NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Kevin Fiala(LW)|LAK
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Predators have sent Kevin Fiala to Milwaukee (AHL).

Fiala picked up two goals on 18 shots in 10 games with the Predators. The 20-year-old, former 11th overall pick (2014) has not developed the way the Predators have hoped, so he returns to Milwaukee, where he had 50 points (18G / 32A) in 66 games last year. Pontus Aberg has been recalled to replace Fiala.

Source:
Adam Vingan 2016-11-08T10:44:10.000Z
Kevin Fiala
Pontus Aberg(LW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Predators have recalled Pontus Aberg from Milwaukee (AHL).

Aberg, 23, was a second round pick (37th overall) in 2012 and has had a great start to 2016-17, picking up nine points (5G / 4A) in nine games with Milwaukee. Aberg replaces Kevin Fiala on the Predators’ roster and should make his NHL debut on Tuesday.

Source:
Adam Vingan 2016-11-08T10:42:03.000Z
Pontus Aberg
Juuse Saros(G)|NSH
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Predators have recalled Juuse Saros from Milwaukee (AHL).

Saros stopped 34 of 35 shots in a win over the Penguins in his season debut back on October 22nd. Saros is viewed as the Predators’ goalie of the future and his recall comes after he went 6-1-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .929 SV% with Milwaukee. With Pekka Rinne being average through the first month of the season, Saros comes up to be the Predators’ No.2, but carries some fantasy value in daily leagues, especially in keeper leagues.

Source:
Adam Vingan 2016-11-08T10:39:53.000Z
Juuse Saros
Tony DeAngelo(D)|NYI
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes have recalled Anthony DeAngelo from Tucson (AHL).

DeAngelo, 21, was acquired from Tampa Bay this summer and has had a great start to the year with Tucson, posting seven points (1G / 6A) in eight games. The former first round pick (19th overall in 2014) has never appeared in an NHL game, but could make his NHL debut this week.

Source:
Sarah McLellan 2016-11-07T11:46:40.000Z
Tony DeAngelo
Michael Chaput(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Canucks have recalled Michael Chaput from Utica (AHL).

Chaput, 24, has been off to a great start in Utica, picking up two goals and 11 assists (13 points) in 10 games. With Jannik Hansen landing on IR, the Canucks have recalled Chaput, who could make his Canucks debut on Monday. The former third round pick has eight points (2G / 6A) in 58 career NHL games.

Source:
Ben Kuzma 2016-11-07T10:48:52.000Z
Michael Chaput
Tyler Bertuzzi(LW)|CHI
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have recalled Tyler Bertuzzi from Grand Rapids (AHL).

Bertuzzi, 21, was a second round pick in 2013 (58th overall) and is expected to make his NHL debut this week. Bertuzzi had an excellent preseason and training camp and has since added four points (2G / 2A) in nine games with Grand Rapids. He should bring some much needed energy to a Red Wings team that has lost five in a row.

Source:
@DetroitRedWings 2016-11-07T10:30:39.000Z
Tyler Bertuzzi
Adam Pelech(D)|NYI
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Islanders have recalled Adam Pelech from Bridgeport (AHL).

Pelech, 22, has registered two assists in nine career NHL games (all in 2015-16) and this marks his first call-up of 2016-17. The 2012 third round pick (65th overall) has been recalled because Travis Hamonic is expected to miss one month with a broken arm. Pelech, who has four points (1G / 3A) in 10 games with Bridgeport this season, is expected to make his season debut on Monday.

Source:
Shannon Hogan 2016-11-07T10:03:29.000Z
Adam Pelech
Chris Driedger(G)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Senators have sent Chris Driedger to Binghamton (AHL).

Driedger was up with Ottawa serving as a backup, but with Craig Anderson (personal) back with the team, Driedger will go back to Binghamton. In his only NHL appearance, Driedger allowed four goals on 15 shots in a relief appearance.

Source:
Brent Wallace 2016-11-05T10:31:20.000Z
Chris Driedger
Nic Petan(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Jets have recalled Nic Petan from Manitoba (AHL).

Petan, 21, was a second round pick (43rd overall) in 2013 and has appeared in 26 career NHL games. Pecan has picked up four goals and one assist in nine games with Manitoba this season and could make his season debut tonight in Detroit. The Jets lost Mathieu Perreault and Joel Armia to injuries on Thursday and both are questionable for Friday.

Source:
Jim Toth 2016-11-04T12:34:05.000Z
Nic Petan
Justin Bailey(RW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Sabres have sent Justin Bailey to Rochester (AHL).

Bailey failed to record a point while averaging 7:44 TOI in two games during his call-up. The 21-year-old returns to Rochester, where he has three goals and one assist in seven games. Will Carrier has been recalled to replace Bailey on Saturday.

Source:
Chris Ryndak 2016-11-04T12:22:06.000Z
Justin Bailey
Kevin Gravel(D)|NSH
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Kings have recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel from Ontario (AHL).

Gravel, 24, was a fifth round pick in 2010 and has appeared in five career NHL games. In six games with Ontario this season, the 6-foot-4, 200 lbs. defenseman has two assists. Gravel has been recalled because Tom Gilbert could be suspended for his hit on Tuesday.

Source:
Jon Rosen 2016-11-03T12:53:06.000Z
Kevin Gravel
Max McCormick(LW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Senators have recalled Max McCormick from Binghamton (AHL).

McCormick’s recall suggests that Mark Stone, who left Tuesday’s game, won’t be available for Thursday’s game vs. the Canucks. McCormick has one goal in six games with Binghamton this season and had four points (2G / 2A) in 20 games with the Senators last year.

Source:
Bruce Garrioch 2016-11-03T10:12:55.000Z
Max McCormick

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.