Boston Bruins: Five players destined for 2021 taxi squad

The 2021 NHL season will feature expanded rosters called “taxi squads.” Who are five players that could end up on the Boston Bruins’ taxi squad?

The Boston Bruins, along with every other NHL team, will have the luxury to expanded rosters called “taxi squads” for the 2021 NHL season.

Taxi squads will have a minimum requirement of four players and a maximum of six players. Of these four to six players, at least one of them has to be a goaltender if the regular roster is not already carrying three goalies.

For compensation, players on the taxi squad will be paid as if they’re playing in the AHL. So, the taxi squad can be used to bury contracts just like the AHL. However, also like the AHL, if players aren’t waivers exempt, they will have to go through waivers to be put on the taxi squad.

Players on the taxi squad will be allowed to practice, travel, and attend events with the taxi squad. However, they will not be allowed to attend AHL events and travel with the AHL team.

Recalls from the taxi squad must be put in by 5 P.M. EST, or they will count for the next day. This rule is nullified for goalies when the team has less than two goalies available to play.

Taxi squads will begin the last day of training camp (Jan. 12) and end after the season ends.

(Taxi squads rules per CapFriendly.)

Now that you know the rules for the taxi squad, who are five players that could end up on the Bruins’ taxi squad?

Which goalie could end up on the Boston Bruins’ taxi squad?

The two goalies that will be on the regular roster for the Black and Gold are obviously Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. However, figuring out who will be not their taxi squad is a bit tricky.

In the minors, Boston currently has Dan Vladar and Jeremy Swayman in the AHL and Kyle Keyser and Callum Booth in the ECHL. The only one of these netminders with NHL experience is Vladar. So my guess is that unless the Bruins go out and sign a veteran, Vladar will be the goaltender on their practice squad.

Dan Vladar – Goaltender

Vladar is currently 23 years old and was drafted by Boston in the third round (75th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

So far in his career, he has played in just one NHL game and it was a playoff game in the Toronto bubble. Vladar played about half the game and struggled, allowing three goals on 15 shots which equals a .800 save percentage (SV%) and 6.27 goals-against average (GAA).

Through five seasons in the AHL, Vladar has suited up for 68 games. In those 68 games he has a 33-22-9 record, .916 SV%, 2.35 GAA, and six shutouts.

Although Vladar is Boston’s top goalie prospect, he’s the only other goalie besides Rask and Halak with NHL experience under contract with the B’s, which I think makes him the top option for the netminder spot on the team’s taxi squad.

However, this could change if Boston goes out and signs a veteran goalie just to put on the taxi squad so Vladar can continue to play in games.

Which defensemen could end up on the Boston Bruins’ taxi squad?

Predicting which defensemen will be on Boston’s taxi squad is a bit tougher than I thought it was going to be. This is because of players such as Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril. Either one could make the regular roster with the holes that Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara have left.

Chara still being undecided about the 2021 season also makes things difficult. If he decides to return to the B’s for 2021, things could look a lot different.

However, in this case, I’m going with Chara not returning, which will make the Black and Gold’s defensive pairings look like this:

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy
Zboril – Brandon Carlo
Jeremy Lauzon – Connor Clifton

Extra: John Moore

As you can see, Zboril made the roster but Vaakanainen didn’t. Did he make the taxi squad?

Steven Kampfer

Steven Kampfer has over 200 NHL games under his belt, including 45 for the Bruins over the last two seasons. At 32 years old, he’s a veteran that would slot in nicely on the taxi squad.

Over his 211 NHL games, Kampfer has scored 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points. He also has a career plus/minus (+/-) of -4 and an average ice time of 15:47.

So it makes sense to have Kampfer on the taxi squad as he has NHL experience and can handle himself on a third pairing if needed.

Kevan Miller

Kevan Miller hasn’t played an NHL game since April of 2019 due to an injury, making his one-year, $1.25 deal that he signed with the Bruins at the beginning of free agency a bit surprising.

Miller is still currently on the IR, however, he has been saying that he will be ready for the start of the 2021 season. With 324 NHL games under his belt, Miller has registered 12 goals and 55 assists for 67 points and has a career +/- of +80.

However, with the depth the B’s have on the right side of their defense, there just isn’t a spot for him in the lineup or on the regular roster with Moore needed because of the lack of experience and depth of the left side of the defense.

Miller may start the season off on loan in the AHL to get some game action, but I think he’ll eventually make his way to the taxi squad. Leaving him in the AHL will block younger players from playing while having him on the taxi squad allows him to practice with the NHL team and also still buries his contract without blocking prospects.

So, Vaakanainen didn’t make the taxi squad either. I have him playing consistently in the AHL. But there still is one spot left on the taxi squad. This may go to a prospect like Vaakanainen or Studnicka, or the Bruins could go out and sign a veteran.

With Boston in “win-now mode”, I think it would be more beneficial for them to have veterans on their taxi squad. While practicing and traveling with the team is definitely beneficial for the development of prospects, I think playing in games consistently is more important for them.