MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s comments regarding his team’s possible use of their “taxi squad,” and whether that group of players will be best-served by practicing with the NHL team, or whether the group of players should be playing AHL hockey games instead:
“The unknown on the taxi squad is how many games they’re actually going to play,” Yzerman said. “I think common sense tells you they’re going to have to play. Guys are going to get injured. You hope nobody contracts the virus and can’t play, but at certain points guys get called up and instead of being called up from Grand Rapids they’re going to get called up from the taxi squad.
“For a first-year pro or second-year pro, should they sit on the taxi squad and never play or are they (better off) in the American League, if they’re playing?” Yzerman said. “If the American League doesn’t play, then we have to come up with another plan for them.
“My own thought is I really want the young kids playing every night on a team. Practice is great for a little bit, but all guys want to play games. For anyone on that taxi squad, after a while it’s going to be a bit like Groundhog Day for them. We have to figure out if you can move guys from the American League to the taxi squad. In general, I thought it was a very good idea to institute that.”
