Revised Roster Rules - Emergency Exceptions & Taxi Squad

The NHL released revised Roster Rules for the 2021-2022 season related to Emergency Roster Exceptions & a Taxi Squad:

Roster Emergency Exception ($0 Cap Hit Recall)

-Per the current CBA, if a team is short 20 players and does not have the cap space for a recall, they are permitted to call up a player with a cap hit of $850K or less, after playing short 1 game.  This player does not carry a cap hit while recalled.

-The revised rules increase the maximum cap hit up to $1M, so players with a cap hit of $1M or less can be recalled for a $0 Cap Hit if the team does not have sufficient cap room.  

-If the team does not have healthy 12 Forwards & 6 Defensemen, and the shortage is due to COVID (not injury), they can immediately use the emergency exception recall. This means that the team will not need to play short for 1 game prior to using the $0 Cap Hit Emergency Exception. Note: This only applies for COVID absences. The current requirement to play short 1 game before using the exception still applies for non-COVID absences.

-For Goalies, the $0 Cap hit Emergency Exception Recall can be used for both COVID and non-COVID absences. That mean that if a team is short 2 healthy goalies for whatever reason, and do not have the cap space for a recall, they can immediately call up a goalie with Cap Hit of $1M or less for a $0 Cap Hit recall, and do not need to play short a goalie for 1 game.

Taxi Squad

-Teams will be permitted to have players on a taxi squad from now through the All Star Break

-Players on a taxi squad count for cap purposes exactly as though they were in the AHL. This means that if a player has a cap hit of less than $1.125M (the burying threshold) and they are on the taxi squad, they do not count against the cap. If they have a cap hit greater than $1.125M and are on the taxi squad, their taxi squad cap hit will be their cap hit minus $1.125M

-6 players maximum can be on the taxi squad, with no minimum

-Players can only be on the taxi squad for 20 cumulative days

-Players receive compensation as though they are in the minors, plus NHL per diem, insurance, and accommodations 

-Players on the taxi squad who did not earn a year of professional experience for CBA purposes will be credited with a professional game (not NHL game) for each game played by the NHL team while they're on the taxi squad

-Players are ineligible for the taxi squad if they meet all 3 of the following criteria:

  A) Players on NHL rosters (either active, injured, or COVID list) as of Dec 22, 2021

  B) Players that are waivers exempt

  C) Players on NHL Roster 75% of NHL regular season days (54 days as of Dec 22) or Players who dressed for 16 of the NHL team's last 20 games