The Golden Knights reassigned Megna to Henderson (AHL) on Thursday.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Jiricek has been reassigned to Iowa (AHL).
Jiricek has split time this season between Iowa (AHL) and Minnesota, and was recalled earlier this week because of a Zach Bogosian (lower body) injury. That said, he has been reassigned to Iowa to correspond with Daemon Hunt being activated from IR. The 22-year-old Jiricek has zero points in 18 games with Minnesota this season.
Marrelli has been taken off the Injured/Non-Roster list and assigned him to Cleveland (AHL).
Marrelli was a third-round pick, 86th overall, of the Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old defenseman has yet to play in 2025-26 and will make his professional debut with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL).
Mayo has cleared waivers and will be reassigned to Cleveland (AHL).
Mayo played two games for the Blue Jackets this season, recording one assist, but has been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) after clearing waivers. The 29-year-old defenseman had played exclusively in the AHL the previous two seasons.
Del Mastro has been reassigned to Rockford (AHL).
Del Mastro recently played two games for the Blackhawks, but has been reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs (AHL). The 22-year-old defenseman has 11 points (1G / 10A) in 27 games with Rockford.
Fisker-Molgaard has been recalled from Coachella Valley (AHL).
Fisker-Molgaard was drafted 52nd overall by the Kraken in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut earlier this season, scoring one assist in two games. The 20-year-old forward has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 30 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL) this season.
Guttman has been recalled from Ontario (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Guttman has 14 points (8G / 6A) in 41 career NHL games, but has spent the entirety of the previous two seasons in the AHL. The 26-year-old forward has 23 points (9G / 14A) in 31 games with the Ontario Reign (AHL) this season.
Ivan has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
Ivan made his NHL debut last season and scored eight points (5G / 3A) in 40 games with the Avalanche, but has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. The 23-year-old Czech forward has eight points (2G / 6A) in 28 games with the Eagles (AHL) this season.
Koivunen has been re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
Koivunen scored a goal in his most recent game and has two points (1G / 1A) in his last three outings, but has been assigned to the AHL. The 22-year-old forward has five points (2G / 3A) in 27 games with Pittsburgh this season.
Engstrom has been loaned to Laval (AHL).
Engstrom has played two of the past five games for the Canadiens, but has been used sparingly and should see more consistent playing time with Laval (AHL). The 22-year-old defenseman is averaging 12:32 time-on-ice and has zero points in 11 games this season.
Washe has been recalled from San Diego (AHL).
Washe made his NHL debut last season after playing five seasons collegiately with Western Michigan University. The undrafted 24-year-old forward has spent the entirety of this season with the San Diego Gulls (AHL), where he has 25 points (13G / 12A) in 30 games.
Winnipeg has recalled Danny Zhilkin from Manitoba (AHL).
Zhilkin was a third round pick of the Jets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old forward has yet to play an NHL game. He has 14 points (7G / 7A) in 30 games with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) this season.
Lee has been recalled from Ontario (AHL).
With the Kings battling through some injuries to their forward group, they have recalled Lee from the Ontario Reign (AHL). The 25-year-old Lee has a 19-game stint with the Kings last season, but has primarily been an AHL player. He has 27 points (15G / 12A) in 32 games with Ontario this season.
Ward has been recalled from Ontario (AHL).
With the Kings battling through some injuries to their forward group, they have recalled Ward from the Ontario Reign (AHL). The 27-year-old Ward has only played one NHL game in his career. He has 21 points (12G / 9A) in 32 games with Ontario this season.
Pyyhtia has been recalled from Cleveland (AHL).
With Mason Marchment (upper body) placed on Injured Reserve, Columbus has recalled Pyyhtia from the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). The 24-year-old Pyyhtia has 22 points (7G / 15A) in 23 games with Cleveland this season.
Leason has been recalled from Hershey (AHL).
Leason is no stranger to the NHL, with 54 points (25G / 29A) in 220 career games, but has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL. The 26-year-old forward has 14 points (6G / 8A) in 20 games with Hershey (AHL) this season. Aliaksei Protas (undisclosed) has been placed on Injured Reserve in a corresponding move.
Brunicke has been assigned to Kamloops (WHL).
Brunicke was drafted 44th overall by the Penguins in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and has split time between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) in his first full professional season. The 19-year-old defenseman scored one goal in nine games with Pittsburgh and has just returned from a stint with Team Canada at the U-20 World Junior Championships, where he had two assists in seven games.
Berard has been reassigned to Hartford (AHL).
Berard was a fifth-round pick of the Rangers in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old has nine points (2G / 7A) in 20 games with Hartford (AHL) this season, but zero points in 12 games with the Rangers.
Morrow has been recalled from Hartford (AHL).
With Adam Fox (undisclosed) on LTIR, the Rangers have recalled Morrow from Hartford (AHL). The 23-year-old Morrow averaged 15:34 time-on-ice and had three assists in 16 games with the Rangers earlier this season.
Martin has been recalled from Hartford (AHL).
With Igor Shesterkin (lower body) on Injured Reserve, the Rangers have recalled Spencer Martin from Hartford (AHL) to serve as Jonathan Quick's backup. The 30-year-old Martin had a 3.56 GAA and .883 SV% in 66 career NHL games (24-30-8).
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.