Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs have recalled Drew MacIntyre from Toronto (AHL).
Jonathan Bernier (lower-body) was injured last night and MacIntyre has been recalled to be James Reimer's backup until Bernier is healthy.
NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Call up / Send down
The Sabres have recalled Luke Adam from Rochester (AHL).
After Marcus Foligno was injured on Thursday, Adam has been recalled and will play Friday in Detroit. Adam has one goal in 10 games with the Sabres and 47 points (27G / 20A) in 53 games in Rochester.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Tyson Strachan from Hershey (AHL).
Strachan has one assist in 12 games with the Capitals this season. While in Hershey he has recorded 18 points (3G / 15A) in 57 games.
Call up / Send down
The Hurricanes have sent Chris Terry back to Charlotte (AHL).
Terry had his first two assists of the season in last night's win over the Stars. He played two games during his call-up, but his return to Charlotte means Jiri Tlusty should be ready to return to the lineup on Saturday.
Call up / Send down
The Hurricanes have sent Zach Boychuk back to Charlotte (AHL).
Boychuk played 8:06 in last night's win over the Stars. His return to the AHL suggests that Alex Semin will be ready to play on Saturday vs. New Jersey.
Call up / Send down
The Kings have recalled Linden Vey from Manchester (AHL).
This is Vey’s fourth re-call of the season. The 22-year-old rookie has appeared in 18 games for the Kings this season (his first in the NHL), recording five points (all assists) and zero penalty minutes. Vey will join the team in San Jose but will not play tonight.
Call up / Send down
The Hurricanes have recalled Zach Boychuk from Charlotte (AHL).
Alex Semin and Drayson Bowman are both question marks for Thursday, so if neither of them is able to go, Boychuk will slide into the lineup. Boychuk has four points (1G / 3A) in nine games with the Hurricanes this season. He leads Charlotte with a 67 points (32G / 35A) in 62 games.
Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs have recalled Carter Ashton from Toronto (AHL).
Ashton, 23, has three assists in 31 games with the Leafs this season. In the AHL he has 21 points (16G / 5A) in 22 games. Ashton is still searching for his first career NHL goal.
Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks have recalled Joakim Nordstrom from Rockford (AHL).
Nordstrom has likely been recalled to replace Jonathan Toews, who was injured on Sunday. There has been no word on how long Toews will be out, but Nordstrom will fill-in for the meantime. Nordstrom has 17 goals and 16 assists (33 points) with a plus-9 rating in 58 games with Rockford.
Call up / Send down
The Wild have recalled Jake Dowell from Iowa (AHL).
Dowell has been recalled because Mikael Granlund suffered a black-eye on Monday. If Granlund can not play on Thursday, Dowell will slide into the lineup. Dowell has 17 points (6G / 11A) and 56 penalty minutes (PIM) in 54 games with Iowa this season.
Call up / Send down
The WIld have recalled John Curry from Iowa (AHL).
Curry has been recalled to back-up Ilya Bryzgalov if Darcy Kuemper (upper-body) is unable to suit up. Curry is 7-9-2 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 SV% in 19 games with Iowa this season.
Call up / Send down
The Flames have recalled Chris Breen from Abbotsford (AHL).
Breen, 24, is a monster, he stands-in at 6-foot-7, 224 lbs. Breen has no points in six games with the Flames this season, but has one goal and three assists in 38 games with Abbotsford.
Call up / Send down
The Flames have recalled Mark Cundari from Chicago (AHL).
Cundari impressed with one goal and two assists in four games after being recalled late last season. Cundari had 10 points (4G / 6A) in 32 games with Abbotsford, but is on a loan with the Chicago Wolves where he has five goals and eight assists (13 points) in 22 games.
Call up / Send down
The Hurricanes have recalled Chris Terry from Charlotte (AHL).
Terry has been recalled incase Andrei Loktionov or Jiri Tlusty is unable to play Tuesday -- both forwards left Monday's game with lower-body injuries. Terry has yet to chalk up a point with the Hurricanes this season, but leads Charlotte in assists (38) and is second in goals (28) and points (66) through 63 games.
Call up / Send down
The Panthers have recalled Bobby Butler from San Antonio (AHL).
Butler has 21 goals and 24 assists (45 points) in 64 games with the Rampage this season. He has never played in a game with the Panthers but has totalled 48 points (20G / 28A) in 128 career NHL games between the Senators, Devils and Predators.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Chris Brown from Hershey (AHL).
Brown has one goal and one assist in five games with the Capitals since being traded from Phoenix. While in the AHL he has recorded two goals in three games. He has been recalled because Dustin Penner is day-to-day with an illness.
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Will Acton from Oklahoma City (AHL).
Acton has 12 goals on 10 assists (22 points) and 44 games with the Barons this season. In 23 games with the Oilers he has two goals and one assist.
Call up / Send down
The Stars have recalled Patrik Nemeth from Texas (AHL).
Nemeth, 22, was the Stars second round pick (41st overall) in 2010. He has three goals and seven assists (10 points) in 37 games with Texas this season.
Call up / Send down
The Devils have recalled Adam Larsson from Albany (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Larsson has only one goal and two assists in 20 games with the Devils this season. While in the AHL he has registered 19 points (3G / 16A) in 32 games. The Devils have a couple of defensemen who are banged up, thus the Larsson recall.
Call up / Send down
The Sens have recalled JG Pageau from Binghamtom (AHL).
Pageau, 21, has appeared in 21 games with Ottawa this season, registering two points (two goals) and 10 penalty minutes. In 44 AHL games this season, Pageau has recorded 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points. He could get into the lineup tonight vs. Carolina because Colin Greening is battling an undisclosed injury.
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.