Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/28/21
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 Minnesota Wild have assigned Hunter Jones to the taxi squad, while Andrew Hammond deals with an upper-body injury. Hammond has been listed as day-to-day, meaning Jones’ stay with the squad may not be very long.
- The Los Angeles Kings have officially recalled Lias Andersson and Quinton Byfield from the taxi squad, putting them both in the lineup tonight. Byfield will make his NHL debut after scoring 20 points in 30 minor league games.
North Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Jack Rathbone to the taxi squad once again, though it’s not exactly clear when he had been sent back. Regardless, the former Harvard star is still waiting to receive his NHL debut after signing last spring.
- The Winnipeg Jets have made a whole boatload of transactions, sending Mikhail Berdin and Luke Green to the AHL while recalling Eric Comrie, Ville Heinola, Marko Dano, David Gustafsson and Dominic Toninato to the taxi squad.
Central Division
- After a solid debut last night, Joseph Veleno has been moved back to the Detroit Red Wings taxi squad. Hayden Verbeek has been moved back to the AHL in the process, but this isn’t something permanent. Veleno will likely be back up tomorrow when the Red Wings take on the Hurricanes, but moving him to the taxi squad in the meantime saves the team a bit of cash.
East Division
- The New Jersey Devils announced that they have assigned Marian Studenic and Colton White to the AHL, though Fabian Zetterlund has also been returned on loan according to the AHL transactions page. That leaves the team’s taxi squad quite thin, meaning there are either call-ups coming or players are being moved off the active roster.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/27/21
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 St. Louis Blues have assigned Mitch Reinke to the taxi squad, sending Dakota Joshua to the AHL’s Utica Comets in the process. Reinke has recorded 12 points in 18 games for Utica this season but hasn’t seen NHL ice since 2018.
- The Anaheim Ducks have sent Kodie Curran to the AHL and replaced him on the taxi squad with Trevor Carrick. Neither one has played an NHL game this season, which is somewhat surprising given Curran’s success in the SHL the last two years.
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Ivan Chekhovich and Alexander True back to the AHL where they have spent most of this season. True, a 23-year-old undrafted forward, has 20 points in 27 games for the San Jose Barracuda. Joel Kellman and Fredrik Handemark were also sent down, per CapFriendly, with True being recalled later in the day back to the taxi squad. Greg Pateryn, Joachim Blichfeld, and Alexander Barabanov were also all sent back to the taxi squad.
- The Colorado Avalanche have returned Kiefer Sherwood and Miikka Salomaki to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Sherwood has two assists in eight games with the Avs while Salomaki, a veteran of 167 career NHL games, has yet to suit up with Colorado this season.
North Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have returned Dominic Toninato to the AHL, where he has two goals in two games this season. The 27-year-old played 46 games for the Panthers last season but has yet to play in the NHL this year.
Central Division
- The time has come for Joe Veleno, who the Detroit Red Wings recalled from the taxi squad today. Veleno is expected to make his NHL debut after spending this season in Sweden playing for Malmo in the SHL. The Red Wings have also done their daily goalie swap, recalling Kaden Fulcher to the taxi squad and sending Kevin Boyle back to the AHL. They have also added Hayden Verbeek to the taxi squad.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have returned Joakim Ryan to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Ryan has played in the last three games while on an emergency loan, being shifted back to the taxi squad on non-gamedays.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled Grigori Denisenko and Aleksi Heponiemi from the taxi squad to the active roster, and both will be in tonight against the Predators.
- The Dallas Stars are giving Ty Dellandrea a chance to get some game action in, sending him to the minors. He has played just once since April 9th, hardly an ideal situation for one of their better prospects. The 20-year-old has five points in 26 NHL games this season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have brought up Callan Foote from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Foote, a 2017 first-rounder, has averaged 13:00 per game in 34 games this season.
East Division
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Trent Frederic from the taxi squad while sending Jeremy Swayman back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Frederic has played in 36 games so far this season while Swayman has impressed in limited action, posting a .946 SV% in seven starts and should get another chance soon.
- The Buffalo Sabres have brought up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. He’s expected to make his second career NHL start tonight.
- The New Jersey Devils have promoted Nolan Foote and Connor Carrick from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Foote made his NHL debut earlier this month and has a point in each of the two games he played while Carrick has been held off the scoresheet in five games. In corresponding moves, Colton White was assigned to the taxi squad while Fabian Zetterlund was recalled to the taxi squad.
- The Philadelphia Flyers are giving Yegor Zamula his NHL debut night, recalling him from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The 21-year-old has five assists in 17 games with Lehigh Valley of the AHL this season. Andy Andreoff was also brought up from the taxi squad.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Roby Jarventie Signs With Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators continue to add talented prospects to the organization, this time signing Roby Jarventie to a three-year entry-level contract. CapFriendly reports that the contract carries a $925K cap hit for all three seasons and does not have any performance bonuses. The deal will begin in the 2021-22 season, though since Jarventie is still just 18, it could slide forward again depending on where he spends next year. For the remainder of this season, Jarventie will join the Belleville Senators on an amateur tryout following the required quarantine period.
Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion released a statement on his newest prospect:
We’re pleased to get Roby under contract at such an early stage of his development. He has already demonstrated good promise as a goal scorer while using what is both a good shot and good hockey sense. He’s competitive and has a knack for getting to the net. Acclimatizing to the North American game for the remainder of this season should prove valuable for him.
Jarventie was selected 33rd overall at the 2020 draft, but because of the three first-round picks the Senators had, will join the organization with a little less fanfare than usual for such a high second-round pick. Doubting his upside is a mistake though, as the 6’2″ winger played very well in his first full season in Liiga, Finland’s highest tier. In 48 games for Ilves Tampere, Jarventie recorded 14 goals and 25 points.
Using his big frame to protect the puck, Jarventie can create offense off the cycle instead of being rush-dependant, something that will come in handy at the next level. Transitioning to the speed of the North American game may be difficult at first, but the Senators obviously believe he’s ready to test himself against AHL opponents already. Whether he stays with Belleville next season or returns to Finland isn’t clear, but it is unlikely he challenges for a roster spot in Ottawa during 2021-22.
Joonas Korpisalo Out Rest Of Season
The Columbus Blue Jackets have nothing to play for except pride (and a better draft pick) at this point, after losing nine straight and falling to the bottom of the Central Division standings. Several key players have been ruled out for the rest of the season and now another joins that list. Joonas Korpisalo will not play again this year after suffering a lower-body injury on Sunday. It is not clear if it is a long-term injury, but he will not play again in 2020-21.
The team also announced a handful of other moves. Liam Foudy has been recalled from the AHL, and Matiss Kivlenieks has been brought up from the taxi squad under emergency conditions. Daniil Tarasov has been added to the taxi squad and Cliff Pu is on his way back to the AHL.
Korpisalo, 26, didn’t have the kind of season many expected, posting an .894 save percentage through 33 appearances for Columbus. Those struggles, along with the team’s make an obvious case for the Blue Jackets to move on from the Finnish goaltender in the offseason. Both Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins are on contracts that will expire at the end of next season, leaving them unrestricted free agents able to sign anywhere. If they could get anything in return for Korpisalo, who carries a $2.8MM cap hit, it seems prudent.
Of course, that may be easier said than done. Though he was a strong performer in the 2019-20 season, Korpisalo doesn’t have a very encouraging body of work over his NHL career so far. In 160 appearances he has recorded a .905 save percentage, fluctuating wildly from one season to the next. The potential is there to be a legitimate starting goaltender—he showed that last season when he was selected to the All-Star Game—but it has too rarely shown itself. An acquiring team would need to believe in him and want to extend him past 2021-22 in order for the Blue Jackets to really get much value in trade, especially now coming off an injury.
Thatcher Demko Injured, Canucks Recall Arturs Silovs
As if the Vancouver Canucks hadn’t been hit with hard enough luck this season, a case of bad timing has now struck the team. According to multiple sources, including The Province’s Ben Kuzma, starting goaltender Thatcher Demko was injured at morning skate on Monday. The Canucks had been well-prepared all season for the absence of one of their NHL goalies, with top prospect Michael DiPietro waiting in the wings on the practice squad. However, with DiPietro having not played in a game all season, the team finally decided to assign him to the AHL’s Utica Coments – on Sunday, less than 24 hours before Demko’s injury. Now, with no timetable for Demko’s return and DiPietro over the border and at least seven days from being eligible to re-join the roster, the Canucks enter a stretch of four games in six nights (repeated in each of the next three weeks) with backup Braden Holtby and untested recall Arturs Silovs in net. Eight points back of the Montreal Canadiens for a playoff spot in the North Division, but with five games in hand, can the Canucks’ new tandem keep them in the race?
Fortunately, Holtby appears to shaken off a difficult start to his Vancouver career and has been terrific of late. In three starts since the Canucks returned from their COVID layoff, Holtby is 3-0-0 with seven goals allowed on 107 shots for a save percentage of .935. The veteran netminder knows how to handle pressure and the hope is that he can shoulder the load with Demko sidelined and help lead the Canucks to some much-needed points as they make up their missed games.
However, with four back-to-backs scheduled before the end of the season, including Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Silovs will likely have to play at some point before Demko can return or DiPietro can be recalled. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Silovs has played just one pro game in North America, suiting up for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for one game in February. The Latvian keeper has played pro back home, including on loan earlier this season, and spent last season in the OHL. At no point in his career has Silovs produced eye-popping numbers, but with good size and a variety of experience he is still considered a good prospect. Vancouver may need him to be more than that though and adjusting to the NHL could prove difficult for the 20-year-old.
With that said, Kuzma writes that the team is still unsure of the extent of Demko’s injury and there is still a chance that he may only be out day-to-day. If that isn’t the case, and Demko is out longer than a week, they could also decide that it is worth it to recall DiPietro from Utica. Either way, assistance should be on the way at some point. In the meantime though, every point is crucial and Holtby and Silovs will have a lot of pressure facing them during this busy stretch.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Cole Caufield
April 26: It took another ten days, but the Canadiens are finally giving Caufield a shot. The team has assigned Alexander Romanov to the taxi squad in order to give them the cap space needed to recall the young sniper, who will make his NHL debut tonight against the Calgary Flames. Because several other forwards are currently dealing with injuries, Caufield is technically an emergency recall according to CapFriendly, meaning they can bring Romanov back down the line.
April 16: It’s happening, Montreal Canadiens fans. The team has officially recalled Cole Caufield from the AHL and placed him on the taxi squad. Montreal plays tomorrow evening against the Calgary Flames, where the Hobey Baker Award winner could potentially make his NHL debut. The team also recalled Cayden Primeau to the active roster under emergency conditions.
Of note, the Laval Rocket recently had several upcoming games postponed, meaning Caufield could just be up with the taxi squad to get some practice time in. After his early performance in the AHL however–the 20-year-old forward scored three goals (including two game-winners) and four points in two appearances for Laval–Canadiens fans are hoping he’s in the NHL lineup before long.
There’s been no stopping Caufield so far in his hockey career. Despite never reaching the size and strength of some other top prospects, the 5’7″ forward continues to outproduce almost everyone he comes in contact with. Caufield broke records set by people like Phil Kessel and Auston Matthews with the U.S. National Team Development Program, he was a point-per-game freshman in the NCAA and just recently led the entire nation in scoring with 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games for Wisconsin.
It seemed as though professional hockey may slow him down, but that certainly wasn’t the case in his debut for Laval. Caufield recorded five shots on goal, scored on the powerplay and at even strength, and added a helper in his professional debut, flying all over the ice with the puck. He came back with another four-shot performance on the next night, once again providing must-see action for the Rocket.
Now the next step is getting his first game with the Canadiens, who are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Flames on Wednesday. The team has scored just five goals in their last three games and could certainly use a bit of punch from their star prospect.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/26/21
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 top prospect Quinton Byfield to the taxi squad, along with Lias Andersson. Boko Imama has been returned to the AHL to make room.
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Steven Santini from the taxi squad as they prepare for action tonight against the Avalanche. The team recently lost both Colton Parayko and Vince Dunn to injury, meaning Santini could be ready to make his Blues debut this evening.
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Trevor Zegras and Simon Benoit to the taxi squad, sending Hunter Drew and Maxim Golod to the AHL. Zegras has dominated since going back down to transition to center and should be back on the Ducks roster fairly soon.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators have made several moves, including the recall of two goaltenders from the minor leagues. Ottawa can’t seem to keep their NHL netminders healthy, meaning Filip Gustavsson (active roster) and Kevin Mandolese (taxi squad) are both up from Belleville. To make room, Cody Goloubef and Logan Shaw have both been re-assigned to the AHL.
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Kole Lind from the taxi squad and Artus Silovs under emergency conditions. Silovs will serve as backup for Braden Holtby after Thatcher Demko suffered a lower-body injury at morning skate.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Connor Mackey to the taxi squad, following Noah Hanifin‘s season-ending injury. Mackey, 24, is in his first professional season and has played three games for the Flames so far.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Ryan McLeod from the taxi squad under emergency conditions, placing Zack Kassian on long-term injured reserve in the process. Kassian has been listed as week-to-week, but will have to miss at least ten games, meaning he could only return in time for the final game of the regular season.
Central Divison
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks to the taxi squad, while sending Josh Dunne and Daniil Tarasov to the AHL. Dunne, 22, has played in six games with the Blue Jackets since signing out of Clarkson University.
- The Detroit Red Wings have swapped practice goalies once again, sending Kaden Fulcher to the AHL and recalling Kevin Boyle to the taxi squad.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled Grigori Denisenko and Aleksi Heponiemi from the AHL and placed them on the taxi squad. Both young players have appeared in a few games for Florida this season, but given the team’s depth additions at the deadline, may not be able to crack the lineup down the stretch.
East Division
- The New Jersey Devils have sent Gilles Senn back to the AHL from their taxi squad. Senn, 25, hasn’t been very good for the Binghamton Devils this season, posting an .897 save percentage in 13 appearances.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Quinton Byfield Recalled To Taxi Squad
Though they made a valiant effort this season, the Los Angeles Kings have fallen out of the playoff race in the West Division once again. The team has gone 3-7 in their last ten and now sit seven points behind the Arizona Coyotes with the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues in between. With that in mind, it’s time to give some playing time and experience to their young prospects, most notably Quinton Byfield.
The second-overall pick has been recalled to the NHL taxi squad for the first time this season. He is coming up from the Ontario Reign along with Lias Andersson, while Boko Imama has been reassigned back to the AHL.
Despite being just 18 and not usually eligible to play in the AHL, Byfield has been able to spend the entire season honing his craft at the professional level with the Reign thanks to the OHL’s shutdown. That gave the 6’4″ center a chance to get his feet wet at the minor league level without as much pressure, and he responded with eight goals and 20 points in 30 games. While that’s not putting him on any leaderboards, Byfield’s long-term development is the important thing here and he has shown steps already.
He scored just one goal through his first 15 games for Ontario but then went on an impressive five-game scoring streak in late March. While there is still inconsistency in his play, a chance to taste the NHL at the end of this season will only help him down the road.
For those Kings fans worried about burning the first year of his entry-level contract, Byfield would need to play in more than seven NHL games down the stretch to have it kick in for 2021-22.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/25/21
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:
North Division
- The Vancouver Canucks are expected to assign goaltender Michael DiPietro to Utica of the AHL, according to Canucks writer Rick Dhaliwal. Dipietro has been serving as the team’s third goaltender and is on an emergency loan. The netminder has yet to appear in a game in the 2020-21 season and would be best off getting playing time in the AHL where he had a 2.79 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 36 appearances last season. UPDATE: The Canucks have officially loaned DiPietro to Utica.
East Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have swapped out some prospects as the team announced it has recalled defenseman Egor Zamula and goaltender Felix Sandstrom from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL to the taxi squad. The team has also assigned defensemen Linus Hogberg and Mason Millman from the taxi squad to Lehigh Valley.
Central Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have swapped out goaltenders. The team announced that it has added Daniil Tarasov to the taxi squad, while assigning Matiss Kivlenieks to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. Tarasov, one of the team’s top prospects, has struggled in four appearances since arriving from the KHL as he has a 3.23 GAA and a .883 save percentage.
- The Florida Panthers have added a pair of forwards to their NHL squad as the team has recalled Grigori Denisenko and Aleksi Heponiemi from the taxi squad, according to the AHL transaction page. Denisenko has appeared in two games this season for the Panthers, while Heponiemi has a goal in three games in Florida.
West Division
- The Vegas Golden Knights have flipped taxi squad goaltenders. Their AHL affiliate in Henderson announced that Logan Thompson has been recalled to the taxi squad with Oscar Dansk heading to the Silver Knights. Dansk has made just six starts this season (five in the AHL and one in the NHL) and could certainly benefit from a bit of playing time. Thompson, meanwhile, has played in 20 minor league contests this year while making his NHL debut, playing eight minutes in relief last month.
- The Los Angeles Kings have sent Lias Andersson and Daniel Brickley back to Ontario of the AHL per the AHL’s transactions log. Andersson got into their minor league contest today. Bokondji Imama was recalled to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Frederik Gauthier and Ivan Prosvetov to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. Gauthier has played in just two games with Arizona this season while Prosvetov has made three appearances over the past month, posting a save percentage of just .824.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Snapshots: Cole, Benns, Marlies, Stuart
Wild defenseman Ian Cole has fit in relatively well since he was acquired early in the season from Colorado, providing a veteran physical presence on their third pairing. The pending free agent told Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he’d like to stick around beyond this season and McLellan notes that his agent and GM Bill Guerin have talked about the possibility of a new deal for the 32-year-old. Cole has a $4.25MM AAV (Minnesota is only responsible for just over 81% of that with Colorado carrying the rest) and while he has held down a regular spot in their lineup, he will likely be facing a pay cut on the open market this summer.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Benn brothers have changed representation, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Jamie Benn (Stars) and Jordie Benn (Jets) will now be represented by CAA’s J.P. Barry and Bayne Pettinger. They had previously been represented by Points West Sports and Entertainment’s Rich Evans. Jamie won’t have to worry about a new contract anytime soon as he has four years left on his current deal that carries a $9.5MM AAV but Jordie is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and has a $2MM price tag this season.
- Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), that things are progressing with regard to the Marlies’ COVID-19 situation. Their AHL affiliate last played on April 10th before the team was shut down due to protocols. Keefe also mentioned that there’s no timeline for them to resume playing; their next scheduled game is May 2nd.
- Former NHL defenseman Mark Stuart is set to be named as an assistant coach at Colorado coach, ESPN’s John Buccigross reports (Twitter link). Stuart last played in 2016-17 and has briefly spent time with AHL Manitoba as a team manager and the University of Vermont as a volunteer coach since retiring.