Detroit Red Wings: The taxi squad and minors shuffling is getting old quick
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings, like all other NHL teams, are being presented with a unique opportunity in the 2020-21 season. The league has instituted the taxi squad for this 56-game season that is being played through a pandemic.
While at first, this seemed like a blessing for the Detroit Red Wings, allowing them to shuffle around prospects and look to bring in the younger guys for different opportunities to show what they can do.
For example, the announcement of this taxi squad was a great opportunity for guys like Michael Rasmussen and Evgeni Svechnikov who were more likely to make this “extended roster” that the team had. However, at this point, the roster shuffling has become more frustrating than anything.
When the AHL had not settled on how it was going to play out its 2020-21 season, this taxi squad was an intriguing idea. The Red Wings have since almost become annoying with the number of minute reassignments and assignments between the active roster, minors, and taxi squad.
The Detroit Red Wings constantly shuffling the roster around and putting these younger guys in limbo is getting old quickly.
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It seems like almost on a daily basis, the Red Wings are shifting someone around and moving people here and there. Since the Grand Rapids Griffins have kicked off their season, the roster shuffling has switched around even more.
For guys like Michael Rasmussen and Evgeni Svechnikov, it just seems that the constant shifting around is not doing a whole lot for them.
While I understand there is a reasoning to send them down to the minors to actually play, rather than benching them at the NHL level.
The counterpoint to that is which forwards truly warrant playing time over some of the younger players.
There is just no reason that the Red Wings should keep flip-flopping guys like Rasmussen, Svechnikov, and Givani Smith.
The Red Wings should settle on keeping guys in roles and pushing them to grow and develop at the NHL-level. When it comes to the Red Wings taxi squad, they need to avoid the constant shuffling.
I understand that injuries come up, and players have to be shifted around, so some of these short stints on the active roster before being reassigned are warranted, but still. It is frustrating to see these guys constantly being moved around when they should be looking for more permanent homes.
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Now if that means that these fringe prospect guys are exiled to the minors, then so be it, but calling them up and shifting them between the active roster and taxi squad repeatedly is getting old quick.