The Coyotes have recalled Kyle Capobianco from Tucson (AHL).
Capobianco comes up from the AHL because Jordan Oesterle was hurt last night and Capobianco will likely serve as a reserve defenseman with Ilya Lyubushkin replacing Oesterle.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
The Islanders have recalled Otto Koivula from Bridgeport (AHL).
Koivula, 21, has two goals and two assists in seven games with Bridgeport this season. He did not appear in a game with the Islanders during his first call-up but could make his NHL debut on this home-stand.
The Islanders recalled Seth Helgeson from Bridgeport (AHL).
Helgeson, 29, has three assists in 12 games with Bridgeport this season and comes up to serve as an extra defenseman because Nick Leddy is out. Helgeson has one goal and three assists (four points) in 50 career NHL games (all with the Devils).
Senyshyn has been recalled from Providence (AHL) and may make his season debut on Tuesday.
Senyshyn was a first-round pick in 2015 (No.15 overall) and has one goal in two career NHL games to-date. Senyshyn has had a slow start to the 2019-20 campaign, scoring just two goals with one assist in 12 AHL games.
Call Up
Petan has been recalled from Toronto (AHL) and will play on Tuesday.
Petan didn't do much with the Maple Leafs earlier in the year but had a nice two-game stint with the Marlies, picking up two goals and three assists. He will replace Dmytro Timashov on the fourth line and re-enters the lineup with one goal and one assist in nine career games with the Maple Leafs.
The Sharks haver recalled Radim Simek from his conditioning assignment with San Jose (AHL).
Simek underwent knee surgery in March and was assigned to the Barracuda for a conditioning stint last Monday. The 27-year-old blueliner had two assists in two AHL games and his return to the Sharks suggests that he will make his season debut on Tuesday (vs. CHI) or Thursday (vs. MIN).
The Sharks have reassigned Jonny Brodzinski to San Jose (AHL).
Brodzinski is dealing with a shoulder injury so they swap him for Lean Bergmann to help the Sharks in the immediate future. Brodzinski has two goals and one assist in three games with the Barracuda this season.
The Sharks have recalled Lean Bergmann from San Jose (AHL).
Bergmann split the first month of the season between the NHL and AHL. He had one assist in six games with the Sharks and has picked up eight points (3G / 5A) in six games with the Barracuda. Bergmann takes Jonny Brodzinski's spot on the roster.
Send Down
The Jets have assigned forward C.J. Suess to Manitoba (AHL).
Suess appeared in one game during his call-up but with Patrik Laine back from injury and Adam Lowry back from suspension, he has been pushed back to the Moose, where he has one goal in eight games.
The Bruins have reassigned Peter Cehlarik to Providence (AHL).
Cehlarik dressed in two of the last three games for Boston but Brett Ritchie is expected back on Monday, so Cehlarik heads back to the AHL. The 24-year-old will provide a massive boost to Providence, as he currently leads the team with 10 points (6G / 4A) despite only playing in seven of 13 games.
The Bruins have recalled Cameron Hughes from Providence (AHL).
Hughes was a sixth-round pick back in 2015 and it appears as if he will make his NHL debut on Monday night. The 5-foot-11, 175 lbs. forward has six points (2G / 4A) in 13 games with Providence so far this season and skated on a line with Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner at the morning skate. Peter Cehlarik was sent back to the AHL to make room for Hughes, who will effectively replace David Backes (upper-body) in the lineup.
The Golden Knights have recalled Nic Roy from Chicago (AHL).
Roy returns to the NHL because Vegas starts a four-game road-trip on Tuesday but also because Alex Tuch was hurt in their last game. Roy, who scored a goal in his season debut (Oct.27), would likely take Tuch's spot in the lineup if he can't play in Columbus. During his time in the AHL, the 22-year-old centre has picked up just one assist in seven games.
The Golden Knights have recalled Nic Hague from Chicago (AHL).
Vegas is set to start a four-game road-trip on Tuesday so Hague and Nic Roy come up from the AHL as reserves. For Hague, he has appeared in eight games with Vegas this season, tallying two assists, nine shots and seven hits while playing 14:59 ATOI. With Nate Schmidt back on the blueline, it may be difficult for the young defenseman to get into the lineup on this trip.
The Sabres have recalled Lawrence Pilut from Rochester (AHL).
The Canadiens have recalled Ryan Poehling from Laval (AHL).
Send Down
The Islanders have sent Otto Koivula to Bridgeport (AHL).
Send Down
The Golden Knights have assigned Garret Sparks to Chicago (AHL).
The Canucks have recalled Oscar Fantenburg from a conditioning loan with Utica (AHL).
Fantenberg did not register a point in two games with the Comets and returns to Vancouver because Quinn Hughes suffered a lower-body injury on Friday night. Fantenberg or Ashton Sautner will likely replace Hughes on Saturday night.
The Bruins have recalled Peter Cehlarik from Providence (AHL).
Cehlarik will draw into the Bruins lineup on Saturday with Brett Ritchie sidelined with an infection. Cehlarik has enjoyed a terrific start to the 2019-20 AHL season, registering 10 points (6G / 4A) in seven games. He has 10 points (5G / 5A) in 38 career games with Boston.
Send Down
The Blue Jackets have reassigned Jakob Lilja to Cleveland (AHL).
Lilja appeared in the last two games while replacing an injured Alexandre Texier but heads to the AHL for the first time in his career. Kole Sherwood comes up from Cleveland (AHL) to take his spot on Saturday.
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.