Call up / Send down
The Panthers have recalled Joey Crabb from San Antonio (AHL)
Crabb has played in just one game with a the Panthers this season. He has 12 goals and 14 assists (26 points) in 53 games with San Antonio.
NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Patrick Wey from Hershey (AHL).
Wey is a Pittsburgh native so he could get onto the Capitals blueline tonight in front of his friends and family at CONSOL Energy Center. Wey has two assists in three games with the Capitals and one goal with five assists in 25 games with Hershey.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Casey Wellman from Hershey (AHL).
Wellman has been up-and-down a few times this week, but he is back with the Caps and could be in the lineup tonight vs. the Penguins.
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have recalled Cory Emmerton from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Detroit lost another centreman when Joakim Andersson broke his foot in Sunday's loss to the Rangers, so Emmerton has been recalled to centre the fourth line while Andersson sits for the next 2-3 weeks. Emmerton has two assists in 11 games with the Red Wings this season. While with the Griffins, he has totaled 14 goals and 21 assists (35 points) in 43 games.
Call up / Send down
The Stars have recalled goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp from the Texas Stars (AHL).
Nilstorp, 30, has been recalled because Kari Lehtonen is likely unavailable for Monday's game so Nilstorp will serve as Tim Thomas' backup. Nilstorp has posted a 21-12-4 record for Texas this season with a 2.58 GAA and a .915 SV%. His 21 wins are currently tied for the third-most in the AHL. He made his NHL debut in 2012-13 appearing in five game for Dallas, registering a 1-3-1 record with a .897 save percentage and a 3.09 goals against average.
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes have recalled Andy Miele from Portland (AHL).
Miele is undersized at 5-foot-8, 175 lbs. but has been great with Portland this season. Miele has recorded 23 goals and 35 assists (58 points) in 56 games.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have sent Chris Brown to Hershey (AHL).
Brown played 12:16 with one shot on goal in his Capitals debut on Thursday, but did not dress on Saturday.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have sent Casey Wellman back to Hershey (AHL).
Wellman was recalled and expected to play on Saturday, however he did not dress and has been returned to the Hershey Bears.
Call up / Send down
The Maple Leafs have recalled Frazer McLaren from Toronto (AHL).
McLaren will likely draw into the Maple Leafs lineup tonight with David Clarkson questionable to play due to a leg injury.
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Anton Lander from Oklahoma City (AHL).
Lander has registered 17 goals and 28 assists (45 points) in 42 games with the Barons this season.
Call up / Send down
Jensen has been recalled and will be in the lineup Saturday.
Jensen was a first-round pick (29th overall) in the 2011 NHL draft. He appeared in two games with the Canucks last season, his only two NHL games of his career. He has registered 15 goals and five assists (20 points) in 51 games with Utica (AHL) this season. He will skate on the top-line with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins.
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have recalled Petr Mrazek from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Mrazek has been recalled to back-up Jimmy Howard on Sunday because Jonas Gustavsson has a sore groin. Mrazek has gone 1-3-0 with a 1.64 GAA and .924 SV% with the Red Wings this season.
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Oscar Klefbom from Oklahoma City (AHL).
Klefbom was selected in the first-round (19th overall) in 2011. Klefbom will likely get a chance to make his NHL debut in the next few games, he has one goal and eight assists in 45 games with the Barons this season. The Oilers organization is extremely excited about Klefbom's future.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Casey Wellman from Hershey (AHL).
Wellman will be in Washington by game-time and is expected to play tonight. Expect Wellman to centre the Capitals second line with Dustin Penner and Troy Brouwer on his wings. Wellman has two goals and one assist in 10 games with the Capitals this season.
Call up / Send down
The Blue Jackets have recalled Frederic St. Denis from Springfield.
St. Denis has not played in the NHL since 2011-12 when he was with the Canadiens. He has nine goals and 15 assists (24 points) in 51 games with Springfield this season.
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have sent Teemu Pulkkinen back to the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL).
The Red Wings recalled Pulkkinen on Thursday as insurance for Daniel Alfredsson, who had teeth knocked out on Tuesday. Pulkkinen did not dress and will now head back to Grand Rapids.
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have sent Cam Schilling to Hershey (AHL).
Schilling play 17:45 and was a minus-2 in Thursday's loss to the Bruins. Schilling is getting sent back because Dmitry Orlov has finished serving his two-game suspension and will return Saturday.
Call up / Send down
The Sabres have recalled Nicolas Deslauriers from Rocheser (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Deslauriers was acquired by the Sabres on Wednesday and could make his NHL debut tonight in Florida. Deslauriers has been recalled because Chris Stewart and Zemgus Girgensons were injured on Thursday and are unavailable for Friday's game. He had 18 goals and 21 assists (39 points) in 60 games with Manchester (AHL) before the trade.
Call up / Send down
The Sabres have recalled Luke Adam from Rochester (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Adam has been recalled because Chris Stewart and Zemgus Girgensons were injured on Thursday. Adam has one goal in nine games with the Sabres this season. While in Rochester he has 24 goals, 18 assists (42 points) and a plus-12 rating in 42 games. No word on if he will be in the lineup tonight.
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have recalled Teemu Pulkkinen from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Pulkkinen was selected in the fourth-round (111th overall) in 2010. He is in his first full season with Grand Rapids after playing with Jokerit Helsinki of the SM-liiga from 2008-13. In 58 games this season Pulkkinen has recorded 24 goals and 25 assists (49 points) in 58 games. As of right now it would seem he is doubtful to make his NHL debut tonight, but with the youth movement going on in Detroit because of injuries, don't be surprised to see him in the boxscore soon.
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.