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Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/22/21

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It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.

  • With no other real options, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Pierre-Olivier Joseph from their taxi squad under emergency conditions. The young defenseman is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the  New York Rangers. Joseph, 21, was the 23rd overall pick in 2017 and recorded 17 points in 52 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have elevated Nathan Gerbe from the taxi squad, moving Emil Bemstrom down in his place. The 33-year-old Gerbe hasn’t played yet this season but recorded ten points in 30 games last year for the club.
  • After clearing waivers, Brandon Pirri was re-assigned to the Chicago Blackhawks taxi squad. Carl Soderberg and Brandon Hagel have both been moved to the active roster. Soderberg, 35, has yet to play this season and is expected to make his debut tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.
  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Brian Pinho from the taxi squad as they try to fill out a roster card without their four Russian stars. Pinho, 25, scored 20 goals and 37 points in 62 games for the Hershey Bears last season and made his NHL debut in the postseason bubble.
  • Givani Smith has been recalled from the Red Wings taxi squad, giving them another forward option as more players find themselves on the COVID list. The Red Wings start a two-game series with the Blackhawks tonight with a chance to climb even further up the Central Division table.  Taro Hirose was also brought up to the taxi squad.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have activated James Neal off injured reserve, meaning someone needed to go to the taxi squad. That someone is Joakim Nygard, who has been moved off the active roster. Olivier Rodrigue, who had been serving as the taxi squad goaltender, has also swapped places with Dylan Wells. Rodrigue will report to the AHL while Wells is now the third-string option for Edmonton.
  • Samuel Morin has been moved back to the taxi squad as the Philadelphia Flyers wait for their next game. Morin, who is making the switch from defense to forward this season, has yet to get into a game.
  • Brogan Rafferty has been moved to the taxi squad by the Vancouver Canucks, as they continue to try and work out their defensive issues. Rafferty had been up on emergency loan while the Canucks dealt with several injuries, but is now back down on the team’s day off.
  • Victor Soderstrom is expected to make his NHL debut tonight after being recalled from the taxi squad by the Arizona Coyotes. The team has moved Jordan Gross down for the time being, allowing their young phenom to get into a game. Soderstrom, 19, was the 11th overall pick in 2019 and quickly became one of the top defensive prospects in the entire league.  Aaron Ness was sent to the minors while Ivan Prosvetov was added to the taxi squad.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have assigned both Lias Andersson and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the taxi squad while the team prepares for a four-game road trip that takes them to St. Louis tomorrow. The Kings are coming off their first win of the season and looking to continue to hold their own in a tough West Division.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad while also activating Mikael Granlund to the active roster after he completed his quarantine protocols.  Olivier leads the Preds in hits in the early going this season with eight while Granlund will make his season debut.
  • Anaheim has made a long list of moves, per CapFriendly.  The Ducks have recalled David Backes, Max Jones, and Josh Mahura to the NHL roster while Anthony Stolarz and Isac Lundestrom are now on the taxi squad.  Sonny Milano has been placed on IR while Lukas Dostal has been sent to AHL San Diego.
  • The Boston Bruins have shuffled Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The two have been shuffled multiple times already this season to bank cap room and will likely be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia.
  • Colorado has recalled Martin Kaut on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly.  Conor Timmins was sent back to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.  Erik Johnson isn’t expected to play tonight and Kaut’s addition will allow the Avalanche to dress 12 forwards and six defensemen.
  • The Islanders have shuffled Kieffer Bellows back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The winger has played in all four games this season but with them off until Sunday, New York can save nearly $15K in salary by sending him back for two days.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have flipped defensemen again as Andreas Borgman has been recalled with Luke Schenn going to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  While they’re so deep into LTIR where the small cap savings will be irrelevant, doing so extends Schenn’s waiver exemption a little longer.
  • Vegas has recalled Cody Glass from the taxi squad, notes David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  Nicolas Hague has been sent back down to the taxi squad, meaning the Golden Knights will go back to dressing 13 forwards and just five defensemen.

This page will be updated throughout the day as more moves are officially announced. 

Minor Transactions: 1/21/21

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With AHL training camps underway for some teams and soon beginning for others, there has been some activity on that front today as well as some overseas news.  Here’s a rundown of some of those moves.

  • The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, affiliate of the Blue Jackets, announced the signing of winger Nick Lappin to a minor-league deal. He spent last season under contract with the Blues but didn’t get into a game with them but has 60 career NHL contests under his belt, all with New Jersey.  The Monsters also announced the additions of defenseman Brandon Fortunado and winger Evan Polei on loans from the Predators and Blues, respectively.
  • Veteran winger Ty Rattie has opted to sign in Finland, joining Assat Pori per a team release. The 27-year-old last saw NHL action in 2018-19 where he played in 50 games with Edmonton but spent last season in the KHL after failing to catch on with another NHL team.
  • After spending the last two seasons in Anaheim’s system on AHL contracts and parts of three more on NHL deals before that, veteran winger Corey Tropp has headed overseas as Straubing of the DEL announced that they’ve signed the 31-year-old to a one-year contract. He last saw NHL action back in 2017 and has 149 career NHL games under his belt over parts of four seasons.
  • The Ducks have signed defenseman Madison Bowey to a minor league PTO agreement, their AHL affiliate in San Diego announced (Twitter link).  He spent the bulk of last season with Detroit, notching 17 points in 54 games while logging nearly 18 minutes a game.  Considering he’s still just 25, it’s a bit surprising that he had to settle for an AHL tryout but at least he has a team for now to try to work his way back to the NHL.

Canucks Announce Loan Agreement With AHL’s Manitoba Moose

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Given the ongoing border restrictions related to the Coronavirus pandemic, there was always a sense that Canadian NHL clubs maintaining their American AHL affiliates could pose problems this season. The Vancouver Canucks however have found a work-around. The team has announced that they have reached a loan agreement with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose that will allow them to assign players to the Winnipeg Jets’ affiliate this season. The Canucks will also continue to maintain their relationship with their own AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, who are also receiving players from the St. Louis Blues this year.

By striking a deal with the Moose, the Canucks have essentially added yet another level of recall ease this season. Beyond their active roster, the Canucks already have their six-man taxi squad who can be recalled immediately. They now have a second layer of players who will be assigned to Manitoba and will require just a seven-day quarantine before joining the NHL club. This initial group will include Tyler Graovac, Ashton Sautner, and Arturs Silovs, per the team release. Finally, they will have a younger, developmental group remaining in Utica who, if absolutely necessary, can be recalled but will require a fourteen-day quarantine period in accordance with federal regulations.

Now that this relationship is in place between Vancouver and Manitoba, the next question becomes whether the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers will also explore a similar arrangement. While four of the seven Canadian teams have AHL affiliates within their own national borders and the Canucks are now linked with one of those clubs, the Flames and Oilers still have American affiliates and face the same inconvenient federal quarantine policy should they need to make a recall beyond their taxi squad. Manitoba, the farthest west of the four Canadian AHL teams, would also be the most reasonable for the Alberta clubs, but should the Jets nix the idea of yet another rival stealing play time from their prospects, there are affiliates in Binghamton, Laval, and Toronto that could serve the same purpose.

Minor Transactions: 01/18/21

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The NHL season is underway and at the top level teams are keeping busy merely by swapping players between the active roster and taxi squad. However, with AHL training camps starting up, there has also been a flurry of activity from the lower levels. There also continue to be players making the move overseas, by both signing and loan. Keep up with all of the action right here:

  • In addition to confirming the previously reported signings of Ryan Fitzgerald, Tanner MacMaster, and Zane McIntyre, the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms have added another netminder, announcing the signing of Eamon McAdam. McAdam, 26, is a Pennsylvania native and a Penn State product, so he should feel right at home with the Philadelphia Flyers’ affiliate. McAdam had been playing with the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen to begin the season.
  • The Rochester Americans announced that they have inked defenseman Dylan Blujus to a one-year AHL contract. The former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect is a solid stay-at-home defender who has a +24 rating in 274 AHL games over six pro seasons.
  • The San Jose Barracuda have recalled a number of players from the ECHL’s Allen Americans for the start of training camp, including Sharks prospect Jacob McGrew. McGrew got an early start to his first pro season down in the ECHL after missing all but six games of his final WHL campaign due to injury. The Sharks already trusted McGrew’s ability enough to give him an entry-level contract and after a strong scoring start in Allen, they could let him fight for a top-six role with the Barracuda.
  • After five seasons in the AHL, former Edmonton Oilers prospect Joey LaLeggia is headed overseas. The 28-year-old has signed with he SHL’s Rogle BK for the remainder of the season, the team announced. LaLeggia, who was a standout on defense in the NCAA with the University of Denver, had shifted to forward in the pros. It remains to be seen how the versatile veteran will be used in Sweden.
  • Another name making the move to Europe is 2021 NHL Draft prospect Brett Harrison. The potential first-round pick this summer has yet to play this season and the OHL’s Oshawa Generals have thus agreed to loan him to KOOVEE of the Finnish minor league Metsis, his new club announced. The two-way center will look to improve his draft stock by playing against pros, possibly for the rest of the year.

Islanders Loan Josh Ho-Sang To The SHL

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Saturday: The Islanders officially announced (Twitter link) that Ho-Sang has been loaned to Orebro.

Friday: After not being invited to training camp and clearing waivers, Islanders forward Josh Ho-Sang has a place to play this season but it’s not New York’s AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.  Instead, the team has loaned him to Orebro of the SHL, reports Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link).  The agreement will be in place for the duration of the season overseas although Ho-Sang will be eligible to return to North America after the SHL playoffs are finished.

It has been a rocky road for the 24-year-old to say the least.  While he was a quality offensive player back in junior, it has failed to materialize into success at the professional level.  He has just 53 career NHL games under his belt where he has seven goals and 17 assists and after clearing waivers last year, he held out of reporting to the minors in the hopes of forcing a trade.  That didn’t occur and he eventually reported to the Sound Tigers before being flipped to San Antonio before the AHL trade deadline in a move that was believed to end his tenure with the Islanders.

Clearly that didn’t happen as the team tendered Ho-Sang a qualifying offer and avoided arbitration in late-October with a one-year, two-way deal worth $700K in the NHL and $225K in the minors.  With both sides agreeing already that it’s better for him to not be around the team, it’s hard to imagine there will be another contract for him with the Isles beyond this one.

Minor Transactions: 01/15/21

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The NHL moves will come fast and furious now that the season has begun, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop keeping an eye on overseas transactions. This page will be updated throughout the day with all the notable minor moves around the world of hockey.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have moved Boo Nieves to the AHL as minor league camps open after he was signed and cleared waivers earlier this week. The 26-year-old forward will serve as valuable depth for a team looking to take another run at the Stanley Cup.
  • Theodor Niederbach, a second-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings, has been extended by Frolunda and then loaned to MODO for the rest of the season. The Swedish junior league that Niederbach had been playing in has shut down the rest of their season, meaning this was one of the only ways he could continue to get playing time.
  • Marko Dano has been recalled from loan by the Winnipeg Jets and assigned to the Manitoba Moose for AHL training camp. The depth forward was playing for Trencin Dukla in Slovakia, where he had three points in two games.

Minor Transactions: 01/14/21

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The season has started and minor moves are sure to come down the pipeline in the coming days, especially when AHL training camps get underway tomorrow. Even now professional tryouts are being ended and rosters are being finalized. We’ll keep track of all the notable names right here.

  • The San Jose Barracuda have signed three players to professional tryouts for AHL camp, bringing in Robbie Russo, Chaz Reddekopp, and Samuel Harvey. Russo, 27, is the only one with any NHL experience and actually very surprisingly still a free agent given his AHL history. The right-handed defenseman is a dangerous offensive weapon that routinely scores 30+ points in the AHL, though that number did drop to just 19 in a shortened 2019-20 season.
  • TSN reported yesterday that several NHL PTOs had been ended, including three with the Calgary Flames. Brett Ritchie, Michael Stone and Garret Sparks were all in Flames camp, but it only seems as though Sparks has a real landing spot. The veteran goaltender is back with the Orlando Solar Bears for the time being, where he already played one game in December.
  • Three Philadelphia Flyers prospects are on their way back from overseas, as David Kase, Maksim Sushko, and Linus Hogberg have all been recalled from loan and assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Kase, 23, played in six games for the Flyers last season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process. He’s been dominating in the Czech league for the early part of this season, recording 25 points in 27 games. Sushko, 21, had five points in 30 games for Dynamo Minsk of the KHL so far, while Linus Hogberg had 12 points in 27 games for Vita Hasten of the Swedish second tier.

Minor Transactions: 01/11/21

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On a day that featured a record number of waiver placements, a long list of training camp cuts, and several NHL signings, anything else may seem especially “minor”. However, other transactions are still being made both at the NHL level and elsewhere. As the AHL eyes its return early next month, those roster have begun to get some extra attention, while action (and inaction) at the junior level continues to result in moves regarding NHL prospects. Here are the notable moves made today:

  • The Florida Panthers have finally recalled first-year pro prospect Alec Rauhauser from his overseas loan. The Bowling Green product signed with Florida back in March, but made his pro debut this season in Hungary of all places with DVTK Jegesmedvek of the Slovakian Extraliga. The Panthers opted not to invite Rauhauser to NHL training camp and to instead leave him in Europe. However, after 22 games with DVTK, Rauhauser is headed home. The club announced that the big defenseman has been assigned to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, the affiliate that the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning will share this season.
  • Rauhauser’s DVTK teammate Haralds Egle is also on the move to the AHL, per the same announcement. The former Clarkson standout scorer had signed with the Manitoba Moose in April and was also on loan in Hungary. The parent club of the Moose, the Winnipeg Jets, will certainly be keeping a close eye on Egle in his first pro season, as the skilled winger was one of the top-scoring players in the NCAA over the past two seasons.
  • Chad Yetman will get a shot with the Chicago Blackhawks organization this season just months after being drafted. A sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, the overage forward has signed an AHL contract with the Rockford Ice Hogs for the coming campaign, the team announced. A prolific scorer with the OHL’s Erie Otters in 2019-20, Yetman is coming off a 43-goal, 74-point season to wrap up his junior career and hoping that ability translates to the pro game.
  • Another 2020 draft pick, Minnesota Wild fifth-rounder Pavel Novak, is also on the move. Only this is somewhat of a promotion within a loan, rather than something simple like a signing. Novak’s junior club, the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, have announced that he has been loaned to Motor Ceske Budejovice of the Czech Extraliga. The Czech native had already been playing with HC Stadion Litomerice on loan from Kelowna, but has been promoted from the second-tier team to the top club, technically necessitating a second loan. With the WHL looking to return for a shortened season later next month, Novak may still be on the move yet again this season.

Red Wings Loan Filip Larsson To Denmark

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Red Wings goaltending prospect Filip Larsson won’t be coming back to North America after all.  After being loaned to Almtuna in Sweden to start the season, he was expected to come back and battle for playing time in the AHL with Grand Rapids.  That isn’t the plan anymore, as the Metal Ligaen in Denmark announced that Detroit has loaned the netminder to Frederikshavn for the remainder of the season.

The 22-year-old played in six games in the Allsvenskan this season, posting a 3.54 GAA along with a .883 SV%, numbers that weren’t going to give him any momentum heading into AHL training camp.  And after splitting last season between Grand Rapids and ECHL Toledo, it certainly looks as if he would have been the odd one out, especially with six other goalies under contract.

Viewed as a potential higher-end prospect after a dominant freshman season with Denver of the NCAA in 2018-19, things haven’t gone as well for Larsson since then.  But at his age, playing time is critical and he will have to head over to Denmark to get a chance for more game action.  He’s expected to report to his new team early next week.

Egor Afanasyev Loaned Back To KHL

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After finishing in fourth place at the World Junior Championship, Egor Afanasyev is on his way back to the KHL. The Nashville Predators have loaned the young forward back to CSKA Moscow, where he had been playing earlier this season.

Afanasyev, 19, was the 45th overall selection in the 2019 draft after dominating the competition in the USHL. He played for the Windsor Spitfires in 2019-20 and once again showed his impressive blend of power and skill, scoring 31 goals and 67 points in 62 games. The 6’3″ winger is a force when he comes flying down the wall and should be a good fit in the North American professional game when he eventually comes over.

For now, he’ll continue his development in Russia where he had three points in four KHL games and a pair of goals in two MHL games before joining the national junior team. Since Afanasyev won’t turn 20 until later this month, his entry-level contract (signed in 2019), should slide again and kick in for the 2021-22 season. That is of course he makes a late-season debut on the Predators and plays in seven games, but that seems an unlikely scenario at this point.

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