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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Rob O'Gara(LD)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Bruins have recalled Rob O’Gara from Providence (AHL).

O’Gara did not record a point in his only game with the Bruins this season, but has two assists in seven games with Providence. It looks like he will draw onto the Boston blueline tonight for his fifth career NHL game.

Source:
Joe Haggerty 2017-11-06T11:39:57.000Z
Rob O'Gara
Brad Malone(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Brad Malone from Bakersfield (AHL).

Malone has split the first month of the season between the NHL and AHL. The 28-year-old centre comes up to take Kailer Yamamoto’s spot on the roster and has registered two goals and one assist in eight games with the Condors.

Source:
@EdmontonOilers 2017-11-06T11:38:10.000Z
Brad Malone
Kailer Yamamoto(RW)|UTA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have assigned Kailer Yamamoto to Spokane (WHL).

Yamamoto was this summers No.22 overall selection in 2017 and appeared in nine games with the Oilers but has been sent back to Spokane before the first year of his entry-level kicks in. Yamamoto got some great experience and recorded three assists in those nine games. He goes back to Spokane where he amassed 99 points (42G / 57A) in 65 games last season.

Source:
@EdmontonOilers 2017-11-06T11:36:41.000Z
Kailer Yamamoto
Charlie Lindgren(G)|WSH
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Canadiens have recalled Charlie Lindgren to be Al Montoya’s backup.

Lindgren has gone 3-3-0 with a 3.53 GAA and .885 SV% in nine starts with Laval (AHL) so far this season. The 23-year-old has stopped 82 of 87 shots that he has faced in his three career NHL games. With Carey Price out, he will serve as Montreal’s No.2 goaltender for the time being.

Source:
@CanadiensMTL 2017-11-04T12:43:18.000Z
Charlie Lindgren
Denis Malgin(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Panthers have sent Denis Malgin back to Springfield (AHL).

Malgin has appeared in the last five games with the Panthers, but with Jared McCann, Colton Sceviour and Connor Brickley expected to return to the lineup on Saturday, Malgin has been returned to the AHL. The 20-year-old has one assist in three games with Springfield this season.

Source:
Matthew DeFranks 2017-11-04T09:43:08.000Z
Denis Malgin
Austin Czarnik(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Bruins have recalled Austin Czarnik from Providence (AHL).

Czarnik, 24, has not recorded a point in his two games with the Bruins so far this season, but has been lightning up the AHL, collecting 10 points (4G / 6A) in five games with Providence. He is expected to draw into the Bruins lineup on Thursday.

Source:
Shawn Hutcheon 2017-11-04T09:21:45.000Z
Austin Czarnik
Roland McKeown(RD)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Hurricanes recalled Roland McKeown from Charlotte (AHL).

Brett Pesce (concussion) landed on IR yesterday, so McKeown has been recalled to serve as the Hurricanes seventh defenseman. The 21-year-old, former second round pick (No.50 overall in 2014) has picked up three points (1G / 2A) in nine games with Charlotte this season.

Source:
Cory Lavalette 2017-11-02T09:17:15.000Z
Roland McKeown
Jordan Szwarz(RW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Bruins have recalled Jordan Szwarz from Providence (AHL).

Szwarz has recorded five goals and three assists (eight points) in six games with Providence this season. The 26-year-old has recorded just four goals in 35 career NHL games with the Coyotes. Szwarz joins the team after the Bruins announced that David Backes will miss two months.

Source:
Boston Bruins 2017-11-01T11:29:05.000Z
Jordan Szwarz
Nick Baptiste(RW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Sabres have recalled Nicholas Baptiste from Rochester (AHL).

This is Baptiste’s first call-up of the season and he earned it by collecting three goals and two assists (five points) in eight games with the Americans. The 22-year-old has three goals and one assist in 14 career NHL games.

Source:
Ian Ott 2017-11-01T11:12:30.000Z
Nick Baptiste
Kalle Kossila(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Ducks have recalled Kalle Kossila from San Diego (AHL).

Kossila, 24, was recalled earlier this season, recording one goal and one assist in two games with the Ducks. With Ryan Getzlaf (face) back on IR, Kossila is back up and expected to play on Wednesday. The Finnish forward has also registered six points (2G / 4A) in five AHL games.

Source:
Eric Stephens 2017-11-01T09:59:58.000Z
Kalle Kossila
Dylan Ferguson(G)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Golden Knights have recalled Dylan Ferguson from Kamloops (WHL).

The Golden Knights have lost the first three goalies on their depth chart to injury, so Ferguson will make the jump from the WHL to the NHL where he will serve as Maxime Lagace’s backup at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Ferguson has gone 4-9-0 with a 4.05 GAA and .878 SV% in 13 games with Kamloops so far this season.

Source:
@GoldenKnights 2017-11-01T09:54:56.000Z
Dylan Ferguson
Julius Honka(RD)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Stars have assigned Julius Honka to Texas (AHL).

Honka had some tough games to start the season and has served as a healthy scratch for the last three games, so the Stars will send him to Texas so he can play. Honka failed to record a point in six games this season, but returns to the AHL where he amassed 31 points (7G / 24A) in 50 contests.

Source:
Mike Heika 2017-11-01T09:49:45.000Z
Julius Honka

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.