Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/18/22
It was a busy Monday in the NHL and things aren’t slowing down as the league plows ahead with their soon-to-be condensed schedule. Eight games are on the docket, including the red-hot Florida Panthers taking on the stingy Calgary Flames. The Panthers have averaged more than six goals per game over their last eight but will take on a Calgary Flames team that has allowed just 87 on the season, the fewest in the Western Conference. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Mark Kastelic and Logan Shaw to the taxi squad, giving them some extra forward depth. Kastelic, 22, has 11 points in 31 games for the Belleville Senators this season to go along with 38 penalty minutes. The 6’3″ forward was a fifth-round pick in 2019 and has yet to make his NHL debut. Later in the day, the team announced that Filip Gustavsson has been recalled as Matt Murray will miss tonight’s game with a non-COVID illness.
Metropolitan Division
- The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Josh Leivo back to the taxi squad, moving Joey Keane to the Chicago Wolves to make room. Leivo has played in just three games for Carolina this season, spending most of the year in the minor leagues where he has 19 points in 20 games for Chicago. A veteran of more than 200 NHL contests, he’ll be an extra forward option after Martin Necas was put in the COVID protocol yesterday.
- Michael Sgarbossa has been recalled by the Washington Capitals, giving them another forward to use against the Winnipeg Jets this evening. The Capitals lost their last game but remain within three points of first place in the Metro.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have added Max Willman to the active roster, while sending Jackson Cates back to the AHL. Cates has played in seven games for the Flyers this season, his first full year of professional hockey after signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned Anthony Angello, Kasper Bjorkvist, and Filip Hallander to the AHL, as the team is back home for the next few days. The Penguins will welcome in the Senators on Thursday before heading to Columbus for a game Friday evening.
Central Division
- The Chicago Blackhawks have removed Seth Jones from the COVID protocol, meaning the team could make some other changes. Jakub Galvas, Mike Hardman, Cale Morris, and Josiah Slavin have all been reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs, though the minor league club doesn’t have a game until Friday.
- The Dallas Stars have reassigned Anton Khudobin to the taxi squad, adding Ty Dellandrea to it as well. The move suggests that Braden Holtby is ready to exit the COVID protocol and retake his position alongside Jake Oettinger in the Stars’ net. Khudobin played twice last week, allowing five goals on 50 shots.
- The Minnesota Wild have reassigned Kevin Czuczman, Hunter Jones, and Kyle Rau to the AHL, while moving Calen Addison, Matt Boldy, and Andrew Hammond back to the taxi squad. The moves don’t necessarily mean that players like Boldy are actually out of the lineup, but will save the team some cap space while they wait for their next game.
- The Arizona Coyotes have placed Antoine Roussel in the COVID protocol, while also assigning Vladislav Kolyachonok, Victor Soderstrom, and Ivan Prosvetov to the AHL. The Coyotes are off until tomorrow when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Devils.
- The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned Declan Chisholm to the AHL, while bringing Arvid Hom, Mikey Eyssimont, and Austin Poganski up to the taxi squad. Chisholm made his NHL debut last week, playing 13:44 against the Detroit Red Wings and recording four shots on goal.
Pacific Division
- Jacob Ingham and Austin Strand have been sent to the AHL from the Los Angeles Kings taxi squad. The Kings are at home against the Lightning tonight after a short road trip and don’t need the extra practice bodies for the time being.
- The Seattle Kraken have recalled Joey Daccord from the AHL, sending Max McCormick back to make room. Seattle of course claimed Karson Kuhlman on waivers yesterday, adding a forward to the active roster.
- The Calgary Flames have activated Adam Rucizka to the active roster from the taxi squad. The 22-year-old has played in five games with Calgary this season and scored his first career NHL goal last month.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Montreal Canadiens Hire Kent Hughes
The Montreal Canadiens have made a decision, hiring Kent Hughes as their next general manager. Hughes joins vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton in a new-look front office and will receive a five-year contract. Gorton released the following statement:
The process of hiring our new general manager allowed us to meet several highly qualified candidates. Kent is the one who stood out the most, and who we believe is the perfect person to fill the position of general manager of the Canadiens. We believe that his extensive experience as an agent will be an important asset to our organization.
Hughes, 51, has no front office experience but that does not mean he’s a newcomer to the hockey world. One of the most decorated player agents in the game, he represented players like Patrice Bergeron, Kris Letang, and Darnell Nurse from his agency Quartexx Management. He’ll now leave that role to take on the weight of Montreal, working as the francophone counterpart to Gorton’s leadership.
First connected to the Canadiens by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Hughes has been a longtime friend and associate of Gorton, and fits the profile of an inexperienced, French-speaking general manager that could grow into the role. He was not, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, part of the initial wave of interviews along with names like Daniel Briere and Mathieu Darche, but he landed the job anyway as a sort of unconventional option. He leaves behind more than $290MM in active contracts according to PuckPedia, as his players will have to find new representation.
The speculation of course that Letang, Bergeron, or others could sign in Montreal will certainly ramp up as they head toward free agency, but there is also another young hockey player that will now be linked to the Canadiens. Jack Hughes–not that Jack Hughes or that Jack Hughes–is a top prospect for the 2022 draft, currently ranked seventh among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He is a freshman center for Northeastern University who was developed by the U.S. National Team Development Program. He also happens to be the son of the new Canadiens general manager.
With the draft scheduled for Montreal this summer, you can bet that the new front office will be hoping to make a splash. The team has been absolutely dreadful this season, finding the bottom of the barrel after a Cinderella-like run to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. A 5-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday showed just how far things had fallen, as the Canadiens dropped to 7-25-5 on the year, dead last in the league.
Orchestrating a rebuild is not new for Gorton, who was part of the New York Rangers management group that issued a letter to fans before a scorched-earth tear-down. It will be a new experience for Hughes, as will everything about being a GM. Gorton and Hughes are set to meet with the media on Wednesday morning.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Washington Capitals
In the spirit of the holiday season, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season approaches the midway mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Washington Capitals.
What are the Capitals thankful for?
Young depth.
Make no mistake, the Capitals are still one of the most veteran teams in the league, relying mostly on the same core that took them to the 2018 Stanley Cup. But this year has been a little different on the fringes of the roster, where young players are starting to make a difference. Connor McMichael (21), Brett Leason (22), and Aliaksei Protas (21) have all been regulars this season, adding some entry-level contracts to the mix up front. Martin Fehervary (22) has also worked his way into the top-four on defense, giving the team another extremely cheap option.
It’s that inexpensive depth that allows the Capitals to spend so much on their top names, including more than half the cap on the top-six forwards. For everyone mentioned above except Leason, who is an RFA at the end of the season, those entry-level contracts will still be in effect for next year as well, when they should presumably play an even bigger role.
Who are the Capitals thankful for?
The Russian Machine.
Alex Ovechkin is having the best offensive season of his career at age 36. Through 39 games he is now on pace for 113 points, which would be one more than his career-high set in 2007-08. He’s currently the leader for both the Art Ross and Rocket Richard trophies; no one has won both in the same season since he did it in 2008. While it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll actually win them, this performance is an absolutely incredible accomplishment for one of the league’s all-time greats.
Not only is Ovechkin dominating on the ice and helping the Capitals win, but he’s also one of the most marketable stars in the league. His pursuit of Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time goals record–Ovechkin needs just 138 to catch the Great One–is a storyline that every hockey fan can appreciate and get invested in. Signed to another five-year deal last summer, it appears it will only be a matter of time before Ovechkin is at the top of the goal-scoring mountain.
What would the Capitals be even more thankful for?
More consistency from Ilya Samsonov.
When Samsonov came over from the KHL, he was lauded as one of the best goaltenders in the world that wasn’t currently in the NHL. After all, he had been a first-round pick by the Capitals in 2015 and had put up outstanding KHL numbers since he was a teenager. In his rookie season in North America he struggled in the minor leagues, but there was still plenty of optimism about his future.
After three up-and-down seasons, the question is starting to be raised about whether he’s really the long-term answer in Washington. Samsonov has just a .903 save percentage in 21 appearances this season and though that has resulted in a strong 13-4-3 record, it’s certainly not instilling a ton of confidence in fans that want another Stanley Cup. Samsonov has provided -4.0 goals saved above average, 18th-worst among all goaltenders in the NHL this season. This Washington team is good enough to contend and Vitek Vanecek has been a decent complementary option, but Samsonov taking the next step could really push them over the edge into a dominant group.
What should be on the Capitals’ wish list?
A scoring winger.
There’s basically nothing the Capitals can do this deadline without moving money out somewhere else, but if they could, adding offense on the wing would be priority number one. In a perfect world that role is filled by Anthony Mantha, coming back from shoulder surgery and stepping directly into the top-six. But Mantha isn’t even expected to start skating until next month and is still “nowhere close” to a return according to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic.
The other options just haven’t been quite good enough to this point. Outside of Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, the Capitals’ best offensive winger to this point has been Conor Sheary with 10 goals and 19 points in 31 games. T.J. Oshie has been hampered by injury and illness all season, so he should easily climb to that third spot at some point, but that still leaves a hole where more secondary scoring needs to come.
Again, it will be extremely difficult for the Capitals to make an addition without shedding salary but there is actually a bit of opportunity there. Michal Kempny still costs $1.375MM against the cap despite being on the taxi squad, while Mantha’s placement on LTIR currently opens a bit of space that they could use in the interim. If Ovechkin wasn’t scoring at a career-best place, the offense would probably be a big talking point in Washington. Fixing that problem before it really becomes one may be prudent.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Three Stars, Bogosian, Stars
The NHL has released the Three Stars from last week, with Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins taking home top spot. The veteran winger has been outstanding again this season, registering 43 points in just 30 games. With his six goals last week he has hit 20+ for the ninth consecutive season and leaves just the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season as the only year he’s missed that threshold in a 12-year NHL career (he had 18 in 45 games). Now 33, Marchand has been over a point-per-game in each of the last six seasons and currently sits eighth all-time in Bruins history with 758 points.
Second and third place went to Marc-Andre Fleury and Nikita Kucherov respectively, two more players who will likely be in the Hall of Fame one day. The Chicago Blackhawks netminder went 3-0 with a .957 save percentage and continues to create plenty of speculation as a deadline candidate around the league. Kucherov meanwhile tallied seven points in three games, taking his total to 13 in eight appearances this season. The 28-year-old now has 560 points in 523 career games.
- The Lightning will be without Zach Bogosian for the next two to three weeks with a lower-body injury according to Joe Smith of The Athletic, continuing what has been a brutal season for the veteran defenseman. Bogosian has played in just 23 games so far, coming out very few matches with a new injury. Certainly not the model of health throughout his career, Bogosian hasn’t played more than 65 games in a single season since he was a teenager with the Atlanta Thrashers.
- The Dallas Stars have placed Tanner Kero and a support staff member in the COVID protocol, further reducing the number of available bodies they have. Luckily, Denis Gurianov, Braden Holtby, and two other staff members were removed today and can rejoin the club. With players moving in and out on a daily basis, Riley Damiani, Rhett Gardner, and Thomas Harley have been brought back up to the taxi squad from the AHL.
Karson Kuhlman Claimed By Seattle Kraken
Jan 17: The Seattle Kraken have claimed Kuhlman, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The forward will likely get a bigger opportunity with the expansion club than he was ever going to get in Boston, though where he fits into the lineup isn’t yet clear. Kuhlman will remain on an NHL roster though, something he hasn’t been able to say in years past.
Jan 16: The Boston Bruins have seemingly decided that Karson Kuhlman‘s time on the active roster has come to an end for the time being, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the depth forward is on waivers today.
Notably, if the Bruins wanted to clear a roster spot they could have sent the waiver-exempt Oskar Steen down, but the 23-year-old forward has played well of late in his first regular taste of NHL action. Kuhlman’s placement on waivers suggests that Steen has now secured his spot on the active roster, at least for now.
Kuhlman, 26, has played in 19 games this season for the Bruins and has registered just two points. In his last appearance against the Washington Capitals, he played just over ten minutes, almost exactly what he’s averaged for the year. The undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth has played in 75 NHL games to this point in his career, racking up 111 hits and 15 points.
Interestingly, Kuhlman actually carries a cap hit lower than the league minimum salary, as his two-year deal comes with just a $725K average annual value. That could certainly be attractive to other teams, though fourth-line claims are still relatively rare.
No Imminent Changes Expected In Edmonton As Losses Pile Up
The COVID announcements are coming fast and furious today, but one is an especially important absence. The Edmonton Oilers have placed Stuart Skinner in the protocol, meaning he won’t get another chance to steal the net this week. Edmonton will have to go back to Mikko Koskinen and Ilya Konovalov as Mike Smith remains injured and Alex Stalock is just starting his comeback attempt.
Skinner, 23, was the subject of much frustration over the weekend as he allowed five goals to the Ottawa Senators in a brutal loss for Edmonton. The Oilers entered the third period up 3-1 on the 30th-ranked Senators, but ended up losing 6-4 after a powerplay tally from Josh Norris put Ottawa on top with just a few minutes remaining. While Oilers fans seem mostly willing to give Skinner a pass, for now, the goaltending situation has been a firestorm all season as the team tries to find a way out of their current freefall.
The Oilers are 3-10-2 since the start of December and have allowed at least four goals against in nine of those games. They now are set to welcome in the red-hot Florida Panthers on Thursday, a team that has scored 50 goals in its last eight games (6.25 per game). Koskinen, who hasn’t won a game since the first of December, will need to carry the load until Skinner or Smith return.
This morning, Ryan Rishaug of TSN reported that Oilers general manager Ken Holland and his management team are currently in California at pro scouting meetings, and suggests that no “significant change is imminent.” Holland explained during a press conference last week that the team can’t just burn through coaches, and even suggested that he doesn’t necessarily believe in firing a coach midseason. Rishaug notes that those thoughts still hold true, despite head coach Dave Tippett‘s struggles to find any consistency among the group.
After blowing the third-period lead against Ottawa, captain Connor McDavid was at a loss for words when trying to answer questions from the media. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet called it a “thousand-yard stare” from McDavid on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast, as the superstar was once again facing reporters after a disappointing loss.
The Oilers have shown obvious interest in signing unrestricted free agent Evander Kane, though his status is unclear due to a new investigation from the league. Kane’s addition would certainly bring another offensive piece to the group and Edmonton isn’t as far out of the playoffs as they could be, given how poorly teams in the Pacific Division are playing. It’s goaltending (and defense) that obviously needs to be answered though, as no Oilers netminder has a save percentage over .907 this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Boqvist, Gavrikov Added To COVID Protocol
The Columbus Blue Jackets are down a pair of defensemen, as both Adam Boqvist and Vladislav Gavrikov have been added to the COVID protocol. The release notes that Boqvist actually entered the protocol yesterday, meaning his timer will be slightly ahead of his teammate.
Boqvist, 21, is having a nice season for the Blue Jackets, scoring seven goals and 14 points through 26 games. The young defender played more than 20 forgettable minutes on Saturday against the Florida Panthers though, as the team was blown out by the Eastern Conference powerhouse. Unfortunately, that’ll be the last action he sees for a few days as he faces a minimum of a five-day isolation period.
Gavrikov meanwhile played 18:35 on Saturday, which is actually close to a season-low for the 26-year-old defenseman. Usually playing more than 21 minutes a night, he too is having a strong offensive season for Columbus with 17 points in 36 games. That solid point total has been backed up by some analytical success too, as Gavrikov is given the hardest defensive deployment on the Blue Jackets roster but remains almost even in terms of goals for and against.
With both out, the Blue Jackets have elevated Gavin Bayreuther to the second pair with Jake Bean and will insert Gabriel Carlsson back into the lineup. The team already had Cole Sillinger and Jakub Voracek in the protocol, but should get the latter back at least if he can test out in the coming days. Columbus doesn’t play again until Thursday.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/17/22
Eight games grace the NHL schedule today, including quite a few afternoon tilts as the United States celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day. The Detroit Red Wings will head to snowy Buffalo to take on the Sabres, before the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche play an important Central Division test. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Montreal Canadiens have sent Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylonen, and Gianni Fairbrother back to the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Fairbrother, 21, failed to actually get into a game with Montreal as he entered the COVID protocol almost immediately after being recalled. He’s out now, but will head back to the minor leagues.
- The Sabres have recalled Mattias Samuelsson from the AHL, sending Casey Fitzgerald to the taxi squad to make room. Samuelsson, 21, has 15 points in 20 games with the Rochester Americans this season, showing he’s ready to take the next step and contribute as an NHL defenseman.
- Thomas Greiss has entered the COVID protocol, leaving the Red Wings to recall Calvin Pickard from the AHL. Pickard will back up Alex Nedeljkovic in today’s match.
Metropolitan Division
- Defenseman Jake Christiansen is back up with the Columbus Blue Jackets, bringing him up from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this season.
Central Division
- The Avalanche have recalled Kiefer Sherwood and Mikhail Maltsev, giving them a couple of extra bodies for this afternoon’s match. The team has announced that Valeri Nichushkin has entered the COVID protocol, explaining the recalls.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Calen Addison, Matt Boldy, and Andrew Hammond as expected ahead of today’s game. The team had been of since last Friday and used the time to save a little bit of cash and salary cap by sending these three down.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have added Adrian Kempe to the COVID protocol, leading to the recalls of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Samuel Fagemo and Jacob Moverare. While those three should be used to bouncing up and down, Kempe’s absence could lead to a little more playing time for at least one of the forwards.
This page will be updated throughout the day
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vegas Golden Knights
In the spirit of the holiday season, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season approaches the midway mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Vegas Golden Knights.
What are the Golden Knights thankful for?
Fearless management and excellent pro scouts.
If there’s one thing that George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon have proven since the Golden Knights came into the league in 2017, it’s that they are willing to make a big splash. Be it through trade–Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Robin Lehner, and Jack Eichel–or free agency–Alex Pietrangelo–they haven’t been afraid to go after the top available names.
But even though McPhee and McCrimmon may get the press, it’s been the pro scouting for Vegas that has been so impressive so far. Even moving past the exceptional job they did by identifying underutilized players like William Karlsson in the expansion draft, the case of Chandler Stephenson stands out as a huge example of why Vegas has been so successful.
Acquired from the Washington Capitals in late 2019 for a fifth-round pick, Stephenson was nothing more than a part-time bottom-six option. He had just three goals and four points in 24 games for the Capitals that season, but almost immediately found success in an increased role with Vegas. The team quickly extended him to a four-year deal, knowing they had a bargain on their hands. This season, Stephenson is proving he can be a legitimate top-line option, scoring 36 points through 38 games while averaging more than 19 minutes a game. Not bad for a 2021 fifth-round pick.
Who are the Golden Knights thankful for?
Speaking of pro scouting, another incredible success story in Vegas was the acquisition and subsequent extension of Theodore. Acquired from the Anaheim Ducks for expansion draft considerations–the Golden Knights would end up selecting Clayton Stoner‘s contract–Theodore arrived in Vegas with only 55 NHL games under his belt. He passed that number in the first year with the Golden Knights and the organization wasted no time locking him up.
He’s not the only difference-making defender the Golden Knights have, but while Pietrangelo costs $8.8MM per season and will turn 32 in a few days, Theodore carries a cap hit of just $5.2MM through the 2024-25 season and is squarely in his prime at 26. Since the start of 2018-19, his first season without any time in the minor leagues, Theodore ranks ninth among all NHL defensemen in points.
What would the Golden Knights be even more thankful for?
A strong second half from Robin Lehner.
When the Golden Knights were forced to move Marc-Andre Fleury last summer in order to create cap space, the reaction among the fanbase was not good. A ton of pressure was put on Lehner to take over as the full-time starter, and though he hasn’t failed exactly, it’s not going great. The 30-year-old netminder is actually having the worst season of his career in terms of save percentage, notching a .905 through his first 27 appearances.
While that’s still been good enough to record 15 wins with the strong Golden Knights team, and Lehner has been a bit better of late, a strong second half could put this team over the top. Remember, this is a goaltender had a .923 over the last three seasons and has twice taken home the Jennings Trophy as part of the tandem with the lowest goals-against-average.
What should be on the Golden Knights’ wish list?
Some cheap cap relief.
Frankly, there’s not much that the Golden Knights can actually add to their team at the deadline because of the cap situation they find themselves in. With Eichel approaching a return they will actually likely have to shed salary at some point, meaning the most important thing now will be getting something of value in return for whatever they have to send packing. Whether it’s Reilly Smith, Evgenii Dadonov, or something else, other general managers will certainly have all the leverage in negotiations.
Still, Pacioretty’s injury buys the team some time to work and the pieces they might decide to shed are still valuable players. From a front office that has worked out complex trades in the past, getting out of a little cap trouble doesn’t seem like that big of an issue.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
John Carlson, Conor Garland Enter COVID Protocol
The Washington Capitals got some good news when Dmitry Orlov and Carl Hagelin were activated ahead of today’s game, but it won’t be all roses. John Carlson has been added to the COVID protocol and is unavailable today.
Of note, Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic tweets that Carlson was actually late to the warm-up for yesterday’s game while awaiting test results, but ultimately played in the game. The veteran defenseman played nearly 24 minutes in the Capitals’ victory over the New York Islanders.
With Carlson coming out, Orlov will be in and skating on the top pairing with Trevor van Riemsdyk. Alex Ovechkin is now the only player on the entire Capitals roster to play in every game. Washington takes on the reeling Vancouver Canucks this afternoon as they continue their chase for the top of the Metropolitan Division.
It’s not great news from the Canucks either though, as Conor Garland has also been added to the protocol just ahead of game time. The 25-year-old Garland has been one of the Canucks’ most consistent players this season, scoring 24 points in 37 games while being a strong defensive player. Taking him out of the lineup will only hurt Vancouver’s chances of turning things around, especially since his removal came so close to puck drop.