Jiricek has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL).
After being a healthy scratch in his last two games, Jiricek has been reassigned to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. The 20-year-old Jiricek had nine points (1G / 8A) in 36 games this season.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Klapka has been recalled from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Klapka had been enjoying a strong second season with the Calgary Wrangles (AHL) with 21 points (10G/11A) in 33 games played and has earned his first NHL call-up of his career Thursday. The 6'8" towering right winger was an undrafted free agent for the Flames from Czechia.
Hatakka has been recalled from Utica (AHL).
With the Devils' placing Brendan Smith (sprained knee) on the Injured Reserve Thursday, Santeria Hatakka has been recalled to the Devils' for the first time this season. The 23-year-old defensemen has appeared in 28 games for Utica (AHL) this season, and had two goals, nine points, 22 PIMs and a -4 plus/minus. He previously last appeared in nine NHL games in 2021-22 with San Jose.
Rafferty has been reassigned to Grand Rapids (AHL).
Rafferty will return to the Grand Rapids Griffins, where has 13 points (1G / 12A) in 33 games this season. The undrafted 28-year-old has three NHL games under his belt, most recently with the Vancouver Canucks in the 2020-21 season.
MacLean has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
MacLean is one step closer to following in his 18-year NHL veteran father's footsteps as he has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL) to the New York Islanders for the first time in his career. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent forward has enjoyed a solid AHL season with 19 points (6G/13A) in 36 games played prior to his call up.
Asplund has been recalled from Charlotte (AHL) on Wednesday.
After spending the last two seasons exclusively in the NHL, splitting time between the Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators, Asplund could get his first crack at an NHL game this season after being recalled by the Panthers. In 33 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, Asplund has 19 points (4G / 15A) and 12 penalty minutes.
Bowers has been reassigned to Utica (AHL).
Bowers played the last three games for the Devils, being held without a point while averaging under seven minutes time-on-ice. The 24-year-old Bowers will return to the Utica Comets of the AHL, where he has seven points (6G / 1A) in 29 games this season.
Shea has been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranto (AHL).
Shea spent a portion of the season with Pittsburgh but has not been in the lineup since December 8th. The 26-year-old has zero points, 13 shots, and 13 hits in 19 games this season.
Zohorna has cleared waivers Wednesday and is expected to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
Zohorna has spent most of the season with Pittsburgh, but after clearing waivers on Wednesday, he will report to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. In 31 games with Pittsburgh this season, Zohorna has seven points (4G / 3A), 38 shots, and 34 hits.
Rondbjerg has been reassigned to Henderson (AHL) on Wednesday.
Rondbjerg has played the last three games for the Golden Knights, being held without a point while registering two shots and two hits. He has been reassigned to the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL.
Gaudette has been recalled from Springfield (AHL) and will make his season debut Thursday.
Gaudette has been recalled from the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) in correspondence to Kasperi Kapanen (knee) being placed on the injured reserve. In 37 games with Springfield, Gaudette has 36 points (24G / 12A). He is expected to make his Blues' debut Thursday on their third line.
Crevier has been recalled from Rockford (AHL).
Crevier has not played a game for the Blackhawks since January 2nd but will likely draw back in imminently as Nikita Zaitsev has been placed on the injured reserve with a right knee injury. In 13 games this season, Crevier has three assists, 11 hits, and 28 blocks.
Murray has been loaned back to Texas (AHL) on Wednesday.
Potentially a paper transaction as the Stars do not play until Thursday, Murray has been loaned back to the Texas Stars (AHL). Scott Wedgewood's return appears to be on the horizon, but if he can't suit up as the Stars' backup on Thursday, expect Murray to be recalled ahead of their game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Bruins have reassigned Brandon Bussi to Providence (AHL).
Bussi was recalled last week after Linus Ullmark suffered a lower-body injury, but his reassignment to Providence (AHL) indicates that Ullmark is likely ready to make his return to the Bruins.
The Flames have recalled Dustin Wolf from Calgary (AHL).
Jacob Markstrom is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, prompting the Flames to recall Dustin Wolf. Wolf had a brief stint with the Flames earlier this season when Markstrom was injured, posting a 3.46 GAA and .893 SV% in five games (1-2-1).
The Kings have recalled Samuel Fagemo from Ontario (AHL).
Fagemo played four games with the Nashville Predators earlier this season, scoring one point (1G / 0A), but was later placed on waivers and claimed by the Kings. The 23-year-old has spent the entirety of the season since with the Ontario Reign of the AHL, scoring an impressive 33 points (20G / 13A) in 24 games.
The Lightning have recalled Waltteri Merelä from Syracuse (AHL).
The Lightning have recalled Philippe Myers from Syracuse (AHL).
Myers was recalled along with fellow defender Maxwell Crozier on Tuesday, but with Tampa Bay off until Thursday, it is unclear how or if they will decide to utilize them in their lineup. Crozier made his NHL debut in the last Lightning game, playing 13:00 time-on-ice. The 26-year-old Myers has played four games with the Lightning this season, registering six shots, seven hits, and five blocks while averaging 13:08 time-on-ice.
The Lightning have recalled Max Crozier from Syracuse (AHL).
Crozier was recalled along with fellow defender Philippe Myers on Tuesday, but with Tampa Bay off until Thursday, it is unclear how or if they will decide to utilize them in their lineup. Crozier made his NHL debut in the last Lightning game, playing 13:00 time-on-ice.
The Stars have recalled Matt Murray from Texas (AHL).
After a sizeable stint with the Dallas Stars, Murray was sent down to Texas (AHL) as Jake Oettinger (lower-body) finally made his return to the lineup, only to be recalled once again as Scott Wedgewood was injured in his previous outing. Murray played one game with Dallas, an impressive 23-save shutout victory over the Minnesota Wild less than two weeks ago.
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.