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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Garret Sparks(G)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
The Golden Knights recalled Garret Sparks from Chicago (AHL).

Oscar Dansk struggled in his NHL appearance, so Sparks come up to serve as Marc-Andre Fleury's backup while Malcolm Subban is out. Sparks has started the 2019-20 season at 2-2-1 with a 2.15 GAA and .936 SV% in five AHL games.

Source:
David Schoen 2019-10-25T13:51:00.385Z
Garret Sparks
Givani Smith(RW)|CAR
Call Up
Call Up
The Red Wings have recalled Givani Smith from Grand Rapids (AHL).

Smith was a second-round pick (No.46 overall) in 2016 and is poised to make his NHL debut on Friday night. Luke Glendening left Wednesday's game with an upper-body injury, so Smith is expected to replace him in the Red Wings' bottom-6. The 6-foot-2, 220 lbs. winger has two goals and two assists (four points) in four AHL games this season.

Source:
Detroit Red Wings 2019-10-25T13:28:17.543Z
Givani Smith
Riley Stillman(D)|EDM
Call Up
Call Up
Stillman was recalled from Springfield (AHL) and will make his season debut on Thursday.

Stillman picked up one assist in five games with Springfield to start the season but has been called up because Michael Matheson will miss at least 10 days with an undisclosed injury. Stillman will play in his second career NHL game on Tuesday.

Source:
George Richards 2019-10-24T18:53:36.869Z
Riley Stillman
Dennis Gilbert(D)|OTT
Call Up
Call Up
The Blackhawks have recalled Dennis Gilbert from Rockford (AHL).

This is Gilbert's second call-up of the season and this time he could stick around for a while. Connor Murphy was moved to LTIR on Wednesday, so Gilbert could become a main-stay in the Blackhawks lineup moving forward. He will have to battle Slater Koekkoek for that right and comes up with no points in three AHL games.

Source:
Mark Lazerus 2019-10-24T14:04:53.226Z
Dennis Gilbert
Anders Bjork(LW)|FA
Send Down
Send Down
The Bruins have assigned Anders Bjork to Providence (AHL).

Bjork made his season debut vs. the Maple Leafs on Tuesday but gets sent back to the AHL because the Bruins are off until Saturday. How the injured Bruins recover over the next few days will determine whether or not Bjork will return for the weekend.

Source:
Boston Bruins 2019-10-23T18:00:01.917Z
Anders Bjork
Kaapo Kahkonen(G)|MTL
Call Up
Call Up
The Wild have recalled Kaapo Kahkonen from Iowa (AHL).

Not to be confused with this summer’s No.2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko, Kahkonen was a fourth-round pick in 2014. The 23-year-old netminder has gone 4-0-0 with a 2.95 GAA and .886 SV% in four AHL games this season. He is expected to serve as Alex Stalock’s backup on Thursday because Devan Dubnyk was banged up in Tuesday’s win.

Source:
Michael Russo 2019-10-23T16:39:20.169Z
Kaapo Kahkonen
Logan Brown(C)|LAK
Call Up
Call Up
The Senators have recalled Logan Brown from Belleville (AHL).

Brown was the No.11 overall pick in 2016 and he is off to a blistering start in the AHL this season. The 21-year-old centre is tied for the team-lead with seven points (3G / 4A) in five games and is expected to make his season debut vs. the Red Wings. Brown has just one assist in six career NHL games.

Source:
Wayne Scanlan 2019-10-23T14:24:22.183Z
Logan Brown
Evgeny Svechnikov(LW)|SJS
Call Up
Call Up
The Red Wings have recalled Evgeny Svechnikov from Grand Rapids (AHL).

Svechnikov has scored one goal with three assists (four points) in three games with the Griffins this season. He has been called-up once already but has not made his season debut with the Red Wings. With Adam Erne out, there's a hole in the Red Wings' middle-6 but it's unclear whether or not Svechnikov will fill it on Tuesday. He has four points (2G / 2A) in 16 career NHL games.

Source:
Helene St. James 2019-10-22T17:35:39.543Z
Evgeny Svechnikov
Alan Quine(C)|FA
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Send Down
The Flames have assigned Alan Quine to Stockton (AHL).

Quine made his season debut on Sunday with Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane out, but Mangiapane will play Tuesday so Quine heads back to the AHL. The 26-year-old forward has one goal and four assists (five points) in four games with the Heat.

Source:
Calgary Flames 2019-10-22T17:05:07.485Z
Alan Quine
Oliver Kylington(D)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
The Flames have recalled Oliver Kylington from Stockton (AHL).

Kylington was sent down on Sunday, simply because the Flames needed a forward with Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane out. With Mangiapane back tonight, Alan Quine heads back to the AHL and Kylington returns to the Flames, where he will likely serve as a healthy scratch.

Source:
Calgary Flames 2019-10-22T17:03:32.417Z
Oliver Kylington
Anders Bjork(LW)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
The Bruins have recalled Anders Bjork from Providence (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Bjork has enjoyed a great start to 2019-20, leading Providence and tied for fourth line league scoring with eight points (3G / 5A) in seven games. Bjork will likely draw into the Bruins lineup vs. Toronto and comes up with five goals and 10 assists (15 points) in 50 career NHL games.

Source:
Boston Bruins 2019-10-22T15:05:23.653Z
Anders Bjork
Yakov Trenin(C)|MIN
Send Down
Send Down
The Predators reassigned Yakov Trenin to Milwaukee (AHL).

Trenin made his NHL debut on Saturday but was returned to Milwaukee on Sunday, suggesting that one or both of Rocco Grimaldi and Filip Forsberg will be back in the lineup on Tuesday. Trenin has four goals and one assist in three AHL games this season.

Source:
Adam Vingan 2019-10-22T04:39:51.061Z
Yakov Trenin
J.C. Beaudin(RW)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
The Senators have recalled J.C. Beaudin from Belleville (AHL).

When Jordan Szwarz was sent back to Belleville, it pointed towards Artem Anisimov being ready for Monday's game, but Beaudin's recall suggests otherwise. The 22-year-old centre has no points in two AHL games this season and just nine goals and 14 assists (23 points) 98 career AHL games.

Source:
@Media_Sens 2019-10-21T15:20:56.596Z
J.C. Beaudin
Mikhail Vorobyev(C)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Vorobyov has been recalled from Lehigh Valley (AHL) and is expected to make his season debut on Monday.

Vorobyov has two goals and two assists (four points) in five games with the Phantoms this season. The former fourth-round pick had two points (1G / 1A) in 15 games with Philadelphia last year and is expected to make his season debut on the fourth-line.

Source:
Charile O'Connor 2019-10-21T15:10:29.765Z
Mikhail Vorobyev

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.