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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Sam Carrick(C)|NYR
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs have recalled Sam Carrick from Toronto (AHL).

Carrick, 23, will likely be in the lineup tonight with Trevor Smith banged up and Olli Jokinen unlikely to play. Carrick has no points in 10 games with the Leafs this season, but has 20 points (5G / 15A) in 40 games with the Marlies.

Source:
@LeafsPR 2015-02-17T09:51:05.000Z
Sam Carrick
Petr Mrazek(G)|ANA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have reassigned Petr Mrazek to Grand Rapids (AHL).

Mrazek, 23, filled in admirably while Jonas Gustavsson was out and then played even better when he became the team’s starter when Jimmy Howard went down. Overall he was 13-5-1 with a 2.55 GAA and .909 SV% in 20 games with the Red Wings. He will be back if another injury happens in the crease and he will definitely have a permanent spot on the team in 2015-16.

Source:
Ansar Khan 2015-02-17T09:29:22.000Z
Petr Mrazek
Robert Zepp(G)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Flyers have recalled Rob Zepp from Lehigh Valley (AHL).

When Steve Mason went down with a lower-body injury, the Flyers recalled Anthony Stolarz because Rob Zepp was dealing with a minor injury in Lehigh Valley. Now that Zepp is healthy, he has swapped places with Stolarz and will be in the lineup on Tuesday vs. Blue Jackets. Zepp is 3-1-0 with a 2.92 GAA and .889 SV% at the NHL level this season.

Source:
Dave Isaac 2015-02-16T16:08:05.000Z
Robert Zepp
Malcolm Subban(G)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
Subban is expected to be recalled and join the Bruins in Edmonton.

Subban had recently been sent down and did not get into any games during his recall. The 2012 first round pick has gone 10-10-3 with a 2.47 GAA and .920 SV% in Providence (AHL) and there is reportedly a lot of interest in him with the trade deadline looming. The belief is that he is being recalled and could start on Wednesday as an NHL showcase before the deadline. It is even more interesting because the game is vs. Edmonton, a team who is believed to be interested in Subban and a team with players like Jordan Eberle, who the Bruins are very interested in.

Source:
@NHLBruins 2015-02-16T15:01:40.000Z
Malcolm Subban
Alex Biega(RD)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Canucks have recalled Alex Biega from Utica (AHL).

Biega, 26, has three goals and 12 assists (15 points) in 42 games with Utica this season. With Yannick Weber likely going into the lineup for Alex Edler, Biega has been recalled to be the Canucks seventh defenseman.

Source:
Vancouver Canucks 2015-02-16T13:36:35.000Z
Alex Biega
Shane Prince(C)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Senators recalled Shane Prince from Binghamton (AHL).

Prince, 22, was the Senators second round pick (61st overall) in 2011. The 5-foot-11, 190 lbs. forward has registered 18 goals and 20 assists (38 points) in 47 games with Binghamton this season. He is expected to make his NHL debut on Monday.

Source:
Don Brennan 2015-02-16T10:28:46.000Z
Shane Prince
Petter Granberg(D)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs recalled Petter Granberg from Toronto (AHL).

Granberg was sent down yesterday, but when the Maple Leafs traded Cody Franson to the Predators a spot on the Leafs blue line opened back up. Granberg will likely lineup next to Morgan Rielly on Tuesday.

Source:
@LeafsPR 2015-02-16T10:21:38.000Z
Petter Granberg
Olli Jokinen(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs have acquired Olli Jokinen, Brendan Leipsic and a 2015 first round pick from the Predators for Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli.

Jokinen is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and was just a salary dump for the Predators. The veteran centre has been a healthy scratch in eight of the last nine games. He has registered three goals and three assists in 48 games this season.

Source:
Nashville Predators 2015-02-15T11:27:03.000Z
Olli Jokinen
Brendan Shinnimin(C)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes have assigned forward Brendan Shinnimin to Portland (AHL).

Shinnimin has recorded one assist and eight penalty minutes (PIM) in 11 games with the Coyotes this season. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound forward has also registered nine goals and 16 assists (25 points) with 45 PIM in 40 games with the Pirates.

Source:
Arizona Coyotes 2015-02-14T13:15:03.000Z
Brendan Shinnimin
Brett Ritchie(RW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Stars have recalled Brett Ritchie from Texas (AHL).

Ritchie, 21, has three goals and one assist in 10 games with the Stars this season. In 24 games with Texas he has 11 goals and seven assists (18 points) in 24 games. With Patrick Eaves and Tyler Seguin on IR, he will likely be in the lineup tonight.

Source:
Mark Stepneski 2015-02-14T12:35:36.000Z
Brett Ritchie
Travis Morin(C)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Stars have recalled Travis Morin from Texas (AHL).

Morin, 31, has no points in five games with the Stars this season. In 39 games, he has registered 40 points (15G / 25A) in 39 games with Texas. He will likely be in the lineup tonight with Tyler Seguin and Patrick Eaves on IR.

Source:
Mark Stepneski 2015-02-14T12:32:58.000Z
Travis Morin
Kyle Cumiskey(D)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks have recalled Kyle Cumiskey from Rockford (AHL).

Cumiskey, 28, has one goal and 10 assists (11 points) in 38 games with Rockford this season. The former Colorado Avalanche has nine goals and 26 assists (35 points) in 132 career NHL games.

Source:
Mark Lazerus 2015-02-13T09:25:01.000Z
Kyle Cumiskey

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.