Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/15/21
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 San Jose Sharks have recalled Greg Pateryn to the taxi squad, returning Nicolas Meloche to the minor leagues in the process. Meloche, 23, has played in six games for the Sharks this season but is now rejoining the San Jose Barracuda for the time being.
- The Los Angeles Kings have returned Austin Strand to the AHL, given he hasn’t played an NHL game in more than a week now. The 24-year-old defenseman has 13 NHL games under his belt, all this season, but has managed just a single point.
North Division
Central Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Josh Dunne from the taxi squad and are expected to put him in the lineup tonight against the Stars. Dunne, 22, signed his entry-level contract a few weeks ago following his junior season at Clarkson University and has recorded three points in seven AHL contests since.
East Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Wade Allison from the taxi squad, bringing up Andy Andreoff from the AHL to fill his spot. Allison is expected to make his NHL debut tonight after just eight games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The former Western Michigan University star is in his first year of professional hockey and made quite an impression in the minor leagues, scoring nine points in his eight-game AHL stint.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Gabriel Fontaine to the taxi squad, sending Jonny Brodzinski back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Fontaine, a sixth-round pick from 2016, has yet to make his NHL debut.
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled Ben Street to the taxi squad, not for the first time this season. The veteran forward has been up and down throughout the year, but hasn’t actually gotten into the NHL roster.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Michael Houser from the taxi squad, but they won’t be recalling an extra goaltender to take his place. The league has given permission for the Sabres to use an emergency backup goaltender as their taxi squad option due to their current injuries.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Prospect Notes: OHL, U18, Kostin
The Ontario Hockey League hasn’t played a game in over a year. The junior league is the last member of the CHL still not playing, but there was hope that that could change in the next few weeks and allow young players to get back on the ice. That looks unlikely now, as David Hains of Queen’s Park Briefing reports that due to the changing health situation the OHL season has been “benched until further notice.” Ontario’s Minister of Sport Lisa MacLeod told Hains that it would be “irresponsible” to send the young players back into action right now.
It seemed in March as though things were moving towards a shortened season, with MacLeod even confirming that the OHL and the province had reached an agreement on the return to play that has since been thrown out. Though the door hasn’t been completely closed, it is looking less and less likely that there will be any meaningful OHL season.
- The 2021 U.S. U18 roster has been announced for the upcoming World Championship, scheduled to take place in Frisco and Plano, Texas starting later this month. The group includes Jack Hughes–no not that Jack Hughes (or even that Jack Hughes)–who is one of the top prospects for the 2022 draft. Hughes, 17, is committed to Northeastern for the 2022-23 season. The rest of the roster includes many other top prospects and should be an impressive group for the upcoming tournament.
- Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic pointed out on Twitter that Klim Kostin is currently playing game seven in the KHL conference finals, and could be headed to North America should his club fail to advance. The 21-year-old Kostin signed his entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues way back in 2017 but went to the KHL on loan this year when there was still uncertainty surrounding the NHL and AHL seasons. In four games with the Blues last season, he scored a goal and could be an option down the stretch for them once he sorted out visa and quarantine issues. (As of this writing, Kostin’s team is up 2-1 and he has an assist.)
Snapshots: Calgary Event Centre, Marlies, Canucks
The new arena development in Calgary has hit a snag, as Tom Ross of 660 News reports. Kate Thompson, CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation released a statement about budget issues:
At this early stage in the project, there is a difference in the current budget estimate and the program requirements for the facility. Given the significance and importance of the project, the parties have jointly agreed to pause the project team to allow time to resolve these challenges. The decision to take this pause is the responsible and prudent approach to ensure we find the best solutions to move the project forward successfully, without incurring any additional costs on the project while these discussions progress.
Construction on the new arena development was expected to begin in August after the city of Calgary and the Flames agreed to split the cost in 2019. Ross reports it was due to open in 2024, but does not speculate on what kind of delay this pause will cause. Eric Francis of Sportsnet offers some clarification from a source who says “the arena isn’t in jeopardy.” The Flames have been playing in the Saddledome (currently the Scotiabank Saddledome) since 1983.
- The Toronto Marlies have shut down their operations for the time being and three games have been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. Matches on April 15, 18 and 21 have been postponed, though no make-up dates have been determined at this point. The Marlies are 10-11-1 through the first 22 games of the season and have lost their last three. It is not yet clear if the entire minor league roster will be unavailable for call-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs—as was the case during other AHL outbreaks this season—or if the protocol is just affecting a select few.
- The Vancouver Canucks are operating as though their season will resume later this week and today recalled two players from the AHL. Guillaume Brisebois and Arturs Silovs have been recalled to the taxi squad. The Canucks had 16 players still on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, though that number is expected to continue to decrease as players finish their mandated quarantine and test negative. The team is scheduled to play on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/14/21
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 Kyle Capobianco from the AHL and placed him on the taxi squad. The 23-year-old defenseman has bounced up and down the last several seasons but still has just 14 NHL games under his belt. In 18 matches with the Tucson Roadrunners this year, Capobianco has 12 points. Ivan Prosvetov has also been assigned to the taxi squad.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled Jacob Middleton, Nicolas Meloche, and Jayden Halbgewachs from the AHL, sending Greg Pateryn back to the San Jose Barracuda in the process. The Sharks sent some of their depth players like Nick DeSimone, Antti Suomela, Fredrik Claesson, and Stefan Noesen away during the trade deadline, leaving room for some minor leaguers to get a bigger opportunity down the stretch.
North Division
Central Division
- The Chicago Blackhawks have re-assigned Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell, and Matt Tomkins to the taxi squad, as both Adam Boqvist and Calvin de Haan are both missing practice due to injury. Beaudin, 21, has 10 points in nine games with the Rockford IceHogs and will likely soon be a staple on the Chicago blue line.
- Philip Tomasino, one of the Nashville Predators’ top prospects, was recalled to the team’s taxi squad today from the minor leagues. The 19-year-old forward has 20 points in 18 games for the Chicago Wolves in his first year of professional hockey. Tommy Novak has been returned to the AHL in his place.
East Division
This page will be updated throughout the day
Cole Koepke Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning
After seeing his teammate turn pro, Cole Koepke has also decided to sign his entry-level contract. The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed the University of Minnesota-Duluth forward to a two-year entry-level deal that will start in the 2021-22 season. Koepke has signed a professional tryout agreement with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL for the remainder of 2020-21.
The 22-year-old Koepke was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft and has spent the last three seasons racking up goals and points in the NCAA. In 2019-20 he was nearly a point-per-game forward with 33 in 34, and though that rate dipped a bit this season he was still nominated for the Hobey Baker Award as one of the nation’s best players.
He was ranked eighth among Corey Pronman’s list of drafted NCAA prospects who could elect free agency after the season for The Athletic. Normally a player would have to wait four years from his draft year to reach unrestricted free agency, but since Koepke was passed over and wasn’t selected until he had already turned 20, he doesn’t have to wait as long. It doesn’t actually matter now, as Koepke has decided to sign with the team that drafted him and start his pro career with Tampa Bay.
In January, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic suggested that Koepke could potentially develop into a third-line NHL talent. The 6’1″ winger is a volume shooter who put up 15 goals even in this year’s shortened season and continues to drive the puck to dangerous areas. Whether he’ll be able to continue that at the professional level isn’t clear, but even earning an entry-level deal after being a sixth-round pick is a win.
Minor Transactions: 04/13/21
The trade deadline has passed and movement in the NHL will slow considerably for the next several weeks. Still, deals for college free agents and international players should keep trickling in as players start to make decisions about their hockey-playing future. We’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.
- The Rochester Americans have signed Brent Gates, Brendan Warren, and Stefanos Lekkas to professional tryouts. Gates, originally selected in the third round by the Anaheim Ducks, has split the last few seasons between the San Diego Gulls and Tulsa Oilers (with a short stop with the Indy Fuel). Once captain of the University of Minnesota, the 23-year-old Gates never signed an NHL deal. Warren comes with much the same story, a third-round pick that spent four years playing college hockey and never signed an NHL deal. Lekkas, a goaltender, also played four years of NCAA hockey, but was never drafted in the first place and has spent the majority of his career so far in the ECHL.
- According to AHL reporter Mark Divver, the Chicago Wolves have signed Zach Solow to an amateur tryout, an interesting result for a player that some believed would land an NHL contract after his senior season at Northeastern. The undersized forward had 24 points in 21 games this season while serving as captain, but will now have to prove his worth in the minor leagues before earning an entry-level deal.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/13/21
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 Colorado Avalanche have recalled Conor Timmins and Dan Renouf to the taxi squad, filling the last two spots. The Avalanche bolstered their depth at every position over the last week and were already one of the most impressive teams in the NHL.
- The Dallas Stars have returned Rhett Gardner to the taxi squad. The 25-year-old has a goal and assist in 20 games so far this season.
- The San Jose Sharks have flipped taxi squad goalies, assigning Alexei Melnichuk to AHL San Jose while recalling the recently-signed Zach Sawchenko, per the AHL’s transactions log. Melnichuk is likely to see some time with the Sharks down the stretch but only has made one appearance since March 20th in the minors so he needs some game action.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have sent Cody Glass to AHL Henderson. While he has spent most of the season in the NHL, yesterday’s acquisition of Mattias Janmark doesn’t leave them with enough cap room to keep Glass on the active roster. Rather than keep him on the taxi squad, he’ll get some playing time with the Silver Knights.
- The Los Angeles Kings have made several taxi squad moves per the AHL’s transactions log. Lias Andersson and Austin Strand were sent to AHL Ontario with Aidan Dudas and Cole Hults being recalled to the tax squad. The Reign are in action tonight giving Andersson and Strand a chance to play.
North Division
- The Montreal Canadiens have sent Jake Evans and Cayden Primeau back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both players were in uniform on Monday and will likely be recalled for Wednesday’s game against Calgary.
- The Winnipeg Jets have returned Kristian Vesalainen to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The 21-year-old has been recalled three times over the past week but hasn’t played in an NHL game since February.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought up Scott Sabourin and Martin Marincin from the taxi squad while assigning Michael Hutchinson back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Sabourin is making his Maple Leafs debut tonight while Hutchinson is able to be sent back with David Rittich now on Toronto’s active roster.
Central Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have assigned Taro Hirose, Frans Nielsen, and Givani Smith to the taxi squad after yesterday’s win. The Red Wings continue to move players off the active roster between games in order to save some cash. Several, if not all three, will be up again in time for Thursday’s match. Later in the day, the team also moved Kaden Fulcher to the AHL from the taxi squad.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled Noah Juulsen from the AHL according to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The Panthers added Brandon Montour a few days ago but he has yet to make his Florida debut.
- With the Carolina Hurricanes off today, they’ve returned Jake Bean and Morgan Geekie to the taxi squad. Neither player is a stranger to this process as they’ve been on this list regularly this season.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Michael McCarron, Rem Pitlick, and Tanner Jeannot from the taxi squad. Of that group, McCarron isn’t eligible to play as he serves the final game of his suspension.
East Division
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Paul LaDue from the AHL to the taxi squad, giving them an extra defenseman after trading Jonas Siegenthaler. LaDue, 28, has six points in 16 games for the Hershey Bears this season.
- The Boston Bruins returned Jack Ahcan to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Mike Reilly‘s acquisition allowed Boston to send Ahcan, who has played in just two NHL games this season, back down.
- The Buffalo Sabres recalled Arttu Ruotsalainen and Dustin Tokarski from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Ruotsalainen has a goal in two games this season while Tokarski has played in five games.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
San Jose Sharks Sign Zach Sawchenko
The San Jose Sharks snuck a signing in before the deadline, as AHL goaltender Zach Sawchenko has earned his first NHL deal. The Sharks have announced that Sawchenko has signed a two-year entry-level contract that starts this season. CapFriendly adds that the deal carries the minimum salary for both years, $700K in 2020-21 and $750K in 2021-22, for an AAV of $725K. Sawchenko will have an AHL salary of $80K in both seasons, albeit prorated for the current year.
Sawchenko, 23, was once a highly-regarded young prospect. A two-time WHL First Team All-Star with the Moose Jaw Warriors and a member of Canada’s 2015 U-18 World Juniors team, Sawchenko looked like a budding NHL prospect, but was somehow never drafted. He even attended two years at the University of Alberta, with his stellar numbers again pointing toward pro potential. The Sharks finally gave the netminder a shot last season, signing him to a minor league contract. He found success right away, putting up strong numbers in limited AHL and ECHL action, and this season has been even better. Through two seasons, Sawchenko has a .912 save percentage and 2.76 GAA in 16 AHL games and a .928 save percentage and 2.42 GAA in 20 ECHL games.
Signing Sawchenko now serves a couple different purposes for the Sharks. Firstly, San Jose needed another pro option this season following the trade of Devan Dubnyk. The team plans to use other youngsters Josef Korenar and Alexei Melnichuk as interchangeable backups to Martin Jones for the rest of the year, so Sawchenko is unlikely to see any NHL action too quickly. However, there are no other pro goalies in the system for San Jose and in the event of an injury at the NHL level Sawchenko would become third-string and would likely be on the taxi squad down the stretch or in the postseason should the Sharks qualify. Signing Sawchenko to a two-year deal this season also allows the Sharks to reduce his cap hit for next season below the league minimum without actually having to pay him the full salary for this season. In the event that he is able to crack the NHL roster at any point next season, Sawchenko will be as affordable a player as possible.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/12/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season and with players needing to be on an AHL roster or NHL taxi squad once the trade deadline passes, there may even be more than usual today. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
North Division
- The Maple Leafs announced that they have recalled Nick Robertson and Timothy Liljegren from Toronto of the AHL to the taxi squad. Liljegren has been up and down this season but hasn’t seen any NHL action while getting into 11 minor league contests. Robertson was injured in his regular season debut with the Leafs and has ten points in 14 games with the Marlies after being cleared to return.
- The Senators announced the recall of Alex Formenton from the taxi squad, an expected move after sending him down yesterday. Formenton was initially brought up late last month and has three goals in eight games this season. Ottawa has also activated Colin White from injured reserve.
Central Division
- The Blue Jackets have made several roster moves. Per a team release, Ryan MacInnis, Kole Sherwood, and Andrew Peeke were recalled from the taxi squad. Coming up from AHL Cleveland to the taxi squad are Nathan Gerbe, Adam Clendening, and Josh Dunne.
- The Hurricanes have recalled Joakim Ryan to the taxi squad from AHL Chicago, according to the AHL’s transactions log. The blueliner has played in just four minor league contests this season and hasn’t suited up yet with Carolina.
- The Lightning announced that Alex Barre-Boulet and Mitchell Stephens have been recalled from their respective conditioning stints with AHL Syracuse. Defenseman Andreas Borgman has been reassigned to the Crunch in a corresponding move.
West Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have activated Olli Maata from the injured reserve. To create space on the blue line, they have reassigned fellow defenseman Austin Strand to the taxi squad.
- Tomas Jurco is on his way back to the NHL, recalled directly from the AHL to the active roster of the Vegas Golden Knights. Jurco has only played in one game up with Vegas so far this year, but has seven points in 17 games with the Henderson Silver Knights.
East Division
This page will be updated throughout the day.
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 CapFriendly. Spencer 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 CapFriendly. Nick 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
- The Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled defenseman Jordan Gross from the taxi squad. The 25-year-old was sent down to the taxi squad five days ago but looks ready to return to the team. He has appeared in five games for the Coyotes this season. Michael Bunting was also promoted later in the day.
- The Anaheim Ducks sent David Backes to the taxi squad and Chase DeLeo to the minors, per CapFriendly. Backes has three goals and an assist in 13 games with Anaheim so far this season.
- The Colorado Avalanche are back in action today which means several promotions were needed from the taxi squad to fill out the roster. Per CapFriendly, those were once again Kyle Burroughs, Keaton Middleton, and Liam O’Brien.
- The Dallas Stars announced that Tanner Kero was returned to the taxi squad. His spot on the roster was taken by Jason Dickinson who was activated off injured reserve.
- The Los Angeles Kings returned Christian Wolanin and Kale Clague to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. They then sent Matt Luff, Lias Andersson, and Austin Strand to Ontario of the AHL.
- The Minnesota Wild sent Nico Sturm, Kyle Rau, and Joseph Cramarossa to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. With them back in action Monday, all three will likely be recalled for that one.
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Jeffrey Viel, Antti Suomela, and John Leonard to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. That put them over the limit so Fredrik Handemark was then sent to the minors.
This page will be updated throughout the day.