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Taxi Squad Shuffle: 02/14/21

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Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day, especially if you love roster transactions. With the implementation of the taxi squad this season as yet another layer to the recall and reassignment game, there has been nearly four times as many roster transactions so far this season as compared to a normal campaign. Keep track here of what is sure to be a day filled with moves:

Central Division

East Division

  • Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov is finally off the COVID Protocol list, but he has not seen any game action in nearly a month. Rather than throw him right into the fire against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals have announced that Samsonov, still waiver-exempt, has been assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears to get some seasoning for the next several days. Vitek Vanecek, in line to make his tenth consecutive start, and veteran Craig Anderson will dress against the Penguins today.
  • The Penguins have their own issues in net, as the team announced that Maxime Lagace has been recalled from the taxi squad on an emergency basis and will back up Tristan Jarry today against the Capitals. There is no word on why Casey DeSmith is unavailable to dress.

North Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled goaltender Joey Daccord from AHL Belleville and assigned him to the taxi squad, the club announced. They have additionally reassigned goalie Filip Gustavsson to the taxi squad. The Senators have had to shuffle their netminders around with starter Matt Murray currently sidelined, but were fortunate to receive a strong performance from struggling backup Marcus Hogberg on Saturday. Both Daccord and Gustavsson on the taxi squad means that Murray may be ready to return to the active roster, but the team is prepared if he needs more time.
  • The 11-7 experiment appears to be over for now in Winnipeg. After suffering a loss to the Senators yesterday, the team has reassigned rookie defenseman Logan Stanley to the taxi squad and appear to be headed back to a standard lineup when they return to action.
  • The Calgary Flames have returned Connor Mackey to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 24-year-old played nearly 14 minutes yesterday in his NHL debut against Vancouver.
  • The Canadiens have sent Corey Perry and Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Prospects Cam Hillis and Hayden Verbeek, who were up on the taxi squad to ensure the minimum size requirements were met, were returned to AHL Laval.
  • The Maple Leafs once again changed around their players at the end of their active roster.  CapFriendly reports that wingers Alexander Barabanov and Scott Sabourin were recalled from the taxi squad while center Travis Boyd and winger Nic Petan were sent to the taxi squad.

West Division

Anthony Peluso, Kristers Gudlevskis Sign In Slovakia

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HC Slovan Bratislava has made a pair of major additions to their roster as they gear up for the stretch run of the Slovakian Extraliga season. The former KHL club, now a powerhouse in the Tipos, lost a number of top young contributors when NHL and AHL training camps opened up, including forward Marian Studenic (NJD), defenseman Cam Lee (PIT), and goaltender Roman Durny (ANA). They also parted ways with former Buffalo Sabres netminder Andrei Makarov due to injury. Yet, the Andrej Meszaros-led team still sits in third place in the Extraliga, three points out of first with a game in hand. With a title in sight and holes to fill, Bratislava has turned to NHL veterans Anthony Peluso and Kristers Gudlevskis.

Peluso, 31, has signed a contract for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, the team announced. Peluso, who is making his first foray into European hockey, was undoubtedly hoping to find a new contract in North America. The former Winnipeg Jets regular, who has also been a member of the St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, and most recently the Calgary Flames, has 148 NHL games and 312 AHL games to his credit over eight pro seasons. Last year, spent with the Bakersfield Condors, was the first season in that span in which Peluso did not play on an NHL contract. Nothing short of consistent, Peluso has been a low-scoring, but physically menacing presence up front at both levels and has managed to make a career out of his grinding style. However, by joining Bratislava he may finally have some opportunity to break free of that role and show that he still has some offensive ability left in him. While the team’s press release mentions the benefits of his physical brand of hockey, they also note that he was brought in as scoring depth up front. While Peluso’s aggressive style is surely taxing, he doesn’t have as much tread on his tires as many players with his age and seasons of experience. Perhaps if he can take on a top role with Bratislava, it will open doors for an NHL contract next season.

Gudlevskis, 28, has also signed with Slovan for the remainder of the 2020-21 season after beginning the year with Villacher SV of the IceHL. Although Gudlevskis has not played in North America since 2017-18, he has been linked to an NHL comeback in every off-season since. The former Tampa Bay Lightning backup, who finished his first NHL tenure under contract with the New York Islanders, has played at a high level since moving to Europe. Posting strong numbers first in the KHL and then last season in the German DEL, Gudlevskis has shown that he is a capable keeper and at his age still has plenty of quality years left in him. However, he has never been a workhorse which may be limiting his upside in the eyes of NHL suitors. Will he get that opportunity in Bratislava? With Makarov and Durny gone, the team was forced to bring in another goaltender to pair with Tyler Parks. The long-time ECHLer has actually been stellar so far this season, but Gudlevskis’ experience may make him the go-to guy down the stretch and in the postseason. If that occurs, perhaps he will finally be able to make the jump back to North America this off-season.

Pierre-Luc Dubois Eligible To Practice On Sunday

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The wait is almost over for Pierre-Luc Dubois – to practice, that is.  As NHL.com’s Tim Campbell notes, Dubois’ quarantine ends on Saturday, paving the way for him to join the Jets for practice on Sunday.  While he is healthy and clearly itching to get into the lineup, it’s important to note that he hasn’t been on the ice since his trade nearly two weeks ago.  While he has been working out on his own in a hotel room and doing video work, there may be a bit of rust when he hits the ice but despite that, the center is hoping to be in Winnipeg’s lineup for his first available game on Tuesday against Calgary.  Failing that, he should be good to go for the start of a two-game set versus Ottawa on Thursday.

Troy Grosenick, Dominic Toninato Placed On Waivers

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The Edmonton Oilers have placed Troy Grosenick on waivers, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, just a few days after finally activating him. The Oilers claimed Grosenick off waivers on January 16, but he never did play a game for them. Joining Grosenick on waivers is Dominic Toninato of the Winnipeg Jets, who had previously been placed on long-term injured reserve.

This could suggest that Mike Smith is close to returning for the Oilers, who have leaned heavily on Mikko Koskinen in his absence. Koskinen leads the league in games played, shots faced and minutes this season (not to mention losses and goals against) as he operated as the only real NHL-caliber goaltender on the Edmonton roster. Smith’s return would take some of that pressure off, though it is still not certain that the 38-year-old can really contribute much at this point in his career. Smith has a .900 save percentage over his last two seasons, though has gone 42-28-8 in that time.

Toninato meanwhile was put on LTIR just as the season began after he failed his training camp medicals. He too could be approaching a return, though it’s not clear if he has a role on the Jets NHL roster at this point. The 26-year-old forward did play 46 games for the Panthers last season but seems ticketed for the taxi squad or minor leagues (whenever the Manitoba Moose get started, that is) whenever he is healthy enough to do so.

There hasn’t been a skater claimed since the start of the season, but Grosenick perhaps could be claimed once again. The 31-year-old has been a strong minor league option for many years, including posting a .920 in 33 appearances with the Milwaukee Admirals last season. For teams like Toronto, Carolina or Colorado who are dealing with injuries, claiming Grosenick could represent a chance to add some goaltending depth for the next little while.

Snapshots: Stastny, Hall, Phantoms

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Back in October, the Winnipeg Jets made a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights to bring Paul Stastny north. In return, the Golden Knights received Carl Dahlstrom and a conditional fourth-round pick that was tied to games played by the veteran center. In essence, the condition was to provide some security for the Jets in case the 2020-21 season never happened, since Stastny is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent later this summer.

All he had to do was complete five games, which happened earlier this week when Stastny played against the Ottawa Senators. He happened to score his first goal of the season and record a pair of assists, not a bad effort for the game that caused a fourth-round pick to change hands. The selection is Winnipeg’s pick from the 2022 draft, which will now belong to the Golden Knights.

  • It appears as though Curtis Hall’s collegiate career is over, as AHL reporter Mark Divver tweets that the Yale University forward has signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. Hall, 20, was a 2018 fourth-round pick of the Bruins and scored 17 goals and 27 points in 28 games last season for Yale. The 6’3″ center could be a valuable depth piece this season if he has indeed signed his ELC. UPDATE: Hall has actually only signed a one-year AHL deal, according to Divver. That would still end his college career but doesn’t start his ELC this season.
  • Speaking of depth, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms have added plenty of experience today by signing Chris Mueller to a professional tryout and Garrett Wilson to an AHL contract. Mueller, 34, has been a regular at the AHL level since the 2008-09 season and won the Calder Cup in both 2014 and 2018. He split last season between the Syracuse Crunch and San Diego Gulls, scoring 38 points in 60 games. Wilson, 29, has logged more than 400 AHL games of his own, including 51 last season with the Toronto Marlies. A physical forward that isn’t afraid to drop the gloves, he’s managed to rack up 205 points and 586 penalty minutes during his time in the minor league.

Snapshots: Stempniak, Pettersson, Dubois

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The Arizona Coyotes announced a pair of front office additions today, including one name familiar to fans. Joining the ’Yotes in the hockey operations department are Matt Perri, hired as Director of Analytics, and long-time NHLer Lee Stempniak as Hockey Data Strategist. While Perri will oversee the team’s analytics, Stempniak’s role is to translate that data into something that coaches and players can understand and use. In a capacity that is the first of its kind, Stempniak will combine his experience as a player in the NHL for 14 seasons with his Ivy League education in Economics from Dartmouth College to become a valuable communicator between analytics and those involved in the actual on-ice product. After elevating the “journeyman” role during his playing days as an effective player for ten different organizations, Stempniak may now be forging a new path for former players with a knack for analytics.

  • Looking ahead to negotiating his next contract this off-season, young Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson has switched agents, reports Patrick Johnston of The Province. Pettersson has joined CAA Sports and is now represented by super-agent Pat Brisson. Not only does Brisson’s track record lend some leverage to Pettersson’s side, but he is also the agent for Quinn Hughes, who will also be a crucial RFA for Vancouver this summer. Brisson will undoubtedly tie the two contracts together and ensure that both are well-compensated for a long time. In fact, the main beneficiary might actually be Hughes, who as a 10.2(c) free agent lacks the leverage of an offer sheet possibility, but gains the leverage of being linked to Pettersson. The two are the clear leaders of the Canucks and the club was unlikely to play hardball anyhow, but now Pettersson and Hughes are in even better shape this off-season (and so too will be Brisson).
  • Pierre-Luc Dubois is now a member of the Winnipeg Jets and as such we may never get an answer as to why he was unhappy being a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dubois requested a trade out of Columbus, but never gave any of his teammates, coaches, or management a valid explanation, something that head coach John Tortorella publicly resented even before Dubois’ departure. While some speculated that this past off-season’s contract talks were the cause, GM Jarmo Kekalainen refuted that idea on TSN 1050 today, again begging the question of what drove Dubois out of town:

    That’s just flat out not true at all and he knows that, so I don’t know why he would say that or even insinuate something like that, because that’s not true… There was never any problem with the negotiation of this contract, it came to a conclusion very quickly and I thought what we signed was a fair deal for both sides…Once the player and the agent wanted to engage in the talks and we agreed on the length, it was a very easy process… It took all in all, I think 10 minutes to do his contract when we finally agreed on the length of the deal and we had everything from two years, to three years to eight years on the table… I wish that Pierre-Luc would tell the truth about why he wanted out. He hasn’t even told me; he hasn’t told his teammates or anybody else. It certainly wasn’t about contract negotiations; I can assure you of that.

Poll: Grading The Jets-Blue Jackets Trade

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For a season that wasn’t supposed to have a lot of notable trade activity, there was certainly a big trade made on Saturday with the Jets acquiring center Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 2022 third-round pick from the Blue Jackets in exchange for wingers Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic with the latter soon agreeing to a two-year, $3.8MM bridge deal.

It’s a swap of two star players that were looking for a change of scenery.  The deal allows both teams to acquire a top talent in return but given their disenchantment where they were, it’s also fair to wonder if this will be the ideal fit for everyone involved.  Both Laine and Dubois have a new home but are they in a more preferable spot than they were before?

For Winnipeg, adding Dubois should put to an end to GM Kevin Cheveldayoff’s attempts to add another impact center, a process that started with the acquisition of Paul Stastny in 2018, was continued a year later with Kevin Hayes before ultimately re-acquiring Stastny this offseason.  With Bryan Little’s playing future in serious jeopardy and Stastny’s contract up, they needed a longer-term solution.  Dubois can be that player although he’ll move from a top-line role down to the second line with Mark Scheifele ahead of him on the depth chart.

Meanwhile, Columbus gets one of the top goal-scorers in the league in Laine and a young roster player in Roslovic, one who was drafted as a center and will presumably get an opportunity to play down the middle.  However, they lose a year of team control moving from Dubois to Laine, who is owed a $7.5MM qualifying offer this summer while being eligible for salary arbitration.  While Winnipeg retained on his salary in the deal to get his price tag nearly identical to Dubois, that certainly won’t be the case for long.

How do you feel both teams made out in this blockbuster?  Vote in the polls below to award your grades.

(Poll links for the Jets and Blue Jackets for app users.)

North Notes: Benning, Dubois, Puljujarvi

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The Vancouver Canucks disappointing 2-5 start to begin the season isn’t a good sign, especially in a shortened season. The team’s record is bad, but the team hasn’t looked good in the process. While Canucks’ fans have always had a poor relationship with general manager Jim Benning over the last seven years, things have gotten worse, according to The Athletic’s Harman Dayal and Thomas Drance (subscription required).

Benning has found himself on the hot seat with criticism coming from Hockey Night in Canada’s Brian Burke, who described Benning as being under “tremendous pressure.” Despite the team’s early struggles to the season, much blame has been placed at Benning’s feet, which includes the team’s choice to not retain any of their three top free agents last offseason: Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev and Tyler Toffoli, as well as the fact that the team’s salary cap is critical, especially considering the bloated contract of Loui Eriksson (two years at $6MM AAV).

  • While nothing specific was said about the matter, new Winnipeg Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois, during a press conference with reporters, was asked whether he would consider signing with the Jets long-term. “It already feels good to be here,” Dubois said as part of a long answer which also included lots of praise for Winnipeg and the organization, via The Athletic’s Murat Ates. Dubois said that his father, who works for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, has been a big ambassador for the city. Dubois has two years to make a decision after signing a two-year, $10MM deal just before the season started.
  • With little production coming from the Edmonton Oilers’ first line, the team has moved first-line regular Zack Kassian to the third line and promoted Jesse Puljujarvi to the first line in hopes of shaking up the team’s offense, according to David Staples of the Edmonton Journal. The 22-year-old hasn’t done much on the third line with just an assist in six games, but the scribe writes that he hasn’t fit well next to center Kyle Turris, who is struggling offensively, suggesting a move next to McDavid makes sense.

Patrik Laine Open To “Long-Term Relationship” With Blue Jackets

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Over the offseason, Patrik Laine’s agent made it clear that the enigmatic forward would like a fresh start somewhere else. He had flourished as a goal-scorer with the Winnipeg Jets, but the relationship between team and player never seemed perfect. With Laine set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year, it wasn’t clear if a long-term deal would ever really happen in Winnipeg.

Now that he’s in Columbus after a blockbuster deal saw the Jets’ sniper head south in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois (with Jack Roslovic tagging along), Laine is facing the challenge of building a new relationship with a new organization.

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters including Aaron Portzline of The Athletic today that he had already spoken with Laine about a potential extension and establishing a “long-term relationship,” though more serious negotiations are still to come. When Laine was asked if he’d be open to that, he told reporters including Alison Lukan of The Athletic that he would certainly be open to it and had heard only positive things about the city and organization. “Hopefully that’s a spot where I’m enjoying life and enjoying playing hockey,” said the always thoughtful Laine, while head coach John Tortorella explained that he already had a “really good conversation” with the sniper.

What exactly would a long-term extension for Laine look like? That part is entirely unclear at this point. Unlike his fellow 2016 draftee Auston Matthews, who signed a five-year deal in Toronto before his entry-level deal was even up, Laine is playing on a two-year bridge contract that carries a cap hit of $6.75MM and expires after this season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration, giving him a little leverage in negotiations and has been one of the most impressive goal scorers in the league through his first few seasons.

In fact, since he entered the league in 2016-17, only eight players have scored more than Laine’s 140 goals and five of those have played more games during that period. They all have averaged quite a bit more ice time than Laine’s career 17:40 mark, which points to a lack of polish in other areas but only makes his goal totals more impressive.

Because of those numbers, Laine will enter this negotiation without many direct comparables in the league. The Blue Jackets have plenty of cap space to work with, but they’ve also had a problem in the past actually retaining talent. If Kekalainen truly wants to retain Laine long-term and build a relationship with the star forward, he’ll have to be willing to hand out the biggest contract of his tenure in Columbus. That record is currently held by Cam Atkinson, who signed a seven-year, $41,125,000 contract in 2017. Atkinson’s $5.875MM cap hit comes in well below what Laine is already making and should be shattered by any new deal.

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