Hill (lower-body) has been assigned to Henderson (AHL) on a conditioning stint.
NHL Hockey Player News
The Canadiens have sent Corey Schueneman to Laval (AHL).
Schueneman played in two straight games for the Canadiens, failing to record a point with a plus-2 rating in 14:36 ATOI. He returns to the AHL, where he's posted 21 points (5G / 16A) in 59 games.
Source:
TSN 2023-04-08T12:09:50.299Z
The Canadiens have sent Cayden Primeau to Laval (AHL).
Primeau allowed five goals on 21 shots against the Red Wings on Tuesday. Primeau returns to the AHL, where he's gone 16-15-6 with a 3.12 GAA and .905 SV%.
Source:
TSN 2023-04-08T12:08:28.091Z
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The Senators have sent Ridly Greig back to Belleville (AHL).
Greig has split his season between the AHL and NHL, posting nine points (2G / 7A) in 20 games with Ottawa. He returns to the AHL, where he has 27 points (13G / 14A) in 35 games.
The Senators have sent Leevi Merilainen back to Belleville (AHL).
Merilainen stopped all 41 shots that he faced in his AHL debut before being recalled. He started two games with the Senators, going 0-1-1 with a 4.23 GAA and .878 SV%.
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The Panthers have reassigned Mack Guzda to Charlotte (AHL).
Guzda served as Alex Lyon's backup for the last five games, but Sergei Bobrovsky (illness) is expected to be back on Saturday. Guzda returns to the AHL, where he's gone 14-8-3 with a 2.86 GAA and .899 SV% on the season.
Zach Sanford has been recalled from Milwaukee (AHL).
Sanford had 12 goals, 16 assists, 51 PIMs and a -12 plus/minus through 45 games with Milwaukee (AHL) and has been recalled to Nashville for a second time this season. The 28-year-old returns to Nashville, where he had a goal, two points, 14 SOG, two PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 11 games earlier this season.
Dmitri Samorukov has been recalled from Springfield (AHL).
Samorukov had four goals, 16 assists, and 26 PIMs across 66 games played with Springfield (AHL) and has been recalled to St. Louis for the first time this season. The 23-year-old had previously played in one NHL game prior to this season, failing to pick up a point and going a -2 plus/minus.
Olle Eriksson Ek has been recalled from San Diego (AHL).
Eriksson Ek is 2-14-0 with a .852 SV% and 4.81 GAA with San Diego (AHL) and has been recalled Wednesday in case John Gibson is able to dress (lower-body). The 23-year-old has yet to see NHL action in his career.
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John Leonard has been re-assigned to Milwaukee (AHL).
Leonard had a goal and two PIMs across six games with Nashville but has been re-assigned to Milwaukee (AHL) on Wednesday. The 24-year-old has 14 goals, 24 assists, 12 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through 61 games with Milwaukee this season.
Samuel Ersson has been loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL).
Ersson was 6-3-0 with a .899 SV% and 3.07 GAA with the Philadelphia Flyers and has been reassigned to Lehigh Valley (AHL) on Wednesday. The 23-year-old returns to the AHL where he was 22-14-1 with a .904 SV% and 2.68 GAA.
Kyle Criscuolo has been recalled from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Criscuolo has 11 goals, five assists, 14 PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 27 games played with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and has been recalled to the San Jose Sharks for the second time this season. The 30-year-old has one goal in one game with the Sharks so far in 2022-23.
Danil Gushchin has been re-assigned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Gushchin had a goal and two points in two games with the San Jose Sharks and will now head back to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Wednesday. The 21-year-old returns to the minors, where he had 17 goals, 20 assists, 24 PIMs and a -18 plus/minus through 62 games this season.
Jordan Spence has been recalled from the Ontario Reign (AHL).
Spence had four goals, 38 assists, 34 PIMs and a -15 plus/minus through 53 games played with the Ontario Reign (AHL) and has been recalled to the Los Angeles Kings Wednesday. The 22-year-old returns to Los Angeles, where he had an assist, six SOG, and a +3 plus/minus through five games this season.
Jake Christiansen has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL) Wednesday.
Christiansen has three assists, 25 SOG, four PIMs and a -7 plus/minus through 23 games with Columbus but has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL) on Wednesday. The 23-year-old returns to Cleveland where he had eight goals, 21 assists, 51 PIMs and a +2 plus/minus prior to his call up.
Jet Greaves has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL).
Greaves started his first career game Tuesday, stopping 46 of 49 shots (.939 SV%) in a hard-fought loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs but has been reassigned to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) Wednesday. The 22-year-old netminder returns to Cleveland, where he was 16-14-5 with a .895 SV% and 3.23 GAA.
Jon Gillies has been recalled from Cleveland (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Gillies is 5-8-2 with a .878 SV% and 3.70 GAA in the AHL with Tucson but has been recalled to Columbus on an emergency basis Wednesday. The 29-year-old returns to the Blue Jackets, where he is 1-0-0 with a .889 SV% and 2.99 GAA on the season in one appearance.
Daniel Gushchin has been recalled from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and is expected to suit up Tuesday.
Gushchin had 17 goals, 20 assists, 24 PIMs and a -18 plus/minus through 62 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and has been recalled to the Sharks on Tuesday with expectations to jump immediately into the lineup. The 21-year-old has a goal in one game played previously this season with the Sharks.
Radim Zohorna has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Zohorna had a goal, six SOG, and a +1 plus/minus in two games with the Maple Leafs but has been loaned back to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) on Tuesday. The 26-year-old returns to the minors, where he had 11 goals, 20 assists, 37 PIMs and a +20 plus/minus through 46 games played between Calgary (AHL) and Toronto (AHL).
Joseph Woll has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
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.