NHL Hockey Player News

Louie Belpedio(RD)|PHI
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Louis Belpedio has been reassigned to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

Belpedio had not dressed for the Flyers since November 19th and was reassigned to Lehigh Valley (AHL) on Thursday while Felix Sandstrom was recalled on emergency conditions. Belpedio appeared in 12 games for Philadelphia, with two goals, two assists, 12 SOG, and a +6 plus/minus.

Source:
Dylan Robillard 2023-12-14T22:17:55.753Z
Louie Belpedio
Brett Murray(LW)|BUF
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Brett Murray has been recalled from the Rochester Americans (AHL).

Murray has been recalled from the Rochester Americans of the AHL as Jeff Skinner has been placed on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old Murray has seven points (2G / 5A) and a -7 plus/minus rating in 12 games with Rochester this season.

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Lance Lysowski 2023-12-14T20:12:14.247Z
Brett Murray
Patrick Brown(C)|BOS
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Patrick Brown has been recalled from Providence (AHL).

Brown has been recalled from Providence (AHL) to provide Boston with some center-ice depth as Pavel Zacha has been placed on the injured reserve. The 31-year-old Brown played eight games with Boston earlier this season, scoring one point (0G / 1A).

Source:
Conor Ryan 2023-12-14T19:40:12.948Z
Patrick Brown
Jakub Zboril(D)|FA
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Jakub Zboril was not claimed off waivers and is expected report to Providence (AHL).

Zboril was Boston's 2015 1st-round pick (13th overall) but had yet to appear for the Bruins in 2023-24 and has cleared waivers and is expeted to report to the Providence Bruins (AHL). The 26-year-old defender played in four seasons for Boston, with a goal, 15 assists, and 28 PIMs in 76 career games. If he is claimed, he carrier a $1.138 million cap hit in 2023-24.

Source:
Steve Conroy 2023-12-14T19:27:14.163Z
Jakub Zboril
Sean Day(D)|FA
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Sean Day has been recalled from Syracuse (AHL).

Philippe Myers has been reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, prompting the Lightning to recall Day. The 25-year-old Day was the third-round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and has eight points (0G / 8A) in 16 games with Syracuse this season.

Source:
Mike Benton 2023-12-14T18:38:25.454Z
Sean Day
Brett Murray(LW)|BUF
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Brett Murray has been reassigned to Rochester (AHL).

Murray appeared in only one game for the Sabres and played 10:47 TOI but will return to Rochester (AHL) as Alex Tuch (lower body) returns from the Injured Reserve. The 25-year-old defensemen returns to the AHL, where he had two goals, five assist, 11 PIMs and a -7 plus/minus in 12 games prior to his promotion.

Source:
Heather Engel 2023-12-13T23:01:14.599Z
Brett Murray
MacKenzie MacEachern(LW)|STL
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MacKenzie MacEachern has been recalled from Springfield (AHL).

MacEachern had four goals, 12 points, eight PIMs and a -4 plus/minus in 22 games with Springfield (AHL) this season and has earned his first call-up to St. Louis on Wednesday. The 29-year-old forward did not appear in any regular season NHL games in 2022-23 but did appear in eight games in the playoffs with Carolina, picking up a goal and an assist to go along with his +4 plus/minus.

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St. Louis Blues 2023-12-13T22:33:06.390Z
MacKenzie MacEachern
Vinni Lettieri(C)|BOS
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Vinni Lettieri has been recalled from Iowa (AHL).

Lettieri had four goals, eight point and four PIMs in 10 games with Iowa (AHL) and has been called up back to Minnesota where he has spent most of this season. The 28-year-old is in his sixth NHL season and has two goals, an assist, four PIMs, 15 SOG and a -3 plus/minus in 13 games played.

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Minnesota Wild 2023-12-13T22:31:16.144Z
Vinni Lettieri
Daemon Hunt(D)|CBJ
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Daemon Hunt has been recalled from Iowa (AHL).

Hunt had a goal, eight assists, nine PIMs and a +3 plus/minus in 14 games with Iowa (AHL) and has been recalled to Minnesota Wednesday. The 21-year-old defensemen was Minnesota's 2020 3rd round pick and made his first NHL appearance earlier this season, appearing in five games with no points while averaging 8:36 TOI.

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Minnesota Wild 2023-12-13T22:29:35.189Z
Daemon Hunt
Emil Heineman(LW)|MON
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Emil Heineman has been recalled from Laval (AHL).

Heineman had a goal, three assists, eight PIMs and a -6 plus/minus in seven games with Laval (AHL) and has earned his first call up to Montreal Wednesday after it was announced that Tanner Pearson (upper body) would be placed on the Injured Reserve. Heineman is 22-year-old and has yet to play an NHL game after making his North American debut with Laval in 2022-23 after four seasons with Leksands IF (SHL) in Sweden.

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Montreal Canadiens 2023-12-13T21:45:46.966Z
Emil Heineman
Jakub Vrana(LW)|NSH
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Jakub Vrana has cleared waivers and is expected to report to Springfield (AHL).

Vrana has cleared waivers Wednesday after being placed on them Tuesday and will report to Springfield (AHL) as he attempts to still resurrect his career. The 27-year-old left-winger was traded to St. Louis last season and had 12 goals and 20 points in 39 games with the Blues over two seasons but his lack of defensive play has led to him being back in the minors. He carriers a $5,250,000 contract hit this season.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2023-12-13T19:36:12.359Z
Jakub Vrana
Dominic Toninato(C)|WPG
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Dominic Toninato has been recalled from Manitoba (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Toninanto had two goals, four assists, two PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in nine games with Manitoba (AHL) and has earned his first call up of the season to Winnipeg Wednesday. The 29-year-old is entering his seventh NHL season and is expected to replace Kyle Connor (knee) in the Jets' lineup after he was placed on the Injured Reserve earlier Wednesday.

Source:
Winnipeg Jets PR 2023-12-13T17:06:30.885Z
Dominic Toninato
Grant Hutton(D)|NYI
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Grant Hutton has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).

Hutton had five assists, 14 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus in 16 games with Bridgeport (AHL) and has been recalled from the Islanders for the second time this season. The 28-year-old has earned the call up and will be used as an extra defensemen with Scott Mayfield (upper body) day-to-day and Sebastian Aho (upper body) returning from injury.

Source:
Stefen Rosner 2023-12-13T16:58:21.853Z
Grant Hutton
Jacob Larsson(D)|OTT
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Jacob Larsson has been recalled from the Belleville Senators (AHL).

Larsson had two goals, two assists, 14 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus in 18 games with the Belleville Senators (AHL) but has earned his first NHL call up of the season Wednesday. The 26-year-old stay-at-home defensemen returns to the NHL for his seventh career season and will hope to add to the three goals and 14 points he has amassed over 172 career games played.

Source:
Media Sens 2023-12-13T16:42:27.421Z
Jacob Larsson
Jiri Smejkal(LW)|OTT
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Jiri Smejkal has been reassigned to the Belleville Senators (AHL).

Smejkal made his NHL debut on December 9th and appeared in two games for the Senators as he failed to pick up a point and SOG while only averaging 6:50 TOI and has been reassigned to Belleville (AHL) Wednesday. The 27-year-old first year NHLer returns to the minors, where he had three goals, six assists, four PIMs and a -10 plus/minus in 17 games prior to his call up.

Source:
Media Sens 2023-12-13T16:38:55.776Z
Jiri Smejkal

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.