Brett Seney has been recalled from Rockford (AHL).
NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Cole Guttman has been recalled from Rockford (AHL) and will make his NHL debut Wednesday.
Wayne Simmonds has cleared waivers Wednesday and been reassigned to Toronto (AHL).
Simmonds has one assist, seven SOG and 34 PIMs across 13 games with the Maple Leafs this season but has once again cleared waivers as he has been reassigned to the AHL.
Arvid Holm has been reassigned to the Manitoba Moose (AHL).
Holm did not see any NHL action while called up to the Jets and heads back to the Manitoba Moose (AHL) Wednesday. The 24-year-old has been solid with the Moose this season, shown by his 11-7-3 record, .914 SV% and 2.73 GAA.
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Eetu Makiniemi has been reassigned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Makiniemi has been returned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) where he has an 8-10-3 record, .900 SV% and 2.96 GAA after being recalled to the Sharks for the second time this season Tuesday. In his previous stint with the Sharks this season, he had a 1-0-1 record, .906 SV%, 2.13 GAA so he will hope to be up with the big club again soon.
Nick Cicek has been reassigned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Cicek had four assists, 15 PIMs and a -7 plus/minus through 14 games but will head back to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Wednesday. He heads back to the Barracuda, where he had one assist and 20 PIMs across 20 games played prior to his promotion.
Marian Studenic has been loaned to the Texas Stars (AHL).
This seems to only be a paper move as Studenic is expected to return to Dallas on Friday when the team returns to game action. The 24-year-old has yet to pick up a point in any of his three contests he has appeared in, with a -1 plus/minus and four SOG.
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Ben Meyers has been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
Meyers had a goal, 23 SOG, and a -4 plus/minus through 29 games with the Colorado Avalanche but has been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) Wednesday. The 24-year-old returns to the minors, where he had three goals, five assists, and 11 PIMs through his 14 games played.
The Canucks recalled Arturs Silovs from Abbotsford (AHL).
Silovs has gone 21-9-4 with a 2.48 GAA and .906 SV% in 35 games with Abbotsford (AHL) this season. It's believed that he will serve as Collin Delia's backup on Wednesday, with Spencer Martin heading to the AHL after clearing waivers. Silovs will likely go back to the AHL by the end of the week, making room for Thatcher Demko to return to the Canucks' crease.
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The Canucks loaned Spencer Martin to Abbotsford (AHL).
Martin cleared waivers on Tuesday and was sent to the AHL to start Tuesday's game. He started the 2022-23 season off OK, going 6-1-1 with a .907 SV%, but his game fell off a cliff in December, going 5-14-0 with an .854 SV% in his last 21 appearances. Moving him to Abbotsford (AHL) clears the way for Thatcher Demko to return later this week. Arturs Silovs was recalled in a corresponding move, and he's expected to serve as Collin Delia's backup on Wednesday.
Jonsson-Fjällby cleared waivers and has been assigned to Manitoba (AHL).
Holm has been recalled from Manitoba (AHL) and is expected to backup on Tuesday.
Jakub Vrana has been recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Vrana had six goals, five assists, four PIMs and a -2 plus/minus through 17 games played with Grand Rapids (AHL) and has been called up Tuesday for the second time this season. Vrana had a goal and two points in two games prior to entering the NHL and NHLPA's Player Assistance Program on October 19th.
Eetu Makiniemi has been recalled from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and will back up on Tuesday.
Makiniemi has an 8-10-3 record, .900 SV% and 2.96 GAA with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and has been recalled to the Sharks for the second time this season. In his previous stint with the Sharks this season, he had a 1-0-1 record, .906 SV%, 2.13 GAA.
The Avalanche have recalled Brad Hunt from Colorado (AHL).
Hunt had three goals, three assists, 29 SOG, eight PIMs and a +1 plus/minus through 27 games was sent down and cleared waivers Monday, before being called back up Tuesday. He heads backup and will not be adding to his success in the minors, where he had a very strong start the year, with six goals and 20 points in 22 games.
The Avalanche have recalled Ben Meyers from Colorado (AHL).
Meyers has three goals, five assists, and 11 PIMs through 14 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) and has been recalled back to the Avalanche Tuesday. Through 28 games so far this season with the Avalanche in his previous stints with the big club, he has one goal, six PIMs and a -5 plus/minus.
Joe Snively has been recalled from Hershey (AHL).
Snively has five goals, three assists, four PIMs and a +2 plus/minus in Hershey (AHL) but was recalled Tuesday after it was announced Alex Ovechkin would be stepping away from the team for personal reasons. It is Snively's second call up, having an assist through his first six game earlier this season with the Capitals.
Erik Kallgren has been recalled by the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Kallgren has a 5-4-2 record, 3.29 GAA and .878 SV% with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) and has been recalled to the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday. This is the 26-year-olds second stint with the big club, going 3-2-4 with a 2.67 GAA and .898 SV% across 10 games his last time with the Maple Leafs.
Samuel Ersson has been recalled from Lehigh Valley (AHL).
Ersson had a 15-10-1 record, .911 SV% and 2.58 GAA with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL) and has been recalled for a second time Monday to the Philadelphia Flyers. The 23-year-old was exceptional in his previous NHL stint this season, going an undefeated 5-0-0 with a 2.37 GAA and .918 SV%.
Kieffer Bellows has been recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL).
Bellows had three goals, 10 points, 16 PIMs and a +3 plus/minus with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL) and was recalled Monday to Philadelphia. It is his second stint with the Flyers, picking up a goal and six PIMs through 15 games played previously with the team this season.
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.