Grigori Denisenko has been loaned to the Charlotte Checkers (AHL).
Denisenko had three assists, 12 SOG, and a -4 plus/minus through 12 games with Florida but has been loaned to Charlotte (AHL) to make room for Mack Guzda on the active roster.
NHL Hockey Player News
Kevin Gravel has been reassigned to Milwaukee (AHL).
Gravel had failed to pick up a point through five games with the Predators, with six SOG, and a -4 plus/minus but has been reassigned to Milwaukee (AHL) on Friday. Gravel had a goal, nine assists, 16 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus through 36 games with Mulwaukee prior to his previous promotion.
Tommy Novak has been reassigned to Milwaukee (AHL).
Max McCormick has been recalled from Coachella Valley (AHL).
McCormick had 18 goals, 24 assists, 36 PIMs and a +18 plus/minus through 38 games with Coachella Valley (AHL) as their captain but has been recalled to Seattle for the first time this season. The 30-year-old has played in 93 career NHL games previously, with eight goals, five assists, 102 SOG and 97 PIMs.
Milos Kelemen has been reassigned to the Tuscon Roadrunners (AHL).
Kelemen failed to pick up a point in his one-game showing with the Arizona Coyotes and will head back to the Tuscon Roadrunners (AHL) Thursday. Prior to his promotion, he had nine goals, 11 assists, 26 PIMs and a -12 plus/minus.
Kevin Mandolese has been recalled from Belleville (AHL).
Mandolese has been recalled to his third level this season after seeing time early with the Allen Americans (ECHL) and then moving up to the Belleville Senators (AHL) before receiving his promotion to the Senators Thursday. The 22-year-old netminder struggled in Belleville, with his 4-6-2 record, .886 SV% and 3.39 GAA but got the call-up due to Cam Talbot leaving Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury.
Phil Di Giuseppe has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL).
Ty Smith has been reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
Smith had one goal, three assists, 27 SOG, and a +3 plus/minus through nine games but was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) after being a healthy scratch in each of the last two Penguin games. Smith heads back to the AHL for a second time, where he had four goals and 14 points through 26 games prior to his previous promotion.
Dustin Tokarski has been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Tokarski has a 9-6-4 record, 2.27 GAA and .923 SV% in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) and has been recalled for a second time this season. In his previous stint with Pittsburgh, he had two appearances, leading to a 1-1-0 record, .915 SV% and 2.67 GAA.
Cayden Primeau has been reassigned to Laval (AHL).
Primeau saw one period of action with the Canadiens stopping six of seven shots (.857 SV%) before being sent back down to Laval (AHL) on Wednesday. The 23-year-old heads back to the AHL where he struggled prior to his promotion, with a 4-6-3 record, 3.65 GAA and .890 SV%.
Send Down
The Stars have loaned Frederik Olofsson to Texas (AHL).
Olofsson had one goal and three assists in 13 games with Dallas but was pushed out of the lineup with Roope Hintz returning on Monday. Olofsson heads back to the AHL, where he has 12 points (4G / 8A) in 28 games this season.
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Sammy Blais has been reassigned to Hartford (AHL) for conditioning.
Blais had five assists, 30 SOG, eight PIMs and a +2 plus/minus through 38 games with the Rangers but will be assigned to Hartford (AHL) for a conditioning stint. Will Cuylle has been recalled while Blais heads to Hartford for no longer than 14 days.
Will Cuylle has been recalled from the Hartford Wolfpack (AHL).
Muylle had 13 goals, seven assists, 39 PIMs and a +3 plus/minus through 39 games with Hartford (AHL) and has earned his first career NHL call up to New York on Tuesday. The 2020 2nd round pick (60th overall) will make his NHL debut if he finds himself in the lineup at any time during his call up.
The Coyotes have recalled Miloš Kelemen from Tucson (AHL).
Kelemen has picked up 20 points (9G / 11A) in 39 games with Tucson this season, his first year in North America. The 23-year-old will replace Michael Carcone on the Coyotes roster and could make his NHL debut on Tuesday.
The Coyotes have reassigned Michael Carcone to Tucson (AHL).
Carcone had one assist in three games during his most recent call-up, giving him three points (2G / 1A) in nine NHL games this season. Carcone returns to the AHL, where he leads the league with 51 points (20G / 31A) in 32 games this season.
Nikolai Knyzhov has been sent down to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) for a long-term conditioning loan.
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Rourke Chartier has been activated from the injured reserve (upper body) and reassigned to Belleville (AHL).
Chartier has been out since Dec. 22nd due to an upper-body injured but was reactivated off the injured reserve Monday and reassigned to Belleville (AHL). In six games with the Senators, he failed to pick up a point and had eight SOG.
Luke Philp has been recalled from Rockford (AHL) for the first time in his career.
Philp had 14 goals, 16 assists, 19 PIMs and a +6 plus/minus through 31 games with Rockford (AHL) and has been recalled from Rockford (AHL) for the first time in his career Monday. The 27-year-old will be hoping to make his NHL debut after four strong AHL seasons in Stockton and Rockford.
Filip Roos has been recalled from the Rockford IceHogs (AHL).
Roos had three goals, four assists, 14 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus through 17 games with Rockford (AHL) but will head back to Chicago for a second time this season. In his previous stint with the big club in Chicago, he had one goal, two assists, four PIMs and a -7 plus/minus through 15 games.
Isaak Phillips has been returned to Rockford (AHL).
Phillips had a goal, three assists, five PIMs and a -7 plus/minus through 11 games with the Blackhawks but will head back down to Rockford (AHL) Monday after he was reassigned there by Chicago. Phillips was successful in his previous stint in Rockford, with three goals, 14 assists and 32 PIMs in 25 games prior to earning 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.