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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Phil Kemp(D)|PIT
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Kemp has been loaned to Bakersfield (AHL).

Kemp made his NHL debut 10 days ago when he appeared vs. Montreal and has been a healthy scratch since resulting in the defensemen being loaned back to Bakersfield (AHL) Tuesday. The 24-year-old played a minuscule three shifts and 2:03 TOI in his debut but heads back to Bakersfield where he had five assists, 13 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus in 26 games prior to his call up.

Source:
Edmonton Oilers 2024-01-23T21:24:27.875Z
Phil Kemp
Cal Petersen(G)|MIN
Call Up
Call Up
Petersen has been recalled from Lehigh Valley (AHL).

With Carter Hart being granted an indefinite leave of absence, Cal Petersen has been recalled from Lehigh Valley (AHL) on Tuesday. The 29-year-old veteran netminder returns to the NHL for a second time this season after posting 1-1-0 record, 3.50 GAA and .896 SV% the last time Hart was out.

Source:
Philadelphia Flyers 2024-01-23T21:39:21.523Z
Cal Petersen
Brogan Rafferty(D)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Rafferty has been recalled from the Grand Rapid Griffins (AHL).

Rafferty had two goals, 13 assists, six PIMs and a +2 plus/minus in 35 games played with Grand Rapids (AHL) and has earned his first call up of the season to Detroit on Tuesday. The 28-year-old defensemen last appeared in the NHL in 2020-21 with Vancouver and has an assist in three career NHL games played.

Source:
Detroit Red Wings 2024-01-23T21:38:04.925Z
Brogan Rafferty
Chris Driedger(G)|FA
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Driedger has been reassigned to Coachella Valley (AHL).

With Philipp Grubauer (lower body) being activated off the Injured Reserve Tuesday, Chris Driedger has been reassigned to Coachella Valley (AHL) after appearing in two games for Seattle. The 29-year-old made his first NHL appearance since 2021-22 this season after overcoming multiple injuries and posted a 1-1-0 record, 2.51 GAA and a .917 SV%.

Source:
Seattle Kraken PR 2024-01-23T21:26:37.059Z
Chris Driedger
Jiri Patera(G)|VAN
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Patera has been reassigned to the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).

Patera's reassignment to the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL indicates that Adin Hill is finally ready to make his return to the crease for the Golden Knights. Patera was serviceable in limited action over the last two months, posting a 3.75 GAA and .901 SV% in five appearances (1-3-0).

Source:
Vegas Golden Knights 2024-01-23T18:53:10.596Z
Jiri Patera
Daniil Miromanov(D)|CGY
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Miromanov has been reassigned to Henderson (AHL) on a long-term injury conditioning loan.

Miromanov spent last season split between Vegas and Henderson (AHL) but suffered an injury that has kept him sidelined so far this season. The 26-year-old Miromanov appeared in 14 games last season and picked up two goals, four assists, 22 SOG, two PIMs and a -6 plus/minus before his injury.

Source:
Vegas Golden Knights 2024-01-23T18:51:52.415Z
Daniil Miromanov
Cole Schwindt(RW)|FLA
Call Up
Call Up
Schwindt has been recalled from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).

Schwindt has three NHL games under his belt but has spent the majority of the last four seasons in the AHL. Schwindt was the 81st overall pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and has 20 points (8G / 12A) in 37 games with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL this season.

Source:
Wes Gilbertson 2024-01-23T17:09:25.688Z
Cole Schwindt
Victor Soderstrom(D)|BOS
Call Up
Call Up
Soderstrom has been recalled from Tucson (AHL) on Tuesday.

Soderstrom was recalled from the Tuscon Roadrunners on Tuesday, a move prompted by Matt Dumba exiting Monday night's contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins with an upper-body injury. Soderstrom was the 11th overall pick of the Coyotes in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and has spent this entirety of the season in the AHL, recording 21 points (8G / 13A) in 38 games.

Source:
Arizona Coyotes PR 2024-01-23T15:25:57.332Z
Victor Soderstrom
Olle Lycksell(RW)|OTT
Call Up
Call Up
Lycksell has been recalled from Lehigh Valley (AHL).

Lycksell has been enjoying a strong season with Lehigh Valley (AHL) where he has 16 goals, 28 points and 12 PIMs in 33 games and has earned his second call up of the season to Philadelphia Monday. The 24-year-old has appeared in nine career NHL games and will play a complimentary role if he finds his way into the lineup.

Source:
Philadelphia Flyers 2024-01-22T22:32:02.841Z
Olle Lycksell
Bobby Brink(RW)|PHI
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Brink has been loaned to Lehigh Valley (AHL) on Monday.

Brink was a healthy scratch for the Flyers' previous three games and will head to Lehigh Valley (AHL) on loan so that he can continue to get some playing time. The 22-year-old has enjoyed a solid rookie campaign with Philadelphia in 2023-24, with seven goals, 18 point, 55 SOG and a +7 plus/minus in 38 games played prior to being sent down.

Source:
Philadelphia Flyers 2024-01-22T22:28:27.195Z
Bobby Brink
Arber Xhekaj(D)|MTL
Call Up
Call Up
Xhekaj has been recalled from Laval (AHL).

Xhekaj spent just over two months with Laval (AHL) but has earned his call up back to Montreal after scoring three goals, 11 points, 34 PIMs and a +3 plus/minus in 17 games with the Rocket this season. The 22-year-old tough guy returns to the Canadiens, where he appeared in 17 games prior to being sent down and had a goal and two assists to go along with 47 PIMs.

Source:
Montreal Canadiens 2024-01-22T22:52:40.569Z
Arber Xhekaj

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.