Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/25/22
Eight games are on the slate tonight in the NHL, but all eyes will be on UBS Arena where the New York Islanders will welcome in the Philadelphia Flyers. A mid-week match between two struggling teams may not normally draw much attention but when Keith Yandle steps on the ice, he’ll pass Doug Jarvis and become the NHL’s all-time iron man. Yandle has played in his 964th consecutive match last night, failing to miss a game since starting his streak on March 26, 2009. Phil Kessel, who has his own streak going, will also be in action tonight in his 941st consecutive game. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- Erik Brannstrom has entered the COVID protocol today, meaning Lassi Thomson is back up from the AHL for the Ottawa Senators. Thomson, 21, has played in 12 games for Ottawa this season and another 15 for the Belleville Senators of the AHL. The 19th overall pick in 2019, he’s one of several high-end defense prospects in the Senators organization that will soon be fighting for full-time minutes at the NHL level.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Jesper Froden to the taxi squad, giving them an extra forward as they hit the road for a game in Colorado tomorrow. Froden, an undrafted signing out of Sweden, has 21 points in 30 games for the Providence Bruins and made his NHL debut last month.
Metropolitan Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Linus Sandin and Connor Bunnaman to the active roster, loaning Jackson Cates back to the taxi squad. Sandin is expected to make his NHL debut this evening when the Flyers take on the Islanders.
Central Division
- The St. Louis Blues have assigned Dakota Joshua, Alexei Toropchenko, and Calle Rosen to the AHL after returning from their road trip. The team hosts the Calgary Flames on Thursday in a rematch of last night’s 7-1 thrashing.
- Riley Tufte has been assigned to the AHL by the Dallas Stars, where he can play tomorrow night for the Texas Stars. Tufte, 23, has played in five games for Dallas this season and has 13 points in 24 minor league games.
- The Arizona Coyotes have assigned Hudson Fasching to the AHL from the taxi squad, allowing the forward to continue his minor league season. Fasching has 16 points in 19 games for the Tucson Roadrunners so far.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled defenseman Matt Tennyson and center Cole Smith from the taxi squad. Tennyson has three assists in two games with the Preds so far this season while Smith has suited in five games without recording a point.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have made their usual long list of moves on an off day. Samuel Fagemo, Alex Turcotte, Christian Wolanin, and Matt Villalta have all been sent from the taxi squad to the minor leagues. Austin Strand has been moved from the Kings’ active roster to the taxi squad, while Jacob Ingham and Jacob Moverare have been brought up from Ontario to the taxi squad. Expect more movement before Thursday’s game against the Islanders as the Kings continue to juggle the salary cap and development of young players.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Nikita Kucherov Enters COVID Protocol
The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that Nikita Kucherov has been placed in the COVID protocol, according to Joe Smith of The Athletic, making him unavailable for the next few days at least. The Lightning have just three games left before the All-Star break, each of which could be missed by the star as he enters isolation.
Kucherov, 28, has been on fire since returning to the lineup a few weeks ago after missing nearly three months of the season. Since his return on January 6, he has recorded four goals and 13 points in eight games, registering at least three shots on goal in every contest. The superstar forward of course is coming off a 2020-21 campaign that saw him miss the entire regular season, only to return and lead all players in postseason scoring with 32 points in 23 games. If there’s anything Kucherov has shown over the last few years it’s that he can doesn’t miss a beat when he’s held out of the lineup.
Depending on whether or not he has tested positive and is experiencing any symptoms, Kucherov could miss the next three games, meaning he wouldn’t return to the lineup until February 10 at Colorado. He wasn’t selected to the All-Star team this season anyway because of the missed time, so he could take that break to recover completely and be ready to return next month.
Eric Staal, Owen Power Headline Team Canada 2022 Olympic Roster
Jan 25: The roster below has been confirmed, and Chris Johnston of TSN also has the full group of alternates. Justin Pogge, Morgan Ellis, John Gilmour, Chris DiDomenico, Kent Johnson, and Max Veronneau will all be traveling to Beijing and could see action depending on injuries and illnesses.
Jan 24: While the official announcement from Hockey Canada isn’t until tomorrow, the IIHF mistakenly tweeted out the roster for the upcoming 2022 Olympics this afternoon. The tweet has since been deleted, but not before it was seen by many including PHR. Canada’s roster is filled with names familiar to NHL fans, including Stanley Cup champion and veteran of nearly 1,300 games Eric Staal.
The full roster:
G Devon Levi
G Eddie Pasquale
G Matt Tomkins
D Brandon Gormley
D Alex Grant
D Owen Power
D Tyler Wotherspoon
D Mat Robinson
D Mark Barberio
D Jason Demers
D Maxim Noreau
F Daniel Carr
F Corban Knight
F Ben Street
F Jack McBain
F Eric Staal
F Adam Tambellini
F Eric O’Dell
F Daniel Winnik
F Adam Cracknell
F Mason McTavish
F Landon Ferraro
F David Desharnais
F Jordan Weal
F Joshua Ho-Sang
Of note, the announcement did not come with the six-man alternate group that Darren Dreger of TSN reported on this morning. Olympic teams will get to bring a handful of extra skaters that would be eligible to play in case of injury or COVID-related issues. Kent Johnson, who didn’t appear on the final roster, is expected to be among Canada’s alternates.
Germany Announces 2022 Olympic Roster
With less than three weeks until the 2022 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament gets underway, rosters are being finalized by all the participating countries. Germany is the latest to reveal who will represent their country in Beijing next month, announcing a roster that will try to follow up their silver medal performance from 2018. It’s not a group that is very familiar to NHL fans, though there are a few names that will ring a bell from their time in North America.
The full roster:
G Danny Aus den Birken
G Felix Bruckmann
G Mathias Niederberger
D Konrad Abeltshauser
D Dominik Bittner
D Marcel Brandt
D Korbinian Holzer
D Jonas Muller
D Moritz Muller
D Marco Nowak
D Fabio Wagner
F Lean Bergmann
F Yasin Ehliz
F Patrick Hager
F Dominik Kahun
F Nicolas Krammer
F Tom Kuhnhackl
F Stefan Loibl
F Marcel Noebels
F Daniel Pietta
F Matthias Plachta
F Leonhard Pfoderl
F Tobias Rieder
F Frederik Tiffles
F David Wolf
Once again this is a very veteran roster, with no young players really involved. Most of the European countries have gone this route, while the U.S. and Canada have both included some of the country’s top college and junior players. For Germany, who currently sit fifth in IIHF World Ranking, ahead of Czechia and Sweden, this is an important tournament and another chance to show what their homegrown talent and systems can do when the NHL is not participating.
Teddy Blueger Undergoes Surgery
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Teddy Blueger for the next while, as the team announced the checking center underwent surgery to repair a fractured jaw. Blueger will be out for the next six to eight weeks.
The injury occurred on a hit from Brendan Dillon yesterday, which even had Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review wondering if Blueger had suffered a broken jaw on the play. While the team won in a shootout over the Jets, they’ve now lost an important piece of the lineup for up to two months.
Blueger, 27, averages nearly 16 minutes a night for the Penguins, eating the hardest defensive deployment on the team and generally coming out ahead. In more than 537 minutes with Blueger on the ice at even-strength, the Penguins have outscored opponents 24-18 despite him hardly ever starting his shift in the offensive zone. With him out of the lineup, the team will also need to find another center for the penalty kill, where he averages more than any Penguins’ forward not named Brock McGinn.
Injuries certainly aren’t something new for the Penguins, but head coach Mike Sullivan has always been able to find a replacement from somewhere to keep the machine chugging along. The team has won five in a row and is now within striking distance of the New York Rangers for first place in the Metropolitan. Luckily, Blueger’s timeline means he’ll be back in advance of the playoffs, and even potentially the trade deadline which is still almost two months away.
Reilly Smith Added To COVID Protocol
The Vegas Golden Knights have made several transactions, not the least of which was placing Reilly Smith in the COVID protocol. Smith is unavailable for tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals. Jake Leschyshyn, Jonas Rondbjerg, and Daniil Miromanov have been recalled from the AHL.
Smith, 30, has been the focus of plenty of trade speculation in recent weeks because of the tight cap situation the Golden Knights will find themselves in when Jack Eichel returns and his status as a pending free agent. The veteran forward will hit the open market in the summer if he fails to sign an extension, as his five-year, $25MM deal expires at the end of 2021-22.
He’ll miss a chance to add to his 29 points in 40 games tonight when the Golden Knights take on the Capitals, and likely will miss another chance to face his former team in Florida later this week. With a game against the Carolina Hurricanes in between and a trip to Tampa Bay to face the Lighting on the weekend, it’s certainly not the ideal road trip to lose a top forward.
Canucks Notes: Miller, Halak, GM
The Vancouver Canucks outshot the St. Louis Blues 39-17 last night but still managed to lose 3-1 because of a strong performance from Ville Husso. Even with that loss, the Canucks are still in better shape than they were a month ago, sitting just four points out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. With that in mind, the question of the trade deadline continues to come up, particularly with regards to J.T. Miller. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV spoke with Canucks president Jim Rutherford, who called Miller the team’s best forward and explained that more management pieces need to be in place before putting together a deadline strategy.
Miller, 28, is having an outstanding season, with 39 points in 39 games while averaging more than 21 minutes a night for the Canucks. He’s really been the only forward the team can rely on every night and would be a big chip at the deadline if they decided to sell. With one more year left on his deal after this season and a reasonable $5.25MM cap hit, there’s at least some reason to believe that the Canucks could hold onto him through the end of the year even if they fall out of the playoff race.
- Another piece that has been speculated on quite thoroughly is Jaroslav Halak, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Part of the discourse has been about Halak’s $1.25MM performance bonus for playing in 10 games, something that will come into effect should he appear in two more matches. Rutherford told Dhaliwal that the bonus isn’t an issue for them and that Halak helps them win games. Dhaliwal even went so far as to suggest the decision has already been made to not move Halak.
- After hiring Emilie Castonguay as an assistant GM earlier today, Rutherford is nearing a decision on the next general manager of the team. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet tweets that in-person interviews with five finalists have been completed, with a hire potentially coming this week. It’s that GM, along with Rutherford, Castonguay and the rest of the front office, who will need to form a deadline strategy in the coming weeks.
Vancouver Canucks Hire Emilie Castonguay
The Vancouver Canucks have hired Emilie Castonguay as an assistant general manager, becoming the first female AGM in team history. Canucks’ president Jim Rutherford released a statement on the hire:
Émilie has extensive experience, is driven to succeed, and has a strong reputation in hockey for her intelligence and work ethic. She will play a lead role in player contracts and negotiation, managing the collective bargaining agreement, and her voice will be heard in all aspects of hockey operations. She will be a key member of our leadership team and we are pleased to welcome her to Vancouver.
This is not the first time that Castonguay has broken barriers in the sport. In 2016, she became the first female NHLPA certified agent, representing players at Momentum Hockey like Alexis Lafreniere, Marie-Philip Poulin, Antoine Roussel, and Mathieu Joseph. She too released a statement about the new opportunity:
It is an honour to join the Vancouver Canucks and I am grateful to Jim and the Aquilini family for the opportunity. The Canucks have a passionate fanbase and an exciting young team with a bright future. I can’t wait to help build a winning organization that continues to grow and challenges for championship.
Her path as an agent and now hockey operations executive followed a playing career that included four years at Niagara University, where she served as captain in 2007-08. A member of the Quebec Bar Association, she will bring plenty of expertise in contract negotiations along with contacts in the QMJHL especially, where she represented some of the top young players.
Earlier this month, Castonguay was at the top of the Hockey News’ list of potential women who could become an NHL general manager. With this new appointment, she is well on her way.
Latvia Announces 2022 Olympic Roster
With just three weeks until the 2022 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament gets underway, rosters are being finalized by all the participating countries. Latvia is the latest to reveal who will represent their country in Beijing next month, though their group won’t be quite as familiar to NHL fans. In fact, there’s only four players with any NHL experience at all.
The full roster:
G Kristers Gudlevskis
G Janis Kalnins
G Ivars Punnenovs
D Uvis Janis Balinskis
D Oskars Cibulskis
D Karlis Cukste
D Ralfs Freibergs
D Janis Jaks
D Arturs Kulda
D Patriks Ozols
D Kristaps Zile
F Rodrigo Abols
F Oskars Batna
F Rihards Bukarts
F Roberts Bukarts
F Lauris Darzins
F Kaspars Daugavins
F Andris Dzerins
F Martins Dzierkals
F Miks Indrasis
F Nikolajs Jelisejevs
F Martins Karsums
F Ronalds Kenins
F Renars Krastenbergs
F Deniss Smirnovs
Like many of the other countries, it’s a veteran group for the Latvians without any real dynamic NHL prospects. Dzierkals, 24, was a third-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs and is technically still on the Vegas Golden Knights reserve list, though his last season in North America came with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears in 2017-18. He ended up on the Vegas list in the Robin Lehner trade, which included Toronto playing middle man for salary cap purposes.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/24/22
It’s a new week in the NHL and that means a full schedule, including seven games this evening. One of the prime matchups is between two teams that were perhaps not expected to be contenders at the start of the season. The New York Rangers, first in the Metropolitan, will welcome in the Los Angeles Kings, second in the Pacific. Both teams won their previous game and will try to continue that trend at Madison Square Garden. As they and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have made several transactions. Calvin Pickard is heading to the AHL, while Kyle Criscuolo and Luke Witkowski are headed to the taxi squad. To join them, the team has also recalled Kaden Fulcher from the AHL to the taxi squad. Pickard has been outstanding for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season, posting a .929 save percentage in 26 appearances.
- With the Toronto Maple Leafs getting Ondrej Kase and Justin Holl back into the lineup, the team has sent Joey Anderson, Carl Dahlstrom, and Erik Kallgren back to the AHL. Dahlstrom played his first NHL game since 2019-20 while Holl was out, but isn’t expected to be a regular contributor.
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Jacob Bernard-Docker, Filip Gustavsson, and Logan Shaw to the AHL, though they obviously could recall any of them again before tomorrow’s game against the Sabres. Ottawa won just their 12th game of the season last night.
- The Buffalo Sabres have reassigned Brett Murray to the AHL, though the Rochester Americans don’t play again until Friday, so he might be back up at some point this week. Murray, 23, has played in 19 games for the Sabres so far this season, recording six points.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned Charles Hudon, Daniel Walcott, and Andrej Sustr to the AHL. With just three games left for the Lightning before the All-Star break–and all of them coming at home–the team is reinforcing the Syracuse Crunch.
Metropolitan Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets assigned Jake Christiansen to the AHL from the taxi squad, giving him a chance to continue his strong minor league season. The undrafted defenseman has 20 points in 25 games for the Cleveland Monsters and made his NHL debut, skating in three games with Columbus.
- The Rangers have added Adam Huska to the taxi squad, a curious move given Keith Kinkaid exited with an injury in yesterday’s Hartford Wolf Pack game. The AHL squad doesn’t play until Wednesday, but will likely need Huska back unless Kinkaid’s injury isn’t serious.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Linus Sandin, Connor Bunnaman, and Felix Sandstrom to the taxi squad. Sandin, 25, has still not made his NHL debut since signing out of Sweden but has seven points in 13 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
- A.J. Greer, back from the hit that earned Ross Johnston a three-game suspension, has been activated from injured reserve and returned to the AHL. Greer has 15 points in 22 games for the Utica Comets this season.
Central Division
- The Dallas Stars have reassigned Riley Damiani, Rhett Gardner, and Riley Tufte from the AHL to the taxi squad, giving them some extra bodies for their trip to Philadelphia. The Stars have won their last two games but still sit nine points behind the Minnesota Wild for fourth place in the Central Division.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Matt Luff to the taxi squad, while sending Tomas Vomacka all the way back to the ECHL. Vomacka, 22, has been used as a practice squad goaltender this season, while also posting solid numbers for the Florida Everblades in 12 ECHL appearances.
Pacific Division
- The Calgary Flames have added Byron Froese to the taxi squad, as they prepare for action tonight against St. Louis. The Flames have had quite a rough stretch, losing seven of their last ten and falling out of a playoff spot. Froese, 30, has ten goals and 19 points in 22 games for the Stockton Heat this season.
- The team’s now brought up another body to the taxi squad, calling up defenseman Connor Mackey. The Illinois native has 20 points in 34 games this year with Stockton.
This page will be updated throughout the day