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Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/20/21

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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

  • Jayden Halbgewachs has been returned to the AHL by the San Jose Sharks as he continues to wait for his first NHL opportunity. The 24-year-old has been up and down all season but has still only seen minor league action.

North Division

Central Division

  • The Detroit Red Wings have swapped Kaden Fulcher and Kevin Boyle between the taxi squad and AHL, with the latter heading back to the Grand Rapids Griffins. That’s not the only move though; Mathias Brome has also been moved to the taxi squad.
  • The Nashville Predators have reassigned Tanner Jeannot to the taxi squad, one of their normal off-day moves. The Predators will be back in action tomorrow against the Blackhawks and Jeannot may well be back on the active roster by then.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled rookie forward Ty Dellandrea and veteran defenseman Taylor Fedun from the taxi squad. Fedun would be making his season debut if he draws into the lineup, while Dellandrea has five points in 25 games so far this season.

East Division

This page will be updated throughout the day

Buffalo Sabres Sign Lukas Rousek

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The Buffalo Sabres have signed Czech forward Lukas Rousek to a two-year entry-level contract, according to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Milstein clarified to John Vogl of The Athletic that Rousek likely won’t be playing any AHL games this spring, given how long it would take him to get a visa and the short schedule remaining. The young forward will instead head to Buffalo early in the summer to train and his contract will begin in 2021-22.

It was quite the season for Rousek, who was just a sixth-round selection in 2019. After breaking out offensively last year for Sparta Praha, scoring 14 goals and 29 points in 52 games, the 22-year-old took his game to an entirely new level and racked up 38 points in 49 games for the 2020-21 season. That was good enough for 15th in the entire league, though actually just fourth on his team behind some of the league’s most respected names, including former NHL forward Michal Repik.

He went undrafted in his first two years of eligibility, but Rousek is proving that the Sabres were right in giving him a crack in 2019. A worthwhile pick, he’ll now have to try and make the transition to North American hockey and bring some of that offense to the AHL.

New York Rangers To Extend Jonny Brodzinski

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Jonny Brodzinski has turned a small, but productive sample size with the New York Rangers organization into another year of job security. CapFriendly reports that the two sides have come to terms on a one-year, two-way extension for the 2021-22 season. The new deal will closely resemble the one that Brodzinski signed with the Rangers this off-season, containing the minimum NHL salary and an minimal AHL salary bump from $200K to $215K. Brodzinski, who would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer, will now be guaranteed $300K for next season, regardless of how much time he spends at the NHL level.

Brodzinski, 27, has proved himself to be a valuable depth piece in his career, recording 13 points in 61 NHL games and 149 points in 209 AHL games. So far this season, he is second on the Hartford Wolf Pack in per-game scoring, recording 11 points in nine games. He has also skated in four games with New York, notching a goal. With a number of high-scoring minor league seasons under his belt to go with some NHL experience, the Rangers could do worse than Brodzinski as a veteran leader in the AHL and NHL injury substitute.

For those thinking that this could be an expansion draft-fueled move, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Not only are the Rangers in a good place with meeting their exposure requirements for the impending draft, but Brodzinski does not meet the NHL games played criteria anyhow. While Brodzinski’s extended term could make him a more attractive pick for the Seattle Kraken, who must select 20 players with term on their contracts, it still seems very unlikely that they would opt to take the veteran minor leaguer above all other Rangers options.

Minor Transactions: 04/19/21

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Even this late in the hockey season, notable roster moves are still being made. At this point, many are teams looking ahead to next year, especially with collegiate and European players available and looking to make future plans. So while these moves may not immediately impact any NHL rosters, they are worth keeping track of – and we’ve done so right here:

  • When the Vegas Golden Knights signed Maxim Marushev earlier this month to a contract that didn’t begin until next season, it was unclear whether the Russian prospect would play again this season. Well, the organization has sorted that out now, as the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights have announced that Marushev has joined the team, and not just on a tryout basis but on a contract for the remainder of the season. Marushev, 22, was on overage selection in the seventh round of last year’s draft, but has seemingly already proved his value as an NHL prospect to the Knights, despite a drop-off in production this season.
  • The captain of the newly-minted NCAA Champions has found his first NHL contract. UMass standout center Jake Gaudet has signed an AHL contract with the Cleveland Monsters for the 2021-22 season and will join the team on a PTO for the remainder of the year. Gaudet just completed his senior year in Amherst, recording 13 points in 28 games. While Gaudet has never been much of a scorer, he works hard and excels at the defensive aspects of the game which allowed him to be a regular fixture in the Minutemen lineup for four years and to gain a leadership role in the locker room. The Columbus Blue Jackets likely see some fourth-line upside in the 24-year-old, but will look for Gaudet to prove himself in the minors first.
  • In somewhat of a redemption story, defenseman Vincent Desharnais has signed a new two-year contract with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. The Providence College product initially signed his first pro deal with Bakersfield last year. However, the team declined to extend him this off-season after an underwhelming campaign and he inked a deal with their ECHL affiliate, the Witchita Thunder. Yet, Bakersfield has required Desharnais’ services on loan for much of the season and this time around have been impressed by his play, resulting in a new contract to officially make him a Condor for two more years.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/19/21

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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 San Jose Sharks have sent Jacob Middleton back to the AHL, moving him off the taxi squad for the time being. The 25-year-old defenseman has seven points in 20 games for the Barracuda this season, his fifth year with the club.

North Division

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially recalled Gavin Bayreuther from the taxi squad after head coach John Tortorella told reporters that he would be making his debut tonight. Bayreuther played 19 games for the Dallas Stars in 2018-19, his only NHL experience so far. The team has also recalled Cliff Pu to the taxi squad.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled forward Mathias Brome from the taxi squad, the team announced. The rookie import has played in 24 games with Detroit this season, but has only one point to show for it.

East Division

  • In addition to signing Alexander Holtz to an AHL amateur tryout, the New Jersey Devils have made a taxi squad change. Tyce Thompson and Nikita Okhotiuk have both been loaned to the Binghamton Devils. Thompson, 21, will be joining the AHL club for the first time after playing in six NHL games directly after signing his entry-level deal. Okhotiuk meanwhile is still waiting to make his NHL debut.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned Cam York to the AHL, meaning his NHL debut will have to wait. The 20-year-old defenseman ended his college career and signed an entry-level contract last month, turning pro after two excellent seasons with the University of Michigan. Selected 14th overall in 2019, he will likely be fighting for a regular spot on the blue line come next season’s training camp.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Will Cuylle Agrees To Terms With New York Rangers

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All the focus at the 2020 draft for the New York Rangers was on Alexis Lafreniere, the first-overall pick. But 59 selections later, the team took another standout CHL forward, selecting Will Cuylle from the Windsor Spitfires 60th overall. After spending this year in the minor leagues with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Cuylle has agreed to terms on his three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers.

The 6’3″ Cuylle only turned 19 in February, but he’s already off to quite the start for Hartford. He has five points in 13 games but is third on the team in penalty minutes with 26 and got his first AHL fight under his belt last month. It’s not that Cuylle is an enforcer (far from it), but the big winger is more than willing to engage physically, using his size and strength to lean on defenders. That has even been evident while playing against opponents sometimes a decade his senior in the AHL, a league he wouldn’t even be eligible to play in if this were a normal year.

With the OHL still suspended, Cuylle can continue to play with the Wolf Pack and test himself at the professional level. Unfortunately, given he doesn’t turn 20 until February 2022, he actually would need to go back to the OHL for next season if he fails to make the Rangers roster. That’s quite an odd development path, but perhaps Cuylle can take some of the lessons he has learned this season to dominate for Windsor and play an even more offensive role.

Boston Bruins Sign Brady Lyle

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If you’ve been noticing the strong play of number 37 for the Bruins (Providence, that is) this season, you’re not alone. The Boston Bruins have rewarded Brady Lyle with a two-year entry-level contract. Lyle had been playing with the Providence Bruins on an AHL contract that actually extended through the 2021-22 season as well. That second year will be replaced by the entry-level deal and the new contract carries an average annual value of $800K at the NHL level.

Despite scoring at a strong rate in the OHL, Lyle went undrafted in each of his eligible years and ended up settling for that AHL contract last spring. At the beginning of this season when there wasn’t a clear timetable for the minor leagues, he was loaned to Slovakia where he recorded three points in six games with Detva HC. Since returning, he has been one of the most exciting players on the Providence roster, scoring six goals and 12 points in 19 games. Both of those numbers lead all defenders on the Bruins, but Lyle is also tied for the AHL lead in goals by a defenseman.

Sure, there’s still work to be done by the 21-year-old, but securing an NHL deal was the first step. Last month AHL reporter Mark Divver tweeted that “NHL teams are sniffing around” on Lyle, suggesting that Boston may not have been the only team interested in signing him to an entry-level deal.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/18/21

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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

East Division

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins added to their roster as they announced they have recalled forward Anthony Angello from the taxi squad. The 25-year-old has two goals and four points in 19 games but hasn’t appeared in a game for the Penguins in more than two weeks. The Penguins have also activated defenseman Mark Friedman off of injured reserve. He has not played in a game since March 4 as he has been recovering from an upper-body injury. UPDATE: The Penguins announced that Angello has been re-assigned to the taxi squad after their game against the Buffalo Sabres Sunday.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have recalled defenseman Mattias Samuelsson from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The team has also assigned forward Steven Fogarty to the taxi squad, while C.J. Smith has been assigned to Rochester. Samuelsson, the team’s 32nd overall pick in 2018, will make his NHL debut Sunday.
  • The New Jersey Devils have recalled top prospect Nolan Foote with the intention of having him make his NHL debut Sunday, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. Foote, acquired in the Blake Coleman trade last season, has six goals and 16 points in 20 games with Binghamton of the AHL this season. The team has also returned Ben Street to the taxi squad, according to the AHL Transactions page.

North Division

  • The Ottawa Senators made some roster moves as the team announced they have assigned forward Jack Kopacka from the taxi squad to the Belleville Senators. The team has also sent Vitaly Abramov and Cody Goloubef from the taxi squad to Belleville of the AHL.
  • The Calgary Flames have made a few roster moves, according to the AHL Transaction page. The team has recalled center Dominik Simon from the taxi squad while assigning forward Justin Kirkland from the taxi squad to the Stockton Heat.
  • Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that the Edmonton Oilers have recalled center Ryan McLeod from the Bakersfield Condors to the team’s taxi squad, suggesting the Oilers might be ready to promote the young center to the NHL squad soon. McLeod has had a breakout season this year with 14 goals and 28 points in 28 games.

West Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled forward Tyler Madden from Ontario of the AHL while sending defenseman Cole Hults down, per the AHL’s transactions page.  Madden has a goal and three assists in 12 games with the Reign in his first professional campaign while Hults, who is also in his rookie pro year, has a goal and four assists in 19 games.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Prospect Notes: Wild, Popugaev, Thompson

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Two of the Minnesota Wild’s top prospects have enjoyed stellar college careers, culminating in a meeting in the NCAA Championship Game last weekend. For many college prospects, just one strong season and an NCAA title (or even an appearance) is enough to push them to the pros. However, the Wild may have to wait for these two. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that St. Cloud State forward Sam Hentges is expected to return to school for his senior season, while Massachusetts goaltender Filip Lindberg is still considering doing the same. Hentges, a 2018 seventh-round pick, has already played beyond his draft billing. The Huskies center has been a solid, two-way forward through each of his three college seasons, recording 61 points in 94 games along the way. However, he seemingly believes that he has more growing to do at St. Cloud. As for Lindberg, it is hard to imagine that there is any more left for him to prove at UMass. The title-winning goaltender was among the NCAA’s best this season, and last season, and the season before. He has a stunning .937 save percentage, 1.58 GAA, and 29 wins in 50 college appearances. If that wasn’t enough, Lindberg was also part of Finland’s 2019 World Junior gold medal-winning club, pitching a shutout in his lone appearance. Lindberg seems pro-ready, but perhaps the possibility of finally playing a workhorse role for the Minutemen could be enough to keep him around for his senior year. If not, the 2019 seventh-rounder would be the favorite to win the starting job for the AHL’s Iowa Wild next season anyway.

  • The New Jersey Devils won’t be getting a second look at prospect forward Nikita Popugaev in North America any time soon. The big Russian forward has signed a one-year extension with the KHL’s Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, the team announced. The Devils hold indefinite possession of Popugaev’s NHL rights, but there are certainly concerns that he may never be an NHL option. The polarizing prospect was considered a first-round talent at one point in the 2017 NHL Draft cycle, especially after back-to-back seasons of top-notch production in the WHL. However, work ethic concerns caused him to slip to the fourth round. He then confirmed some other suspicions by leaving the WHL for Russia, back-tracking on his perceived commitment to the North American game. Popugaev did return late in the 2018-19 season and signed an AHL contract with the Devils, staying through the following year but playing almost exclusively in the ECHL. This caused him to return to Russia again this year and he finally found some success after a mid-season trade to Nizhnekamsk. With a new deal, he hopes to build on that success again next season. Yet, in the big picture Popugaev’s struggles at the pro level in North America and Russia combined with a seemingly mutual resistance between he and the Devils to sign an entry-level contract just yet provides ample doubt that he will ever play in the NHL.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jack Thompson, arguably the best defenseman in their pipeline, is getting his first pro experience. With the OHL out of commission, Thompson has played at the junior level in Sweden this year, scoring at a point-per-game pace. However, he has returned home with his Swedish season over, but the OHL still has not returned to action. As a result, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, have brought Thompson in on an amateur tryout basis. The 19-year-old defenseman, a 2020 third-round pick, will likely return to the OHL if the league re-starts, but in the meantime will get invaluable experience in the AHL.

New Jersey Devils Expected To Move AHL Affiliate To Utica

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Where there is smoke, there is usually fire. And where there are Devils… well, you get it. There are hints being dropped from Newark to Binghamton to Utica and it all points toward a change in AHL affiliation for New Jersey. According to multiple sources, the club is expected to move their farm team, currently the Binghamton Devils, to Utica, currently the home of the Utica Comets, affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. The move is expected to take place before next season and team would be re-branded as the Utica Devils. There is no word yet on the Canucks’ affiliation plans or the AHL future in Binghamton.

News first emerged hinting at this change on Friday when WBNG in Binghamton reported that there was a growing dispute between the ownership of the New Jersey Devils and the Binghamton Devils. Though it is unclear which side feels it has been wronged, it is believed that Binghamton playing the current season in Newark is considered part of the problem. The current agreement between the two organizations extends through the 2021-22 season, but it seems that it could be cut short by this current animosity.

Digging for answers as to where their team might be headed, WBNG discovered that Utica Comets president and former NHLer Robert Esche recently filed a trademark with the USPTO for “Utica Devils”. The wide-ranging application requests a service mark not only for general advertising use, but also for a number of merchandise groups. There are clearly big plans in place for this trademark, even though the AHL has not yet received a formal request for the location change. WBNG also notes that Utica does have an opt-out clause after this season in its affiliation agreement with Vancouver, making it a realistic landing spot for the Devils.

Then earlier today, WBNG reported that, whether it be to Utica or elsewhere, the AHL Devils are on the move. Binghamton Exec. VP of Operations Tom Mitchell confirmed that the team has received formal notice of the dissolution of their agreement with New Jersey. “The demands [the New Jersey Devils] were putting on us were absolutely impossible and we just couldn’t comply with them,” Mitchell said. “So it looks like we’re going to part ways, and just try to move on.” Mitchell did not know about any previous talks that New Jersey may have had with Esche and Utica, saying he was surprised to hear about the trademark application. As far as Binghamton’s hockey future, he could only add that he felt the city could attract another pro team and will get to work on that immediately.

As for Vancouver, perhaps the party most in the dark in this situation, The Province’s Patrick Johnston reports that the Canucks have not made a comment on the situation and not much is known about their future affiliation plans. A recent trend in the AHL has been for NHL teams to move their prospects closer to the main club, so the Canucks’ keeping their affiliate out in the Eastern U.S. might not make much sense. Johnston notes that the team has previously discussed the possibility of an affiliate in Abbotsford, British Columbia, the former home of the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. He also notes that California now sports a large quantity of AHL clubs, soon including the Seattle Kraken’s affiliate as well, so Vancouver could look at options in that area as well.

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