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Seney has been reassigned to Rockford (AHL).
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shepard has been reassigned to Hershey (AHL).
With the immanent return to Charlie Lindgren (lower body), Hunter Shepard has been returned to the Hershey Bears (AHL) on Tuesday. The 28-year-old American netminder made his NHL debut this season and has appeared in four games with the Capitals, posting a 2-2-0, 3.19 GAA and .894 SV%.
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Kupari (shoulder) has been activated from the Injured Reserve and loaned to Manitoba (AHL) for conditioning purposes.
Kupari suffered a shoulder injury after playing only 1:18 on November 14th and has been out of the lineup since. 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.
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Rooney has cleared waivers Tuesday and has been assigned to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Rooney had an assist, 14 SOG, seven PIMs and a -2 plus/minus through 17 games played with Calgary in 2022-23 but has been forced to miss all of the 2023-24 season thus far as he remains out of the lineup from off-season shoulder surgery.
Crevier has been reassigned to Rockford (AHL).
Kuznetsov haș been recalled from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Kuznetsov was recalled last week but could not crack the Flames roster and immediately returned to the Wranglers (AHL), where he has seven points (2G / 5A) in 31 games this season. The Flames play at home on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators.
Foote has been recalled from Utica (AHL).
Foote was recalled to help stabilize a depleted blueline for the Devils, who placed Jonas Siegenthaler (broken foot) on the injured reserve Tuesday morning. Foote spent portions of the last two seasons in the NHL, splitting time between Nashville Predators and the Tampa Bay Lightning, but has been exclusively in the AHL this season, scoring nine points (2G / 7A) in 24 games with the Utica Comets.
Bowers has been recalled from Utica (AHL).
Bowers was the 28th overall pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The 24-year-old has one NHL game under his belt and has spent the entirety of this season with the Utica Comets in the AHL, posting seven points (6G / 1A) in 29 games.
Othmann has been reassigned to Hartford (AHL).
Othmann made his NHL debut last week, playing 12:26 time-on-ice while firing five shots on goal and registering three hits. In his two subsequent games, Othmann averaged just over seven minutes, accumulating only one shot on goal and two hits. The 20-year-old Othmann was the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and has been reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, where he has 23 points (9G / 14A) in 28 games.
Thompson has been reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL).
Thompson made his NHL debut Sunday vs. Boston and got one shot on goal across 14 shifts and 11:39 TOI but will return to Syracuse (AHL) Monday. The 21-year-old was returned to the minors as Erik Cernak (upper body) likely returns to Tampa Bay's lineup Tuesday.
Polin has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
Polin has yet to play an NHL game after signing out of Western Michigan University last season. In 20 games with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, Polin has two points (0G / 2A) and 19 penalty minutes.
Pelletier (shoulder surgery) has been reassigned to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) for rehabilitation purposes.
Pelletier has been reassigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL as he continues his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery. Last season he made his NHL debut, recording seven points (3G / 4A) in 24 games for the Flames.
Evans has been recalled from Coachella Valley (AHL).
Evans has semi-regularly been in the lineup for Seatle over the last month and could draw back in after being recalled from Coachella Valley (AHL) on Monday. In nine games, he has four points (0G / 4A), 15 shots on goal, and 11 hits.
Lucchini has been reassigned to Iowa (AHL).
Kuznetsov haș been reassigned to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Kuznetsov was recalled last week but could not crack the Flames roster and will return to the Wranglers (AHL), where he has seven points (2G / 5A) in 31 games this season.
Sabourin has been recalled from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Sabourin last played in the NHL during a seven-game stint with the Ottawa Senators in the 2021-22 season, scoring two points (0G / 2A). In 29 games with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL this season, Sabourin has 13 points (9G / 4A) and 92 penalty minutes.
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.