Taxi squad has been rough ride for many Hawks

For dozens of players across the NHL, this has been a truly bizarre season.

And in some cases, a wasted season.

That's just stone, cold reality for those who are constantly being shuttled from their team's active roster to the taxi squad to the minors, back to the taxi squad. And on and on ...

That's been life in 2021 for Blackhawks like goaltender Collin Delia, forwards Brandon Pirri and Reese Johnson, and defensemen Lucas Carlsson, Nicolas Beaudin, Wyatt Kalynuk and Madison Bowey.

Before this campaign began, the NHL mandated all teams to carry a third goaltender on the active roster as well as at least four skaters on a "taxi squad." It has turned out to be a solid plan and helped teams like the Hawks play games when Alex DeBrincat, Ryan Carpenter, Lucas Wallmark and Adam Boqvist were in COVID protocol.

But for some, it's been an awfully rough ride.

Players like Delia (6 total games played), Bowey (4), Pirri (3) and even Kalynuk (11) are almost like nomads, often practicing in small groups and enduring a seemingly endless cycle of bag skates to stay in shape. (Pirri's been dealing with nagging injuries, so it's unclear how much game action he would have seen if healthy).

Asked if it is a wasted season for some, Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton said: "Hopefully that's not how they look at it. But certainly it's a challenge sometimes if you find yourself not playing for a long stretch. We've tried to get everyone playing at least a little bit.

"At the same time, with the circumstances surrounding COVID you need to protect yourself with your roster and having guys who can play."

That's definitely the case in Vancouver as eight players have just tested positive, forcing the Canucks' next three games to be canceled.

As for the Hawks - who put Brandon Hagel in COVID protocol Friday morning - Mikael Hakkarainen, Alec Regula, Mike Hardman, Pirri and Bowey are currently on the taxi squad. Although they're not playing, there is actually a huge benefit for taxi squad members on two-way contracts as they receive 100% of their AHL salary compared to 48% if they're in Rockford.

Money aside, the top priority for these young players is to grow their game and prove they can become an everyday NHLer. The AHL is a fantastic place to do that and it helps when there's a veteran or two who can serve as a mentor.

The Hawks are fortunate to have one of those in defenseman Cody Franson, who has played in 550 NHL games. The 33-year-old father of three has been paired a lot with Kalynuk and a bit with Beaudin.

He's seen firsthand how difficult it is for taxi squad guys to get comfortable when they're reinserted into the lineup.

"I try to do my best to help guys in a tough situation," Franson said. "It's not easy when you're sitting for three weeks and just practicing. It really is tough to keep your game mentality and game comfort level up to speed."

Said Beaudin, who has played 14 games with the Hawks and 6 in Rockford: "Just talking to him, getting his points on some stuff on the ice was really good for me. ... He's good at calming the younger guys down."

Franson, who leads the IceHogs in scoring with 14 points, played 23 games for the Hawks in 2017-18 before being demoted to Rockford. He helped lead the IceHogs on a deep playoff run, then spent two years in the KHL. Franson had a few KHL offers when last off-season rolled around, but opted to reach out to Hawks GM Stan Bowman to see if it might be a good fit for him to return to Rockford.

"I knew I'd be walking into a good situation," Franson said. "I left Chicago with a real good relationship with Stan."

The veteran D-man likes what he's seen from Beaudin and Kalynuk. The Hawks took Beaudin 27th overall in 2018 and signed Kalynuk to a two-year deal last July.

"I do see quite a high ceiling," Franson said. "They are both very good skaters. They're your modern-era, seat-of-your pants type defensemen. Lot of offensive skills and puck movement.

"For those two guys their brains can actually keep up to the pace of their movements, which is an important quality for guys who try to play the game like that. Both of them don't have a large panic button. That goes a long way."