Bobby McMann has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
NHL Hockey Player News
Joseph Woll has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
It is unclear why Joseph Woll has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) as Matt Murray was expected to start Saturday. Updates should be provided before warmups tonight. The 24-year-old returns to the Maple Leafs, where he was 2-1-0 with a 2.04 GAA and .938 SV%.
The Red Wings have recalled Simon Edvinsson from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Edvinsson has five goals, 22 assists, 50 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through 51 games with Grand Rapids (AHL) and has been recalled for the first time to the Detroit Red Wings. The 20-year-old was the Red Wings' 2021 first-round (sixth overall) pick.
The Red Wings have recalled Austin Czarnik from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Czarnik had 14 goals, 23 assists, eight PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 43 games with Grand Rapids (AHL) and has been recalled Friday to Detroit. He returns to the Red Wings, where he collected two goals and an assist across 15 games earlier in the year.
Nolan Foote has been recalled from Utica (AHL).
Foote has 18 goals, 12 assists, 25 PIMs and a +3 plus/minus through 49 games with Utica (AHL) and has been recalled to New Jersey Friday. He returns to the NHL, where he played three games earlier in the season, failing to pick up a point.
Joel Hofer has been recalled under emergency conditions from Springfield (AHL).
With the two-game suspension of Jordan Binnington, Hofer will get his first call-up to St. Louis of the season Thursday from Providence (AHL) on emergency conditions. The 22-year-old had a 22-14-4 record, .920 SV% and 2.50 GAA with Providence prior to his call-up.
The Predators have reassigned Egor Afanasyev to Milwaukee (AHL).
Afanasyev failed to pick up a point in three games with the Nashville Predators and will return to Milwaukee (AHL) Thursday after being reassigned to the minors. The 22-year-old returns to the AHL, where he had 13 goals and 13 assists, across 55 games played prior to his callup.
The Predators have recalled Michael McCarron from Milwaukee (AHL).
McCarron had two goals, six points and 19 PIMs across 13 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) and has been recalled to Nashville Thursday. The 28-year-old returns to the Predators, where he had a goal and an assist to go along with 24 PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 19 games this season.
The Senators recalled Ridly Greig from Belleville (AHL).
Greig is back with the Senators and is skating on the second line with Alex DeBrincant and Claude Giroux in the Senators morning skate. The 20-year-old picked up one goal and three assists (four points) with Ottawa earlier in the season, spending most of the year in the AHL. He has 27 points (13G / 14A) in 35 games with Belleville.
Alex Lyon has been reassigned to Charlotte (AHL).
Lyon is 3-2-1 with a 3.89 GAA and .892 SV% and has been reassigned to Charlotte (AHL) Wednesday so that he can see some game action instead of backing up in Florida. He returns to the minors, where he was 11-9-1 with a .906 SV% and 2.62 GAA.
Mack Guzda has been recalled from Charlotte (AHL).
Guzda has a 14-7-3 record, 2.85 GAA and .900 SV% with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) and has been recalled Wednesday to Florida for the first time this season. He will act as a backup to Sergei Bobrovsky and is not expected to see game action during his call-up.
Samuel Ersson has been reassigned to Lehigh Valley (AHL).
Ersson is 6-1-0 with a 3.07 GAA and .898 SV% but has been reassigned to Lehigh Valley (AHL) Wednesday as Carter Hart (illness) returns to the Flyers. The 23-year-old returns to the minors, where he has a 19-11-1 record, .907 SV% and a 2.61 GAA.
John Hayden has been recalled from Coachella Valley (AHL).
Hayden has 17 goals, 33 points, 58 PIMs and a +10 plus/minus through 47 games with Coachella Valley (AHL) and has been recalled to Seattle for a second time this season. In the 28-year-old's previous showing with the big club this season, he had two goals, and a +2 plus/minus through five games.
Send Down
Matt Luff has been reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL).
Luff had seven goals, 16 assists, six PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 25 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) and was recalled to the Red Wings Monday but has been reassigned to the minor Wednesday. The 25-year-old has a goal over seven games played with the Red Wings.
Send Down
Austin Czarnik has been reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL).
Czarnik has two goals, three points, 14 SOG, and a +4 plus/minus through 15 games this season but has been reassigned to Grand Rapids (AHL) Wednesday. The 30-year-old returns to Grand Rapids, where he has 13 goals, 23 assists, eight PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 42 games.
Anton Khudobin has been recalled from Rockford (AHL).
Khudobin was dealt to the Blackhawks at the Trade Deadline as part of the Max Domi deal and had a 13-4-4 record, 2.89 GAA and .899 SV% with the Texas Stars (AHL) and has been recalled to Chicago Wednesday. He will replace the injured Petr Mrazek, who is dealing with a groin injury.
Michael McCarron has been reassigned to Milwaukee (AHL).
Kevin Gravel has been recalled from Milwaukee (AHL).
Michael Kesselring has been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL).
Kesselring has 14 goals, 10 assists, 45 PIMs and a +7 plus/minus through 52 games with Tucson (AHL) and Bakersfield (AHL) and has been recalled by Arizona Tuesday. The 23-year-old had previously played in one game this season, failing to pick up a point.
Bokondji Imama has been called up from Tucson (AHL).
Imama failed to pick up a point in two games with Arizona but had five PIMs and a -1 plus/minus and was reassigned to Tucson (AHL) on Monday but has been recalled Tuesday. The 26-year-old returns from the Roadrunners, where he had five goals, 12 points, 96 PIMs and a +4 plus/minus through 41 games prior to his call-up.
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.