George has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Benning has been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
With Anthony Stolarz being activated off IR and returning to Toronto's roster, Matt Benning has been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). The 31-year-old appeared in one game with the Maple Leafs this season and failed to pick up a point. He returns to the Marlies, where he has two goals and 10 points in 16 games played this season.
Hildeby has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
With Anthony Stolarz returning from IR on Friday, Dennis Hildeby was the odd man out on Toronto's roster and has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). The 24-year-old towering netminder played incredibly well during his time filling in for Stolarz, with a 5-6-4 record, 2.90 GAA and .912 SV% in a career high 19 appearances.
Sabourin has been reassigned to Syracuse (AHL).
Sabourin did not appear in any games during his current call up and will return to Syracuse (AHL) on Friday. The 33-year-old has appeared in nine games this year, picking up a goal, 3 points and 63 PIMs.
Jones has been recalled from Rochester (AHL).
With Jacob Bryson being placed on IR on Friday, Zac Jones has earned a call up to Buffalo from Rochester (AHL). The 25-year-old has yet to appear in a game this season for the Sabres but has an impressive six goals and 37 points in 32 games with Rochester.
Megna has been assigned to Henderson (AHL).
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The Jets have assigned Danny Zhilkin to Manitoba (AHL).
Zhilkin appeared in four games during his call-up but was a healthy scratch for the last five games. He returns to the AHL, where has tallied seven goals and seven assists (14 points) in 30 games this season.
The Jets have assigned Isaak Phillips to Manitoba (AHL).
Phillips appeared in two games with the Jets during his call-up. He failed to record a point, while registering three SOG and two PIMS in 8:11 ATOI. He returns to the AHL, where he has 13 points (3G / 10A) in 33 games this season.
Thrun has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Thrun will likely serve as insurance for Thursday's game with both Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Carlo nicked up. Both of them took part in the morning skate, suggesting that they will play and Thrun will enjoy an NHL pay check as a healthy scratch. He has spent most of the season with the Toronto Marlies, where he has 14 points (3G / 11A) in 28 games.
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Jones has been reassigned to Iowa (AHL).
With Minnesota getting healthy bodies back, Ben Jones found himself the odd man out on Friday as he was reassigned to Iowa (AHL). The 26-year-old took 20 games to pick up his first career point this season but has since collected two points in his last six games played. In 26 games this season, he has two points in 26 games played and will be one of the first call ups when Minnesota needs an extra forward.
Haight has been reassigned to Iowa (AHL).
Haight's most recent call up lasted three games as the 21-year-old centre has been returned to Iowa (AHL) on Friday with Minnesota having a few players return from injury. The 21-year-old Haight made his NHL debut in October but has yet to pick up his first career point. He returns to Iowa, where he had seven goals and 12 points in 26 games prior to his most recent call up.
Melanson has been recalled from Coachella Valley (AHL).
Melanson returns from the AHL after Ben Meyers landed on IR on Wednesday. Melanson has been an absolute wrecking ball on the Kraken's fourth line, averaging 4.3 hits per game in his 15 games this season. During his time in the AHL, the 22-year-old has picked up 16 points (7G / 9A) in 26 games with Coachella Valley.
The Wild reassigned Aube-Kubel to Iowa (AHL) on Thursday.
Aube-Kubel was reassigned to make room for Joel Eriksson Ek (undisclosed) being activated off injured reserve. Aube-Kubel has zero goals and one assist in four NHL games this season.
Chernyshov has been re-assigned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
With the return of Will Smith and the emergence of Pavol Regenda, Igor Chernyshov found himself the odd man out and was re-assigned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) on Thursday. The 20-year-old Russian forward will surely be San Jose's first call up when needed after he had an impressive first NHL stint, with three goals and 11 points in 15 games played.
Halliday has been recalled from Belleville (AHL).
Halliday made his NHL debut earlier this season, recording six points (0G / 6A) in 18 games, but has split time with Belleville (AHL). The 23-year-old Halliday was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
White has been recalled from Utica (AHL).
With Luke Hughes (shoulder) on LTIR, the Devils have recalled White from Utica (AHL). The 28-year-old White played 23 games with the Devils earlier this season, tallying four assists.
Bains has been re-assigned to Abbotsford (AHL).
Bains has played a career-high 28 games with Vancouver this season, but will report to the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL). The 25-year-old has had trouble staying in the lineup for Vancouver and has five points (1G / 4A) in 28 games.
Miroshnichenko has been reassigned to Hershey (AHL).
Miroshnichenko went scoreless in four games with the Capitals this season, but has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. The 20th-overall pick from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft has 16 points (6G / 10A) in 20 games with Hershey (AHL) this season.
Shabanov is expected to draw back into New York's lineup in Seattle on Wednesday.
Marc Gatcomb will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Shabanov to re-enter the lineup against the Seattle Kraken. The 25-year-old Shabanov, in his first NHL season, has 15 points (4G / 11A) in 35 games this season.
Ahcan has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
Ahcan has played six games with the Avalanche this season, matching a career-high, and has one assist. The 28-year-old defenseman has spent most of his career in the AHL, including scoring an impressive 24 points (5G / 19A) through 29 games with the Colorado Eagles 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.