Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA

NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Jakub Kindl(D)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have recalled Jakub Kindl from Grand Rapids (AHL).

Kindl had one goal in two games during his conditioning stint. The Red Wings likely would have liked to keep him there for a few more games, but with Kyle Quincey questionable for Saturday, Kindl has been recalled as insurance.

Source:
Ansar Khan 2015-02-20T13:12:04.000Z
Jakub Kindl
Christian Folin(RD)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Wild have recalled Christian Folin from Iowa (AHL).

Folin, 24, has six points (1G / 5A) in 29 games with Minnesota. While in Iowa, he has registered four points (2G / 2A) in 12 games. He has been recalled because he is a right-handed shot, who will replace Jared Spurgeon tonight in Edmonton.

Source:
Michael Russo 2015-02-20T12:45:42.000Z
Christian Folin
Matt Puempel(LW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Senators have recalled Matt Puempel from Binghamton (AHL).

Puempel, 22, was a first round pick (24th overall) in 2011. He has 12 goals and 20 assists (32 points) in 51 games with Binghamton this season. He is expected to make his NHL debut on Saturday vs. the Panthers. Puempel skated with David Legwand and Alex Chiasson in Sens practice on Friday.

Source:
Wayne Scanlan 2015-02-20T10:44:03.000Z
Matt Puempel
Kael Mouillierat(C)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Islanders have recalled Kael Mouillierat from Bridgeport (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Mouillierat, 27, has 18 goals and 22 assists (40 points) in 51 games with Bridgeport. He has been an ECHL and AHL journeyman so far, but with Mikhail Grabovski on IR, he has earned the call-up.

Source:
Arthur Staple 2015-02-20T10:18:58.000Z
Kael Mouillierat
David Wolf(LW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Flames sent David Wolf back to Adirondack (AHL) on Thursday.

Wolf averaged 7:32 TOI and had no points in the only two games he appeared in during his recall. Sending Wolf down created some room for the Flames to recall Markus Granlund.

Source:
Wes Gilbertson 2015-02-20T09:25:23.000Z
David Wolf
Markus Granlund(C)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Flames recalled Markus Granlund from Adirondack (AHL) on Thursday.

Granlund, 21, has five goals and eight assists (13 points) in 33 games with the Flames this season. While in Adirondack he has recorded 12 points (6G / 6A) in 14 games. He is expected to be back in the lineup on Friday vs. the Ducks.

Source:
Wes Gilbertson 2015-02-20T09:21:06.000Z
Markus Granlund
Bobby Sanguinetti(D)|INA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Canucks recalled Bobby Sanguinetti from Utica (AHL) on Thursday.

Sanguinetti, 26, has 13 goals and 15 assists (28 points) in 42 games with the Comets this season. He was recalled prior to Thursday’s game, but did not get into the lineup. He is unlikely to play unless another Canucks blue liner goes down.

Source:
Jay Durant 2018-07-18T17:53:12.763Z
Andrew MacWilliam(D)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs recalled Andrew MacWilliam from Toronto (AHL) on Thursday.

MacWilliam, 24, has been recalled as insurance for Friday’s game in Carolina. One of the Maple Leafs defenseman is in question for their matchup vs. the Hurricanes, thus MacWilliam gets the recall and could make his NHL debut. He has four points (1G / 3A) and 34 PIMS in 45 games with the Marlies.

Source:
Jonas Siegel 2015-02-20T09:13:16.000Z
Andrew MacWilliam
Shane Prince(C)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Senators have sent Shane Prince to Binghamton (AHL).

Prince had one assist and two shots on goal while averaging 10:29 TOI in two games during his recall. The 22-year-old got a nice taste of the NHL and even picked up his first career point in the process.

Source:
@Senators 2015-02-19T13:59:35.000Z
Shane Prince
Steven Oleksy(D)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have sent Steven Oleksy to Hershey (AHL).

Washington will play three of the next four games at home, so they don’t really need a seventh defenseman right now. If one of their six regular blue liners gets banged up, expect Oleksy to be recalled once again.

Source:
Capitals PR 2015-02-18T12:49:39.000Z
Steven Oleksy
Michael Keranen(LW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Wild have recalled Michael Keranen from Iowa (AHL).

Keranen, 25, has recorded 32 points (9G / 23A) and 16 penalty minutes in 52 games with Iowa this season. He leads the team in assists, ranks second in scoring and shots (113) and is fourth in goals. He could make his NHL debut on Wednesday in Calgary.

Source:
Minnesota Wild 2015-02-18T11:29:52.000Z
Michael Keranen
Petteri Lindbohm(D)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Blues have recalled Petteri Lindbohm from Chicago (AHL).

Lindbohm, 21, has dressed 41 games for the Wolves this season, recording 17 points (6G / 11A) to go along with 56 penalty minutes. In addition, the 6-foot-5, 202-pound defenseman has appeared in nine games for the Blues, collecting one assist and six penalty minutes.

Source:
St. Louis Blues 2015-02-18T11:27:07.000Z
Petteri Lindbohm
Carl Klingberg(LW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Jets have recalled Carl Klingberg from St. John’s (AHL).

Klingberg, 24, has 15 goals and 15 assists (30 points) in 51 games with St. John’s this season. He has just one goal in his last 10 games, but his recall likely means that either Drew Stafford or Mathieu Perreault will go on IR and Klingberg can be expected to play on Thursday in Washington.

Source:
Gary Lawless 2015-02-18T10:14:35.000Z
Carl Klingberg
Matt Tennyson(RD)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Sharks have reassigned Matt Tennyson to Worcester (AHL).

Tennyson, 24, had two goals and six assists in 27 games with the Sharks. With Justin Braun returning to the lineup tonight, they reassigned Tennyson to make room for Braun. Tennyson has six points (3G / 3A) in 19 games in Worcester.

Source:
Kevin Kurz 2015-02-17T20:40:49.000Z
Matt Tennyson
Teemu Pulkkinen(LW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have recalled Teemu Pulkkinen from Grand Rapids (AHL).

The Red Wings finally sent Petr Mrazek back to Grand Rapids last night, creating a roster spot for Pulkkinen. The 23-year-old had one goal in six games with the Red Wings earlier in the season. He has dominated at the AHL level—he leads the NHL in goals with 30, which is seven more than second and points with 57, which is four more than second.

Source:
Ansar Khan 2015-02-17T11:16:25.000Z
Teemu Pulkkinen

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.