Call up / Send down
The Red Wings reassigned Xavier Ouellet to Grand Rapids (AHL).
Ouellet was a healthy scratch for the last three games, so he will head back to Grand Rapids to get some games in. Alexey Marchenko will stay with the team for now.
NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Call up / Send down
The Wild recalled Darcy Kuemper from Iowa (AHL).
Kuemper finished his conditioning stint with a 2-3-0 record, 3.22 GAA and .891 SV%. It was not the best five game showing for the 24-year-old. However, the Wild have a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday, so don’t be surprised to see him start one of those contests.
Call up / Send down
Harry Zolnierczyk has been emergency recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
Zolnierczyk has 14 goals and 22 assists in 47 games for Bridgeport this season. He appeared in 13 games for the Penguins last year and scored two goals.
Call up / Send down
The Islanders have recalled Colin McDonald from Bridgeport (AHL).
McDonald has no points in two games with the Islanders this season. He will likely replace the injured Michael Grabner in the lineup today.
Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs have recalled Antoine Bibeau from Toronto (AHL) on an emergency basis.
This morning the Maple Leafs announced that Jonathan Bernier would start and James Reimer appeared to be fine in the morning skate, so something is up. Bibeau is likely here to serve as Bernier’s backup, but nothing is confirmed at this point. Bibeau is 8-7-5 with a 2.58 GAA and .917 SV% with the Marlies.
Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs recalled Petter Granberg from Toronto (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Granberg’s recall suggests that one of the Maple Leafs defenseman’s status for tonight is in doubt. If Granberg gets into the lineup, it would be his fourth game of the season—he has no points in his first three games.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Andre Burakovsky (AHL).
Burakovsky was sent down yesterday in order for the Capitals to recall Philipp Grubauer, who was given the start last night. Burakovsky should be back in the Capitals lineup on Sunday vs. Philadelphia.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have reassigned Philipp Grubauer to Hershey (AHL).
Grubauer was recalled to start last night and he came through the for the Caps. He allowed two goals on 25 shots in Washington’s 3-2 win over Anaheim. It was likely a test to see if he could get it done vs. a good NHL team, he can. This could force the Capitals to make a decision on the struggling Justin Peters.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have sent Andre Burakovsky back to Hershey (AHL).
It seems like the Capitals really wanted to start Philipp Grubauer tonight vs. the Ducks. They recalled him this morning and sent Burakovsky down to make room for him. The call-up is not expected to be long-term, so expect Burakovsky back soon.
Call up / Send down
The Stars have sent Jussi Rynnas back to Texas (AHL).
Rynnas did not get any action during his recall. Anders Lindback’s conditioning stint is up with Texas so he will swap places with Rynnas again.
Call up / Send down
The Stars have recalled Anders Lindback from his conditioning stint with the Texas (AHL).
Lindback started two games with Texas during his conditioning stint—he went 1-0-1 with a 1.89 GAA and .946 SV%. He will try and carry that success back to Dallas where he is 2-7-0 with a 3.79 GAA and .875 SV% this season. He could get the start in the front-end of the back-to-back tomorrow in Buffalo.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Philipp Grubauer from Hershey (AHL).
Grubauer, 23, has gone 16-9-4 with a 2.03 GAA and .924 SV% in Hershey this season. He has not played in a game for the Capitals this year, but you have to think he has been recalled to start tonight vs. the Ducks. The Capitals will announce the corresponding roster move later today.
Call up / Send down
The Flames reassigned Sven Baertschi to Adirondack (AHL).
Baertschi had one assist in the only game he played during his recall. He has a total of four assists in 15 games with the Flames this season.
Call up / Send down
The Jets have recalled Patrice Cormier from St. John’s (AHL).
Cormier, 24, has been recalled on a number of occasions this season, but has yet to make his season debut. He has 10 points (5G / 5A) in 24 games with the St. John’s IceCaps this season.
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Martin Marincin from Oklahoma City (AHL).
Marincin, 22, has one assist in 12 games with the Oilers this season. Edmonton moved Nikita Nikitin to IR to make room for Marincin, who could be in the lineup on Saturday in Toronto.
Call up / Send down
The Stars have recalled Brett Ritchie from Texas (AHL).
Ritchie, 21, who has 18 points (11G / 7A) in 23 games with Texas, has registered three goals and one assist in eight games with the Stars this season. Before being sent down three days ago, Ritchie was on IR with an undisclosed injury. Expect him back in the lineup tonight vs. Tampa Bay.
Call up / Send down
The Panthers recalled Steven Kampfer from San Antonio (AHL).
Kampfer, 26, has eight goals and 11 assists (19 points) in 42 games with San Antonio this season. He has never appeared in an NHL game with the Florida Panthers. He has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 61 career NHL games.
Call up / Send down
The Sharks have recalled Chris Tierney from Worcester (AHL).
Tierney, 20, has registered two assists in 14 games with the Sharks this season. While in Worcester he has collected seven goals and 17 assists (24 points) in 26 games. He is not expected to be in the lineup tonight vs. the Flames.
Call up / Send down
Gustavsson (shoulder) will meet the Red Wings in Colorado for Thursday’s game.
Gustavsson led the Griffins to a 3-1 win over the Toronto Marlies this morning which wrapped up his two-game conditioning stint—he went 1-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and .937 SV%. Petr Mrazek is scheduled to start tomorrow, but The Monster could find himself back in goal on Saturday in Arizona. JimmyHoward is expected back for the following game, so Mrazek could then be headed back to Grand Rapids.
Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks have sent Dennis Rasmussen back to Rockford (AHL).
Rasmussen, 24, did not get into the lineup during his recall, so he heads back to Rockford where he has 16 points (8G / 8A) in 44 games this season.
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.