NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Wade Megan(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
Megan cleared waivers and has been reassigned to Chicago (AHL).

Megan appeared in one game with the Blues but heads back to Chicago after clearing waivers on Thursday. Megan had a really nice AHL season a year ago, collecting 33 goals and 33 assists (66 points) in 73 games.

Source:
Lou Korac 2017-10-19T16:14:27.000Z
Wade Megan
Zane McIntyre(G)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
McIntyre will come up from Providence (AHL) and backup Anton Khudobin on Thursday.

With Tuukka Rask (undisclosed) out, McIntyre has been recalled to backup Anton Khudobin on Thursday. McIntyre has gone 2-1-0 with a 2.35 GAA and .914 SV% in three starts with the Providence Bruins so far this season.

Source:
Amalie Benjamin 2017-10-19T15:46:29.000Z
Zane McIntyre
Peter Cehlarik(LW)|BOS
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Bruins have recalled Peter Cehlarik from Providence (AHL).

Cehlarik, 22, has registered five points (2G / 3A) in three games with Providence this season. He appeared in 11 games with the Bruins last season, recording just two assists. Cehlarik could draw into the lineup for his season debut tomorrow.

Source:
Joe McDonald 2017-10-18T12:16:15.000Z
Peter Cehlarik
Kenny Agostino(LW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Bruins have recalled Kenny Agostino from Providence (AHL).

Agostino has been an excellent AHL producer over the years, but has not really been given a chance in the NHL since being drafted in the fifth round in 2010. Agostino had 83 points (24G / 59A) in 65 games with the Chicago Wolves last season and picked up seven points (2G / 5A) in three games with Providence this season.

Source:
Joe McDonald 2017-10-18T12:14:25.000Z
Kenny Agostino
Brendan Lemieux(LW)|CAR
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Jets have recalled Brendan Lemieux from Manitoba (AHL).

Lemieux, 21, was a second-round pick (No.31 overall) in 2014 but has never appeared in an NHL game to this point. Lemieux has had a hot start in the AHL, collecting three goals and two assists (five points) in four games with Manitoba. Lemieux will not be in the lineup on Tuesday.

Source:
Sean Reynolds 2017-10-17T16:02:22.000Z
Brendan Lemieux
Justin Auger(RW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Kings have recalled Justin Auger from Ontario (AHL).

Auger, 23, was a fourth round pick (No.103) in 2013 and appears set to make his NHL debut on Wednesday. Auger is a monster, standing in at 6-foot-7, 229 lbs. and is expected to skate on the Kings’ third line with Michael Cammalleri and Adrian Kempe. Auger, who had no points in three AHL games this season, managed to record 20 points (11G / 9A) and 58 PIMS in 61 games with the Reign last season.

Source:
Los Angeles Kings 2017-10-17T16:00:54.000Z
Justin Auger
Danton Heinen(LW)|PIT
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Bruins have assigned Danton Heinen to Providence (AHL).

Heinen had a nice run with the Bruins, registering three assists in three games during his call-up. With Patrice Bergeron and David Backes expected to play on Thursday, the Bruins needed to clear some roster spots. Heinen had one assist in one game with Providence before his call-up and he will likely be one of the first forwards brought back from the AHL.

Source:
Boston Bruins 2017-10-17T12:26:14.000Z
Danton Heinen
Austin Czarnik(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Bruins have assigned Austin Czarnik to Providence (AHL).

Czarnik, 24, did not record a point in two games with the Bruins and with Patrice Bergeron and David Backes expected to return on Thursday, they needed to clear a couple of roster spots. Czarnik returns to Providence where he had 23 points (6G / 17A) in 22 games last season.

Source:
Boston Bruins 2017-10-17T12:24:44.000Z
Austin Czarnik
Frederick Gaudreau(C)|SEA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Predators have recalled Frederick Gaudreau from Milwaukee (AHL).

The 24-year-old forward had a nice postseason for the Predators last season, picking up three goals in eight playoff games. Gaudreau has also had a nice start to his AHL season, registering four points (1G / 3A) in three games with the Admirals. He comes up to take Yannick Weber’s roster spot and could make his season debut on Tuesday.

Source:
Nashville Predators 2017-10-17T10:58:00.000Z
Frederick Gaudreau
Brad Malone(C)|EDM
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Brad Malone from Bakersfield (AHL).

Malone has recorded three points (2G / 1A) in three games with Bakersfield and could make his Oilers debut on Tuesday. Malone has been recalled because Leon Draisaitl (concussion) is on IR and Drake Caggiula (undisclosed) is also sidelined.

Source:
@EdmontonOilers 2017-10-16T15:55:41.000Z
Brad Malone
Marek Langhamer(G)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes have sent Marek Langhamer to Tucson (AHL).

Langhamer, 23, served as Louis Domingue’s backup over the weekend but will swap spots with Adin Hill and head back to Tucson. Langhamer has yet to appear in a game this season, but was 8-11-0 with a 3.36 GAA and .902 SV% in 25 games with the Roadrunners last year.

Source:
Arizona Coyotes 2017-10-16T13:54:54.000Z
Marek Langhamer
Adin Hill(G)|VGK
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes have recalled Adin Hill from Tucson (AHL).

Hill, 21, was a third round pick in 2015 (No.76 overall) and appeared in 40 games with the Roadrunners last season. The Canadian netminder posted a 3.16 GAA and .906 SV% last year, but has impressed through two starts this season, going 1-1-0 while stopping 30 of 31 shots (.968 SV%) in two starts with Tucson. He will likely serve as Louis Domingue’s backup on Tuesday.

Source:
Arizona Coyotes 2017-10-16T13:53:21.000Z
Adin Hill
Kyle Connor(LW)|WPG
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Jets have recalled Kyle Connor from Manitoba (AHL).

Connor, 20, who was expected to make the Jets out of training camp, was sent to Manitoba to open the season and has picked up three goals and two assists (five points) in four games with the Moose. Connor will replace Mathieu Perreault in the lineup and is expected to skate with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine on Tuesday. Connor has five points (2G / 3A) in 20 career NHL games.

Source:
Jamie Thomas 2017-10-16T13:28:31.000Z
Kyle Connor
Denis Malgin(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Panthers have recalled Denis Malgin from Springfield (AHL).

Malgin spent most of last season with the Panthers, but did collect 12 points (3G / 9A) in 15 AHL games and has picked up one assist one three games with Springfield this season. There’s no word whether or not Malgin will draw into the lineup on Tuesday.

Source:
David Dwork 2017-10-16T13:23:13.000Z
Denis Malgin

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.