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Taxi Squad

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/19/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The San Jose Sharks have sent Jacob Middleton back to the AHL, moving him off the taxi squad for the time being. The 25-year-old defenseman has seven points in 20 games for the Barracuda this season, his fifth year with the club.

North Division

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially recalled Gavin Bayreuther from the taxi squad after head coach John Tortorella told reporters that he would be making his debut tonight. Bayreuther played 19 games for the Dallas Stars in 2018-19, his only NHL experience so far. The team has also recalled Cliff Pu to the taxi squad.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled forward Mathias Brome from the taxi squad, the team announced. The rookie import has played in 24 games with Detroit this season, but has only one point to show for it.

East Division

  • In addition to signing Alexander Holtz to an AHL amateur tryout, the New Jersey Devils have made a taxi squad change. Tyce Thompson and Nikita Okhotiuk have both been loaned to the Binghamton Devils. Thompson, 21, will be joining the AHL club for the first time after playing in six NHL games directly after signing his entry-level deal. Okhotiuk meanwhile is still waiting to make his NHL debut.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned Cam York to the AHL, meaning his NHL debut will have to wait. The 20-year-old defenseman ended his college career and signed an entry-level contract last month, turning pro after two excellent seasons with the University of Michigan. Selected 14th overall in 2019, he will likely be fighting for a regular spot on the blue line come next season’s training camp.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/18/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

Central Division

East Division

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins added to their roster as they announced they have recalled forward Anthony Angello from the taxi squad. The 25-year-old has two goals and four points in 19 games but hasn’t appeared in a game for the Penguins in more than two weeks. The Penguins have also activated defenseman Mark Friedman off of injured reserve. He has not played in a game since March 4 as he has been recovering from an upper-body injury. UPDATE: The Penguins announced that Angello has been re-assigned to the taxi squad after their game against the Buffalo Sabres Sunday.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have recalled defenseman Mattias Samuelsson from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The team has also assigned forward Steven Fogarty to the taxi squad, while C.J. Smith has been assigned to Rochester. Samuelsson, the team’s 32nd overall pick in 2018, will make his NHL debut Sunday.
  • The New Jersey Devils have recalled top prospect Nolan Foote with the intention of having him make his NHL debut Sunday, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. Foote, acquired in the Blake Coleman trade last season, has six goals and 16 points in 20 games with Binghamton of the AHL this season. The team has also returned Ben Street to the taxi squad, according to the AHL Transactions page.

North Division

  • The Ottawa Senators made some roster moves as the team announced they have assigned forward Jack Kopacka from the taxi squad to the Belleville Senators. The team has also sent Vitaly Abramov and Cody Goloubef from the taxi squad to Belleville of the AHL.
  • The Calgary Flames have made a few roster moves, according to the AHL Transaction page. The team has recalled center Dominik Simon from the taxi squad while assigning forward Justin Kirkland from the taxi squad to the Stockton Heat.
  • Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that the Edmonton Oilers have recalled center Ryan McLeod from the Bakersfield Condors to the team’s taxi squad, suggesting the Oilers might be ready to promote the young center to the NHL squad soon. McLeod has had a breakout season this year with 14 goals and 28 points in 28 games.

West Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled forward Tyler Madden from Ontario of the AHL while sending defenseman Cole Hults down, per the AHL’s transactions page.  Madden has a goal and three assists in 12 games with the Reign in his first professional campaign while Hults, who is also in his rookie pro year, has a goal and four assists in 19 games.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/17/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

Central Division

  • The Detroit Red Wings have swapped taxi squad goalies, recalling Kevin Boyle from AHL Grand Rapids while assigning Kaden Fulcher to the Griffins, per a team release. Boyle last saw NHL action with Anaheim in 2018-19 and has just nine AHL games played this season while Fulcher has one career NHL appearance but hasn’t played at all this year while suiting up just twice in the ECHL last season.  The team later tweeted that veteran Frans Nielsen was also recalled from the taxi squad and added that top prospect Joe Veleno, just recently brought over after his season ended in Sweden, will replace Nielsen on the taxi squad after being recalled from the AHL.
  • The Florida Panthers have loaned Aleksi Heponiemi, Lucas Carlsson, and Brady Keeper to AHL Syracuse, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Scott Wilson and Cole Schwindt have been recalled in corresponding moves.  Carlsson was part of the five-player trade that saw Brett Connolly go to Chicago last week.
  • Matt Duchene has been activated from the injured reserve and is set to re-join the Nashville Predators’ lineup tonight. Joining him on the active roster will be forward Tanner Jeannot, who was reassigned to the taxi squad yesterday but is back up today.
  • The Dallas Stars have shuffled forwards just about every day this season. Today, the move is Nick Caamano being recalled from the taxi squad.

East Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced the recall of Carsen Twarynski from the taxi squad. The winger has been up with Philadelphia six other times this season but has played in just four games with the Flyers plus two more in the minors.  He’ll take the place of Tanner Laczynski who is out with a lower-body injury.

North Division

  • The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have returned Michael McNiven to AHL Laval. The move suggests that Carey Price is now ready to play after missing nearly two weeks with a lower-body issue.
  • The Calgary Flames have sent Dominik Simon, Alex Petrovic, and Adam Ruzicka to AHL Stockton, per the AHL’s transactions log.  The Heat, who are based in Calgary this season, play this afternoon and after that, those players will likely be recalled. Justin Kirkland was recalled to Calgary’s taxi squad to bring it back to the minimum four players.
  • Joakim Nygard is on his way back up to the NHL roster, as the Edmonton Oilers announced that he has been recalled from the taxi squad. Nygard has only played in six games with the Oilers this season after suiting up for 33 in his rookie year.

West Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/16/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The Arizona Coyotes have sent Ivan Prosvetov to the AHL, giving him a chance to play instead of just serve as a practice squad goaltender. The 22-year-old saw a little bit of action earlier this month but with Antti Raanta’s return wasn’t expected to dress very often.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Alexander Barabanov, Jacob Middleton, and Jayden Halbgewachs from the AHL to the taxi squad, with Halbgewachs actually traveling down and then back up in the same day.

North Division

  • Though the recall of Cole Caufield made headlines, the Montreal Canadiens actually also returned Otto Leskinen to the AHL–a move deserving of its own mention. Leskinen, 24, played one game for the Canadiens this season but was pushed further down the depth chart by some deadline additions. The undrafted defenseman is a restricted free agent this summer and one has to wonder whether he’ll return to Finland given he has spent most of his time in North America toiling in the minor leagues.
  • With the Vancouver Canucks now preparing for action on Sunday, the team has recalled Ashton Sautner and Brogan Rafferty under emergency conditions. Jack Rathbone was also recalled to the taxi squad, giving the team a few extra bodies that may be needed over the weekend. Several Canucks regulars are expected to be held out despite clearing the protocol. Rathbone, who was playing in Utica, will need to go through the seven-day quarantine before actually being added to the Canucks roster.

Central Division

  • The Detroit Red Wings have assigned Frans Nielsen to the taxi squad after he sat out yesterday’s 4-1 win. After winning their last three the Red Wings have climbed up to 26th in the league. While that may not seem like much, turning the corner toward winning is an important part of any rebuild.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have returned Ben Thomas to the Syracuse Crunch, after making his NHL debut earlier this month. The 24-year-old defenseman played a total of four games but failed to register his first NHL point.

East Division

  • The Washington Capitals have sent Craig Anderson back to the taxi squad, moving Zach Fucale back to the AHL in the process. Ilya Samsonov was listed as day-to-day with his upper-body injury, but this move suggests he could be ready to at least back up tomorrow afternoon.
  • The New Jersey Devils have shuffled several players between the minor leagues and taxi squad, most notably Nolan Foote, who has been recalled for just the second time in his career. Foote is still waiting on his first taste of NHL action but does have 16 points in 20 games for the Binghamton Devils this season. Matt Tennyson has also been recalled to the taxi squad, while Ben Street and Joshua Jacobs are on their way back to the AHL.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/15/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Greg Pateryn to the taxi squad, returning Nicolas Meloche to the minor leagues in the process. Meloche, 23, has played in six games for the Sharks this season but is now rejoining the San Jose Barracuda for the time being.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have returned Austin Strand to the AHL, given he hasn’t played an NHL game in more than a week now. The 24-year-old defenseman has 13 NHL games under his belt, all this season, but has managed just a single point.

North Division

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Josh Dunne from the taxi squad and are expected to put him in the lineup tonight against the Stars. Dunne, 22, signed his entry-level contract a few weeks ago following his junior season at Clarkson University and has recorded three points in seven AHL contests since.

East Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Wade Allison from the taxi squad, bringing up Andy Andreoff from the AHL to fill his spot. Allison is expected to make his NHL debut tonight after just eight games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The former Western Michigan University star is in his first year of professional hockey and made quite an impression in the minor leagues, scoring nine points in his eight-game AHL stint.
  • The New York Rangers have recalled Gabriel Fontaine to the taxi squad, sending Jonny Brodzinski back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Fontaine, a sixth-round pick from 2016, has yet to make his NHL debut.
  • The New Jersey Devils have recalled Ben Street to the taxi squad, not for the first time this season. The veteran forward has been up and down throughout the year, but hasn’t actually gotten into the NHL roster.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Michael Houser from the taxi squad, but they won’t be recalling an extra goaltender to take his place. The league has given permission for the Sabres to use an emergency backup goaltender as their taxi squad option due to their current injuries.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Snapshots: Calgary Event Centre, Marlies, Canucks

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The new arena development in Calgary has hit a snag, as Tom Ross of 660 News reports. Kate Thompson, CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation released a statement about budget issues:

At this early stage in the project, there is a difference in the current budget estimate and the program requirements for the facility. Given the significance and importance of the project, the parties have jointly agreed to pause the project team to allow time to resolve these challenges. The decision to take this pause is the responsible and prudent approach to ensure we find the best solutions to move the project forward successfully, without incurring any additional costs on the project while these discussions progress.

Construction on the new arena development was expected to begin in August after the city of Calgary and the Flames agreed to split the cost in 2019. Ross reports it was due to open in 2024, but does not speculate on what kind of delay this pause will cause. Eric Francis of Sportsnet offers some clarification from a source who says “the arena isn’t in jeopardy.” The Flames have been playing in the Saddledome (currently the Scotiabank Saddledome) since 1983.

  • The Toronto Marlies have shut down their operations for the time being and three games have been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. Matches on April 15, 18 and 21 have been postponed, though no make-up dates have been determined at this point. The Marlies are 10-11-1 through the first 22 games of the season and have lost their last three. It is not yet clear if the entire minor league roster will be unavailable for call-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs—as was the case during other AHL outbreaks this season—or if the protocol is just affecting a select few.
  • The Vancouver Canucks are operating as though their season will resume later this week and today recalled two players from the AHL. Guillaume Brisebois and Arturs Silovs have been recalled to the taxi squad. The Canucks had 16 players still on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, though that number is expected to continue to decrease as players finish their mandated quarantine and test negative. The team is scheduled to play on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/14/21

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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

North Division

Central Division

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have re-assigned Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell, and Matt Tomkins to the taxi squad, as both Adam Boqvist and Calvin de Haan are both missing practice due to injury. Beaudin, 21, has 10 points in nine games with the Rockford IceHogs and will likely soon be a staple on the Chicago blue line.
  • Philip Tomasino, one of the Nashville Predators’ top prospects, was recalled to the team’s taxi squad today from the minor leagues. The 19-year-old forward has 20 points in 18 games for the Chicago Wolves in his first year of professional hockey. Tommy Novak has been returned to the AHL in his place.

East Division

This page will be updated throughout the day

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/13/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Conor Timmins and Dan Renouf to the taxi squad, filling the last two spots. The Avalanche bolstered their depth at every position over the last week and were already one of the most impressive teams in the NHL.
  • The Dallas Stars have returned Rhett Gardner to the taxi squad.  The 25-year-old has a goal and assist in 20 games so far this season.
  • The San Jose Sharks have flipped taxi squad goalies, assigning Alexei Melnichuk to AHL San Jose while recalling the recently-signed Zach Sawchenko, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Melnichuk is likely to see some time with the Sharks down the stretch but only has made one appearance since March 20th in the minors so he needs some game action.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have sent Cody Glass to AHL Henderson. While he has spent most of the season in the NHL, yesterday’s acquisition of Mattias Janmark doesn’t leave them with enough cap room to keep Glass on the active roster.  Rather than keep him on the taxi squad, he’ll get some playing time with the Silver Knights.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have made several taxi squad moves per the AHL’s transactions log.  Lias Andersson and Austin Strand were sent to AHL Ontario with Aidan Dudas and Cole Hults being recalled to the tax squad.  The Reign are in action tonight giving Andersson and Strand a chance to play.

North Division

Central Division

  • The Detroit Red Wings have assigned Taro Hirose, Frans Nielsen, and Givani Smith to the taxi squad after yesterday’s win. The Red Wings continue to move players off the active roster between games in order to save some cash. Several, if not all three, will be up again in time for Thursday’s match. Later in the day, the team also moved Kaden Fulcher to the AHL from the taxi squad.
  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Noah Juulsen from the AHL according to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The Panthers added Brandon Montour a few days ago but he has yet to make his Florida debut.
  • With the Carolina Hurricanes off today, they’ve returned Jake Bean and Morgan Geekie to the taxi squad.  Neither player is a stranger to this process as they’ve been on this list regularly this season.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Michael McCarron, Rem Pitlick, and Tanner Jeannot from the taxi squad.  Of that group, McCarron isn’t eligible to play as he serves the final game of his suspension.

East Division

  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Paul LaDue from the AHL to the taxi squad, giving them an extra defenseman after trading Jonas Siegenthaler. LaDue, 28, has six points in 16 games for the Hershey Bears this season.
  • The Boston Bruins returned Jack Ahcan to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Mike Reilly’s acquisition allowed Boston to send Ahcan, who has played in just two NHL games this season, back down.
  • The Buffalo Sabres recalled Arttu Ruotsalainen and Dustin Tokarski from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Ruotsalainen has a goal in two games this season while Tokarski has played in five games.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

San Jose Sharks Sign Zach Sawchenko

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The San Jose Sharks snuck a signing in before the deadline, as AHL goaltender Zach Sawchenko has earned his first NHL deal. The Sharks have announced that Sawchenko has signed a two-year entry-level contract that starts this season. CapFriendly adds that the deal carries the minimum salary for both years, $700K in 2020-21 and $750K in 2021-22, for an AAV of $725K. Sawchenko will have an AHL salary of $80K in both seasons, albeit prorated for the current year.

Sawchenko, 23, was once a highly-regarded young prospect. A two-time WHL First Team All-Star with the Moose Jaw Warriors and a member of Canada’s 2015 U-18 World Juniors team, Sawchenko looked like a budding NHL prospect, but was somehow never drafted. He even attended two years at the University of Alberta, with his stellar numbers again pointing toward pro potential. The Sharks finally gave the netminder a shot last season, signing him to a minor league contract. He found success right away, putting up strong numbers in limited AHL and ECHL action, and this season has been even better. Through two seasons, Sawchenko has a .912 save percentage and 2.76 GAA in 16 AHL games and a .928 save percentage and 2.42 GAA in 20 ECHL games.

Signing Sawchenko now serves a couple different purposes for the Sharks. Firstly, San Jose needed another pro option this season following the trade of Devan Dubnyk. The team plans to use other youngsters Josef Korenar and Alexei Melnichuk as interchangeable backups to Martin Jones for the rest of the year, so Sawchenko is unlikely to see any NHL action too quickly. However, there are no other pro goalies in the system for San Jose and in the event of an injury at the NHL level Sawchenko would become third-string and would likely be on the taxi squad down the stretch or in the postseason should the Sharks qualify. Signing Sawchenko to a two-year deal this season also allows the Sharks to reduce his cap hit for next season below the league minimum without actually having to pay him the full salary for this season. In the event that he is able to crack the NHL roster at any point next season, Sawchenko will be as affordable a player as possible.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/12/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season and with players needing to be on an AHL roster or NHL taxi squad once the trade deadline passes, there may even be more than usual today. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

North Division

  • The Maple Leafs announced that they have recalled Nick Robertson and Timothy Liljegren from Toronto of the AHL to the taxi squad. Liljegren has been up and down this season but hasn’t seen any NHL action while getting into 11 minor league contests.  Robertson was injured in his regular season debut with the Leafs and has ten points in 14 games with the Marlies after being cleared to return.
  • The Senators announced the recall of Alex Formenton from the taxi squad, an expected move after sending him down yesterday. Formenton was initially brought up late last month and has three goals in eight games this season.  Ottawa has also activated Colin White from injured reserve.

Central Division

West Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have activated Olli Maata from the injured reserve. To create space on the blue line, they have reassigned fellow defenseman Austin Strand to the taxi squad.
  • Tomas Jurco is on his way back to the NHL, recalled directly from the AHL to the active roster of the Vegas Golden Knights. Jurco has only played in one game up with Vegas so far this year, but has seven points in 17 games with the Henderson Silver Knights.

East Division

 

This page will be updated throughout the day.

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