be a superstar in the National League through the duration of his new deal.
  • When goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis left North America in 2018, it initially seemed like the right move. Gudlevskis had an excellent first season in the KHL, recording a 2.37 GAA for his hometown team, Dinamo Riga. However, the following season got off to a horrific start and Gudlevskis ended up leaving midseason to play in Germany and then split last year between Austria and Slovakia. Well, Gudlevskis finally found his stride once again in Slovakia between late last season and early this year and now he is elevating back to another top European league. Brynas IF of the SHL has announced a contract with Gudlevskis for the remainder of this season. The former Tampa Bay Lightning net minder will now have a chance to show what he can do at the top level in Sweden in hopes that it leads to another contract with a top club. At 29 and with connections still in North America, a return to the AHL and perhaps even the NHL at some point can’t be ruled out if he continues to perform. His newest gig with Brynas will tell a lot about his ability to play at an elite level.
  • Yevgeni Oksentyuk is moving on from his stint in the ECHL, at least for now. The Dallas Stars prospect has played almost exclusively at the “AA” level in his first pro season in North America, but the AHL’s Texas Stars have recalled him from Idaho Steelheads. Oksentyuk, a 2020 sixth-round pick out of Belarus, has nine goals and 16 points in 17 ECHL games this season and appears ready for the next level. The undersized forward will always have to work hard to excel against bigger, stronger competition in North America, but has found success so far in the ECHL and the OHL before that and could continue to develop for the Stars.

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