The Flames reassigned Kuznetsov to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) on Sunday.
Kuznetsov returns to the Wranglers after making just one appearance with the Flames. He has two goals and five assists in 31 AHL games this season.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
The Golden Knights recalled Brisson from Henderson (AHL) on Sunday.
Brisson, Vegas' 29th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, is yet to make his NHL debut. The 22-year-old centre has ten goals and 13 assists in 37 games with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.
The Blues reassigned Tucker to Springfield (AHL) on a conditioning assignment.
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The Wild assigned Petan to Iowa (AHL) on Sunday.
Petan will return to Iowa after a five-game stint with the Wild here he compiled no goals and two assists. He has 28 points in 26 AHL games this season.
The Penguins have recalled Colin White from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
The Golden Knights have recalled Isaiah Saville from Henderson (AHL).
The Golden Knights have recalled Byron Froese from Henderson (AHL).
The Wild have reassigned Jesper Wallstedt to Iowa (AHL).
Wallstedt was shelled in his NHL debut in Dallas on Wednesday, allowing seven goals on 34 shots in the Wild's 7-2 loss. With Filip Gustavsson back, Wallstedt returns to the AHL, where he is 11-9-0 with a 2.54 GAA and .917 SV% in 20 games this season.
The Canadiens recalled Joshua Roy from Laval (AHL).
Roy was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL draft and has excelled in his first year as a pro, picking up 30 points (12G / 18A) in his first 34 AHL games, good for second on the team. The 20-year-old could make his NHL debut Saturday vs. the Oilers.
Blidh has been recalled from Hartford (AHL).
Sogaard has been recalled from Belleville (AHL).
With news of Anton Forsberg being injured, Mads Sogaard was recalled Friday from Belleville (AHL). The 23-year-old last appeared with the Senators' in 2022-23 and was 8-6-3 with a 3.32 GAA and .889 SV%.
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Vrana has been reassigned to Springfield (AHL).
Vrana had two goals, four assists, eight PIMs and a -7 plus/minus in 21 games with the Blues' but has been reassigned to Spingfield (AHL) as Justin Faulk returns from the Injured Reserve. The 27-year-old returns to the minors for a second time this year, and had four goals and eight points in seven games played during his previous demotion.
Crozier has been recalled from Syracuse (AHL).
With news that Erik Cernak (upper body) is day-to-day heading into the weekend, Maxwell Crozier has earned his first NHL call up Friday from Syracuse (AHL). The 23-year-old was Tampa Bay's 2019 fourth round pick (120th overall) and is only spending his first full season in the AHL this year after joining the team from Providence (NCAA) in 2022-23.
Perets has been recalled from Norfolk (ECHL).
Perets was recalled on Friday as Pyotr Kochetkov is in concussion protocol and remains out of the lineup indefinitely after exiting Thursday's contest against the Anaheim Ducks. Perets, who has a .906 SV% and 2.62 GAA in 15 games with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL, will likely serve as the backup to Antti Raanta while Kochetkov is out of the lineup.
Kupari has been recalled from his conditioning stint from Mantioba (AHL).
Kupari played one game with the Manitoba Moose as part of a conditioning stint after being activated from IR earlier this week and could serve as a roster replacement for Mark Scheifele, who exited Thursday's game with a lower-body injury. Kupari was averaging 9:35 time-on-ice in the 14 games before his injury, tallying one point (0G / 1A) and a -3 plus/minus.
Saville has been reassigned to the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).
After being recalled from Henderson (AHL) on Thursday, Saville backed up Logan Thompson. Jiri Patera took the night off after starting their previous game in Colorado and will likely return to backup duties in their next game unless Adin Hill is cleared to play. Saville has a .914 SV% and a 4-3-1 record with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.
The Golden Knights reassigned Denisenko to Henderson (AHL) on Thursday.
Denisenko was apart of a flurry of roster moves Vegas made on Thursday as the team prepares to host the Bruins on the tail-end of a back-to-back. Denisenko is yet to register a point in three games with the Golden Knights this season.
The Golden Knights recalled Rondbjerg from Henderson (AHL) on Thursday.
It's unclear whether this is just a depth move or if Rondbjerg has a legitimate chance of playing in Thursday's game against the Bruins. The right winger has one goal and two assists in six games with the Golden Knights this season.
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.
Cormier has been reassigned to Henderson (AHL).
Cormier made his NHL debut on January 6th and appeared in two games, collecting one assist, for the Golden Knights before being reassigned to Henderson (AHL) on Thursday. The 21-year-old retunes to the Silver Knights, where he had a goal, 11 assists, and 20 PIMs in 27 games prior to his promotion.
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.