NHL Hockey Player News

Jaycob Megna(D)|FLA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Ducks are expected to recall Jaycob Megna from San Diego (AHL) prior to Tuesday's game.

Megna, 24, has one assist in 11 games with the Ducks this season and one assist in three games with San Diego. Megna has been recalled because Hampus Lindholm is questionable for tonight’s game due to an upper-body injury.

Source:
Eric Stephens 2017-12-05T13:36:55.000Z
Jaycob Megna
Matt Moulson(LW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
Moulson has cleared waivers and been assigned to Rochester (AHL).

Moulson, 34, failed to record a point in 14 games with the Sabres this season, leading to him being placed on waivers on Monday. Moulson struggled since signing with the Sabres prior to the 2014-15 season, registering just 94 points (35G / 59A) in 253 games. He will play in the AHL for the first time since 2008-09.

Source:
Joe Yerdon 2017-12-05T12:17:11.000Z
Matt Moulson
Marek Langhamer(G)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes have send Marek Langhamer to Tucson (AHL).

Langhamer’s return to the AHL suggests that the Coyotes may be getting Antti Raanta back in time for Thursday’s game in Boston. Langhamer stopped all 10 shots that he faced in relief of Scott Wedgewood on November 25th but that was the only action that he saw. He returns to the Roadrunners where he is 1-0-1 with a 1.59 GAA and .947 SV% in three games.

Source:
Arizona Coyotes 2017-12-05T11:11:17.000Z
Marek Langhamer
Kyle Capobianco(D)|DAL
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes recalled Kyle Capobianco from Tucson (AHL) on Monday.

Capobianco, 20, was a third round pick (No.63 overall) in 2015 and has earned his first career call-up after posting two goals and 12 assists (14 points) in 17 games with the Roadrunners. The Coyotes recently got Jakob Chychrun back, so there’s no word who Capobianco would replace if he gets into the Coyotes lineup.

Source:
Arizona Coyotes 2017-12-05T11:08:59.000Z
Kyle Capobianco
Dominic Toninato(C)|WPG
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Avalanche have assigned Dominic Toninato to San Antonio (AHL).

Toninato, 23, recorded one assist in eight games with the Avalanche during his call-up. Toninato returns to the AHL with Colin Wilson back to 100 percent—he has three goals and three assists (six points) in 13 games with the Rampage.

Source:
Mike Chambers 2017-12-04T13:49:31.000Z
Dominic Toninato
Anders Lindback(G)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Predators returned Anders Lindback to Milwaukee (AHL) on Sunday.

The Predators continue to flip Juuse Saros and Lindback to get Saros some starts. With a back-to-back on Monday/Tuesday, the Predators have brought Saros back to start him in one of those games. Lindback returns to Milwaukee where he is 11-4-0 with a 2.32 GAA and .925 SV%.

Source:
@PredsPR 2017-12-04T10:22:12.000Z
Anders Lindback
Juuse Saros(G)|NSH
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Predators recalled Juuse Saros from Milwaukee (AHL) on Sunday.

The Predators continue to try and get Saros some playing time in the AHL when they know Pekka Rinne will start a stretch of games. With Nashville having a back-to-back on Monday/Tuesday, Saros has been recalled and will likely start one of those games. Saros has struggled this season, going 0-3-0 with a 3.53 GAA and .874 SV% in three AHL games and a 1-3-1 with a 3.71 GAA and .870 SV% with Nashville.

Source:
@PredsPR 2017-12-04T10:20:04.000Z
Juuse Saros
Sonny Milano(LW)|WAS
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Blue Jackets are expected to assign Sonny Milano to Cleveland (AHL).

Milano, who was the No. 16 overall pick in 2014, has had an average first quarter of the season, collecting five goals and five assists (10 points) in 24 games this season. He’ll return to Cleveland but will likely be the first forward recalled in the future. Milano had 47 points (18G / 29A) in 54 AHL games last season.

Source:
Brian Hedger 2017-12-04T09:22:56.000Z
Sonny Milano
Mark Alt(RD)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Flyers have recalled Mark Alt from Lehigh Valley (AHL).

Alt has picked up five goals and four assists (nine points) in 16 games with the Phantoms this season. Alt has not picked up a point in six games with the Flyers and he has been recalled before Samuel Morin because Morin is dealing with an injury.

Source:
Sam Carchidi 2017-12-02T10:16:32.000Z
Mark Alt
Jean-Francois Berube(G)|FLA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks have recalled J-F Berube from Rockford (AHL).

Corey Crawford was placed on IR on Friday afternoon, so Berube has been recalled to serve as the Blackhawks’ No.2 behind Anton Forsberg. Chicago has a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday, so Berube, who is 6-6-0 with a 2.54 GAA and .913 SV% in 12 AHL starts could make his Blackhawks debut this weekend.

Source:
Eric Lear 2017-12-01T14:34:32.000Z
Jean-Francois Berube
Matt Tennyson(RD)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Sabres have sent Matt Tennyson to Rochester (AHL).

Tennyson failed to record a point in 14 games with the Sabres this season, but with Zach Bogosian set to make his season debut on Friday, Tennyson heads to the AHL. Tennyson had seven points (3G / 4A) in nine games the last time he was in the AHL (2016-17).

Source:
@BuffaloSabres 2017-12-01T12:57:47.000Z
Matt Tennyson
Josh Archibald(RW)|TBL
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Penguins have sent Josh Archibald to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) on a conditioning assignment.

Archibald has been with the Penguins for the duration of the season but has only appeared in two games, so his assignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will allow him to get some playing time. Archibald had 16 goals and 13 assists (29 points) in 61 AHL games last season.

Source:
@penguins 2017-12-01T10:55:47.000Z
Josh Archibald

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.