NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Isaiah Saville(G)|VGK
Call Up
Call Up
The Golden Knights recalled Saville from Henderson (AHL) on Thursday.

Saville's recall casts some doubt on the status of both Logan Thompson (illness) and Adin Hill (undisclosed) for Thursday's game against the Bruins. Saville could very well get the start on Thursday if both are unable to go, considering Jiri Patera got the nod in Wednesday's 3-0 defeat in Colorado. Saville has a .914 SV% and a 4-3-1 record with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.

Source:
@SinBinVegas 2024-01-11T23:55:22.061Z
Isaiah Saville
Matthew Robertson(D)|NYR
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Send Down
Robertson has been reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).

Robertson was recalled for the first time in his career due to a few question marks in the Rangers' lineup but was not need and has been reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). The 22-year-old will return to Hartford, where he had two goals, 11 assists, 14 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus in 30 games prior to his call up.

Source:
NYR PR 2024-01-11T23:03:16.308Z
Matthew Robertson
Jean-Luc Foudy(C)|COL
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Send Down
Foudy (lower body) has been activated from the Injured Non-Roster list and been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL).

Foudy hasn't appeared in 2023-24 due to a lower-body injury but was finally activated off the Injured Non-Roster list Thursday and has been assigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL). The 21-year-old is Colorado's 2020 3rd round pick (75th overall) and appeared in nine games as a rookie for the Avalanche in 2022-23, but failed to pick up a point.

Source:
Colorado Avalanche 2024-01-11T21:07:15.267Z
Jean-Luc Foudy
Chris Wagner(RW)|FA
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Wagner has cleared waivers and been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) after being activated off the injured Non-Roster list.

Wagner has yet to appear in 2023-24 for either of Colorado's organizations due to a ruptured Achilles in the offseason but has been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) after being activated off the injured Non-Roster list Thursday. The 32-year-old has appeared in one NHL game in each of the last two seasons but will need to spend some time in the minors to get his footing back.

Source:
Colorado Avalanche 2024-01-11T21:05:45.128Z
Chris Wagner
Matthew Murray(G)|NSH
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Send Down
Murray has been reassigned to the Texas Stars (AHL).

Murray returned to backing up Scott Wedgewood on Wednesday after recording a shutout on Monday in his season debut against the Minnesota Wild. Murray has been involved in paper transactions daily since being recalled from the Texas Stars (AHL) after Jake Oettinger was injured as part of salary cap gymnastics. It is unclear if Murray's most recent demotion is permanent or if he will be recalled again ahead of their next contest as Oettinger nears his return.

Source:
Bruce LeVine 2024-01-11T18:06:22.446Z
Matthew Murray
Justin Kirkland(C)|CAL
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Kirkland has been reassigned to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL).

Kirkland has spent most of his eight-year professional career in the AHL, making his NHL debut last season with the Anaheim Ducks, being held without a point in seven contests. Kirkland has 13 points (1G / 12A) this season in 12 games with the Tuscon Roadrunners (AHL).

Source:
Arizona Coyotes PR 2024-01-11T16:20:45.851Z
Justin Kirkland
Brandon Bussi(G)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Bussi has been recalled from Providence (AHL).

Bussi has been recalled from the Providence Bruins of the AHL, indicating that Linus Ullmark will be unavailable after exiting Tuesday's game in overtime with a lower-body injury. Jeremy Swayman is expected to take the reigns in the crease, while Bussi will serve as his backup. In 20 games with Providence (10-6-3), Bussi has a 2.97 GAA and .901 SV%.

Source:
Mark Divver 2024-01-11T15:27:12.636Z
Brandon Bussi
Matthew Robertson(D)|NYR
Call Up
Call Up
Robertson has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).

Robertson had two goals, 13 points, 14 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus in 30 games with Hartford (AHL) but has earned his first career call-up to the Rangers Wednesday. The 22-year-old defensemen was New York's 2019 2nd round pick (49th overall) and has spend the last four seasons with Hartford prior to his call up.

Source:
New York Rangers PR 2024-01-10T22:22:48.954Z
Matthew Robertson
Kaedan Korczak(D)|VGK
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Korczak (lower body) has been activated from the Injured Reserve and assigned to Henderson (AHL).

Korczak has not played since December 10th due to a lower-body injury and has been reassigned to the Henderson Silver Knights, where he has three points (0G / 3A) in five games this season. After re-acclimating himself to game speed in the AHL, he will likely find himself with the Golden Knights before long.

Source:
Vegas Golden Knights 2024-01-10T17:57:00.941Z
Kaedan Korczak
Dennis Hildeby(G)|TOR
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Hildeby has been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).

One week after joining the Maple Leafs, Hildeby has been reassigned to the Marlies (AHL) in correspondence to Illya Samsonov being recalled. Hildeby served as the backup to Martin Jones in the entirety of his duration with the Maple Leafs but the 22-year-old was Toronto's 2022 fourth-round pick (122th overall) and had an impressive 7-5-3 record, .919 SV% and 2.20 GAA with the Marlies (AHL) in 2023-24 before his call up.

Source:
Leafs PR 2024-01-10T16:48:26.620Z
Dennis Hildeby
Ilya Samsonov(G)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Samsonov has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).

Just one week after clearing waivers and being assigned to the Marlies (AHL), the Maple Leafs reversed their transaction, reassigning Dennis Hildeby to the Marlies. Samsonov's reassignment to the Marlies was originally intended so that he could re-find his form, but given that he did not make it into any game action in the AHL, it is unclear if the Maple Leafs have recalled him because they intend him to play or so that Hildeby can get some game-action before being recalled again. In any event, the Maple Leafs will be rolling with Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov as their goaltending tandem for the time being.

Source:
Leafs PR 2024-01-10T16:41:50.105Z
Ilya Samsonov
Jake Leschyshyn(C)|NYR
Call Up
Call Up
Leschyshyn has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).

Leschyshyn had three goals, three assists, eight PIMs and a +1 plus/minus in 14 games with Hartford (AHL) this season but has earned his first call up of the year to the Rangers and will replace Brennan Othmann on the active roster. The 24-year-old appeared in 35 games with Vegas and the Rangers in 2022-23 and miraculously failed to pick up a point while amassing 31 SOG, eight PIMs and a -10 plus/minus.

Source:
NYR PR 2024-01-09T22:38:55.279Z
Jake Leschyshyn
Robert Hagg(D)|VGK
Call Up
Call Up
Hagg has been recalled from San Diego (AHL).

Hagg has earned his first call up of the season to the Ducks from San Diego (AHL) after collecting a goal, four points, 16 PIMs and a +7 plus/minus in 22 games to start the season. The 28-year-old shutdown defensemen appeared in 38 games with the Red Wings in 2022-23, picking up seven points (2G/5A) and 26 PIMs.

Source:
Derek Lee 2024-01-09T22:46:57.462Z
Robert Hagg

NHL Roster Moves

NHL roster moves are essentially transactions that alter a team’s lineup. The roster move could make the team better or worse. In some cases, the move is inconsequential. Fan favourites could leave for greener pastures. A struggling player could get sent down to the farm team. A lousy contract might get put on waivers. Even worse, players may get strategically buried on the long-term injury reserve list because they’re not worth the cap hit. The possibilities are somewhat endless.

Types of NHL Roster Moves

Don’t worry; Daily Faceoff has you covered when trying to grasp the concept of a league ruled by the complexities of the almighty salary cap. Below, we break down the strategy behind roster moves so you can get a leg up in your DFS league.

Free agent signings

NHL rosters are primarily constructed by player signings. The front office reaches out to what are referred to as “free agents.” Both the front office and the player’s agent work out the terms of a deal. How teams sign deals varies depending on what type of free agents they’re dealing with.

Rookie Deals

Rookie’s sign something called an entry-level contract which is usually capped at a certain amount of money per year. Under the NHL’s current collective bargaining agreement, the longest an entry-level contract can be signed is three years.

Restricted Free Agent Contracts

After that, a player becomes a restricted free agent (RFA). Technically, they can sign with teams outside of who they played for in the past season by accepting an offer sheet. That said, if the player’s first team extends a qualifying offer, any team competing for the player’s services will have to offer up a certain amount of compensation in the form of draft picks. Of course, that’s if the player agrees to the offer sheet and their current team doesn’t match it.

Unrestricted Free Agent Contracts

Players can become unrestricted free agents (UFA) when their current RFA deal is up and they can go wherever they want. If they sign a contract extension, they can sign for up to eight years. Alternatively, they can sign a seven-year deal if they test the open market. Fun fact: pending UFAs might be motivated to play their hearts out to secure the bag in their next deal. Keep that in mind, fantasy players.

Blockbuster trades

Trades make for some of the most interesting NHL roster moves. To this day, the infamous Patrick Roy deal still gets talked about in NHL circles. What happens in a trade is that two or maybe even three teams link up and iron out a deal. There might be deals that are referred to as “hockey trades,” meaning that both teams get something of equal value. For example, one team gives up a first-line centre for a top-pairing right-handed defenceman. Some NHL trades involve bad teams selling off their moveable assets, such as upcoming free agents, for future considerations, including draft picks or prospects.

Injuries

Depending on how badly a player gets injured, several things can happen. They can be out of a game or two, with the team opting to keep the severity of the injury private (a common pet peeve for fantasy players). Players can be put on the injury reserve for injuries that can keep them out for a calendar week. This frees up a roster spot so someone from within the team’s system, or sometimes outside of it, can come in and replace them while they’re getting back in tip-top shape. If the player needs over a week to recover after a serious injury, they will get put on long-term injury reserve.

Waivers

In typical NHL roster moves jargon, when a player goes on waivers, other teams can claim them from their current team. A player usually goes on waivers when they’re signed to a one-way deal, meaning they can’t be sent down to the minors willy-nilly like a rookie on a two-way deal. Before the player gets sent down, other teams can claim the player on the “waiver wire.” If the player isn’t claimed, they go to the minors to play in the AHL.

Call Ups

Outside of signings, player callups are one of the most popular NHL transactions. Most teams call up players when they’re performing well in the AHL or if there’s an injury on the main roster. Usually, when a player gets called up to the NHL, one gets sent down to the minors.

Contract Buyouts

Of course, you’ve probably worked with someone who’s pretty lazy. People from afar think that person is a “good fit,” but internally, everyone hates the person. Oftentimes, that person finds a way to get fired. Well, newsflash: the same thing happens in NHL dressing rooms. Sometime players who have a history of poor performance have the audacity to ask for more money come contract time. Their team has the option to buyout their contract, or in extreme cases of misconduct, their contract can be terminated. If they’re not being bought out, the front office is laughing while the player’s agent is showing themselves out of the building. For the players who are actually good and could command big bucks on the open market, teams hustle to get them signed up for a new deal. If the player hits the open market, all bets are off…. Coaching Changes

Losing a head coach that sucked at their job and replacing them with a new one can ignite a team. Historically, decent teams perform strongly when they get a new coach. For how long those “strong performances” sustain themselves over the course of a season is a whole other story.

Rules Around NHL Roster Moves

NHL rules aren’t made to be broken. If they’re written in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), you may as well say they’re written in stone. Let’s talk about those “set in stone” rules.

Trade Deadline

Teams have a certain amount of time each season to make NHL trades and signings. The date varies from season to season, but it usually falls between the end of February and early March so that roster’s are set before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. After the deadline, players can still be moved, but they will not be eligible to play for the rest of the regular season or playoffs. You’ll usually see prospects who are playing abroad get dealt after the deadline, if any trades are made at all.

[Editor’s note: can include link to new DFO Stanley Cup page here]

Strategy Behind NHL Roster Moves

General managers and hands-on hockey ops executives are always thinking about the future. If their team is going to miss the playoffs and it’s a good draft year, they might be inclined to sell, meaning they’ll try to offload decent players in return for cap space, draft picks and younger players. The opposite can be said for good teams. They’ll be looking to add to what they already have to make a run for the cup.

If you’re a DFS player or even in a dynasty league, you can exploit that by buying low on players who are playing for bad teams but have the potential to increase their production if they get traded to a good team. Having access to a good data set can help ease the trouble of anticipating how good a player will be going to and from a certain team.

The Salary Cap

When general managers sleep at night, they probably have nightmares about the salary cap. “The cap,” as hockey insiders like Frank Seravalli refer to it when discussing NHL transactions, dictates how much a team can spend on its roster. There’s a “floor,” meaning a team has to spend at least this much per year. Then, there’s a “ceiling” that teams can’t go over lest they pay the price in draft pick compensation and fines, amongst other things. The salary cap makes it difficult for teams to trade players with high cap hits. It also creates a market in itself for teams that want to get over the “floor” by taking on other teams’ bad contracts. In a world beyond reality, most would favour a luxury tax system like the one Major League Baseball implements.

How NHL Roster Moves Impact Sports Betting

Look, if you don’t want to put up with another year of getting beat by your co-worker’s child in fantasy, you have to put as much effort into your team as that 10-year-old weasel will. That means keeping up with the news. Changing your lineups on a daily basis. Trading players at their peak value. Buying them from others when they’re at their lowest. For the love all of things good, change your injured players out for healthy ones. If you’re a sports bettor, any NHL roster can change the money line or the total in a game, especially if a star player is hurt or a team is playing its third-string goalie. Staying in the loop will give bettors a better chance at finding an edge.