The Detroit Red Wings have assigned five players to their taxi squad, CapFriendly reported Monday evening.
Forwards Riley Barber and Kyle Criscuolo, defensemen Luke Witkowski and Daniel Renouf, and goaltender Victor Brattstrom have been recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins and placed on the taxi squad.
Last week, the NHL and the NHLPA reached an agreement to provide teams with roster relief as COVID-19 continues to ravage the league. As part of that deal, teams are once again able to build taxi squads of up to six players after having a similar option at their disposal in 2020–21.
Via Sportsnet, here is a breakdown of the accommodations that are now in place:
GOALTENDERS: Teams will be allowed to add an additional goalie when two regulars are not available. This is in place for the rest of the season
EMERGENCY CAP EXEMPTION: From here on in, teams in danger of dressing fewer than two goalies, six defencemen or 12 forwards for a game will be able to make emergency recalls. The cap hit of any such player cannot exceed $1-million.
TAXI SQUADS: These are in-place until the All-Star Break, for now. Teams don’t have to use them; maximum of six players; no one can be on it more than 20 days. There are some eligibility requirements. You can’t be on it if you’re on an NHL roster as of Dec. 22 (with the exception of emergency recall); are waiver-exempt; were on the NHL roster for at least 75 per cent of the regular-season days or played in 16 of a team’s last 20 games through Dec. 22 (goalies who dressed but did not play is counted as having “played”).
Barber, Criscuolo, and Renouf have already appeared in NHL games with the Red Wings this season; Witkowski has spent the entire season in the AHL but has played in three seasons with Detroit in the past.
Brattstrom, 24, has yet to make his NHL debut. The 2018 sixth-round pick has an 0–3–1 record with an .835 save percentage in four AHL games with the Griffins this season.
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