Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Joey LaLeggia from Bakersfield (AHL).
Laleggia, 23, had one assist in six games with the Condors this season. He has been recalled because the Oilers have placed Justin Schultz on IR.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Call up / Send down
The Canucks have recalled Brendan Gaunce from Utica (AHL).
Gaunce, 21, had one goal and one assist in five games with Utica this season. With Brandon Prust out for at least the next two games, Gaunce has been recalled and could make his NHL debut on the road-trip.
Call up / Send down
The Canucks have recalled Alex Biega from Utica (AHL).
Biega, 27, has one assist in five games with Utica this season. He has been recalled because the Canucks will be without Dan Hamhuis for at least the next two games. Biega has one goal in seven career NHL games.
Call up / Send down
The Lightning have assigned Andrei Vasilevskiy to Syracuse (AHL) on a conditioning stint.
Vasilevskiy returned to practice on Monday after missing the start of the season with a blood clot near his collar bone. He reportedly looked exceptional in practice which is why he has already been sent on a conditioning stint after just two days of practice. Vasilevskiy is expected to make his season debut with Syracuse tonight and should play another game on the stint, before returning to Tampa Bay next week.
Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks recalled Tanner Kero from Rockford (AHL).
Kero, 23, registered an impressive six goals and two assists (8 points) in seven games with Rockford prior to being recalled on Tuesday. He will replace Vince Hinostroza on the Blackhawks third line. He is expected to make his NHL debut on Thursday.
Call up / Send down
The Bruins have sent Max Talbot to Providence (AHL).
Talbot has been a healthy scratch in the last four games and has now been sent back to Providence. Talbot registered no points in two games with the Bruins.
Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks have reassigned Vince Hinostroza to Rockford (AHL).
Hinostroza had no points and four shots in four games since being recalled. Hinostroza has been returned to the AHL, which suggests that Bryan Bickell will be back in the lineup on Thursday in Winnipeg.
Call up / Send down
The Senators have recalled Matt Puempel from Binghamton (AHL).
Puempel has scored three goals and two assists (five points) in six games with Binghamton this season. He has been recalled because the Senators will be without Mike Hoffman and Curtis Lazar tonight. Puempel will skate on the Sens’ second line—he has scored two goals with one assist in 13 career NHL games.
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Darnell Nurse from Bakersfield (AHL).
Nurse has registered one assist in six games with Bakersfield this season and has been recalled after the Oilers placed Griffin Reinhart (undisclosed) on IR. Nurse could make his season debut on Tuesday vs. the Wild.
Call up / Send down
The Sharks have reassigned John McCarthy to San Jose (AHL).
McCarthy did not record a shot or point in Saturday’s game vs. the Hurricanes. He played just 7:05 TOI and his return to the AHL suggests that Joonas Donskoi will be back in the lineup on Wednesday.
Call up / Send down
The Sharks have reassigned Mirco Mueller to San Jose (AHL).
Mueller was a healthy scratch on Saturday with Paul Martin back in the lineup. Martin did not suffer any setbacks in the game, so Mueller heads back to the AHL.
Call up / Send down
The Sharks have reassigned Bryan Lerg to San Jose (AHL).
Lerg did not record a point and had one shot on goal in three games with the Sharks. His return to the AHL suggests that Ben Smith could be back in the lineup on Wednesday vs. Nashville.
Call up / Send down
The Ducks have recalled Chris Wagner from San Diego (AHL).
Wagner, 24, has one goal and one assist in three games with San Diego this season. He failed to record a point in his only game with the Ducks this season. Wagner is expected to draw into the lineup for Chris Stewart tonight.
Call up / Send down
The Predators have recalled Miikka Salomaki from Milwaukee (AHL).
Salomaki, 22, has one goal and one assist in four games with Milwaukee this season. He scored in his only NHL game, but there is no word whether or not he will play on Wednesday in San Jose.
Call up / Send down
The Sabres have recalled Tim Schaller from Rochester (AHL).
Schaller, 24, has been recalled because Evander Kane and Marcus Foligno were injured over the weekend. Schaller had one goal and one assist in six games with Rochester.
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes recalled Tyler Gaudet from Springfield (AHL).
Gaudet, 22, has been recalled because Antoine Vermette is battling a lower-body injury and the Coyotes did not have an extra forward. Gaudet had no points and a minus-5 rating in four games with Springfield at the time of he call-up.
Call up / Send down
Poulin has cleared waivers and has been assigned to Syracuse (AHL).
Call up / Send down
The Ducks have recalled Joe Piskula from San Diego (AHL).
Piskula, 31, was one of the final cuts in Ducks’ training camp and has been recalled because Josh Manson (upper-body) is out and has been placed on IR. Piskula has no points and a plus-2 rating in four games with San Diego.
Call up / Send down
The Flames have recalled Derek Grant from Stockton (AHL).
Grant, 25, has three goals in three games with Stockton this season. The 2008 fourth round pick has had a nice AHL career, but has only managed to collect two assists in 25 career NHL games.
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have recalled Alexey Marchenko from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Marchenko, 23, started the year on the IR but has since played four games with Grand Rapids, but has failed to record a point. He has been recalled because the Red Wings lost Kyle Quincey (concussion) and Mike Green (upper-body) in Friday’s OT loss to Calgary.
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.