Call up / Send down
The Islanders have recalled Mike Halmo from Bridgeport (AHL).
Halmo, 22, has 17 goals and 20 assists (37 points) in 53 games with Bridgeport. Halmo has yet to dress in an NHL contest.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Call up / Send down
The Islanders have recalled Anders Lee from Bridgeport (AHL).
Lee made his NHL debut during the 2012-13 season where he had one goal and one assist in two games. The Islanders sixth round pick in 2009 has tallied 41 points (22G / 19A) in 54 games with Bridgeport this year. He should get a chance to play top-9 minutes with John Tavares and Frans Nielsen on IR.
Call up / Send down
The Islanders have recalled Ryan Strome from Bridgeport (AHL).
The Islanders faithful had been waiting on Strome's recall for a long time, but he was unable to light up the scoresheet during his first recall. While centring the third line he had just one goal and three assists in his first 15 NHL games, but now with John Tavares out for the season, the door is open for Strome to earn valuable playing time. He has 49 points (13G / 36A) in 37 games with Bridgeport, so now the Islanders will look for him to take the next step and produce at the NHL level.
Call up / Send down
The Senators have recalled Mike Hoffman from Binghamton (AHL).
Hoffman was held off of the scoresheet in three games with the Senators during his first recall, but he has lit up the AHL with 30 goals and 37 assists (67 points) in 51 games this season. His 67 points sits second in league scoring, three points behind Travis Morin (Stars prospect).
Call up / Send down
The Penguins have recalled Brian Gibbons from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
Gibbons was sent down to play with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during the Olympic break. He has totalled four goals and five assists (nine points) in 19 games with the Penguins this season. While in the AHL he has amassed 30 points (11G / 19A) in 28 games.
Call up / Send down
The Penguins have recalled Simon Despres from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
The Penguins are without Paul Martin (hand) and Kris Letang (stroke) so Despres will get a great opportunity on an injury riddled Penguins blueline. Despres has four assists in 18 games with the Penguins, while he has six goals and 16 assists (22 points) in 34 games in the AHL.
Call up / Send down
The Kings have recalled Martin Jones from Manchester (AHL).
Jones was sent to Manchester to play during the Olympic break. He returns to the Kings where he will resume his position as Jonathan Quick's back-up. He has had a strong season, but behind Quick he is simply a spot-start option when Darryl Sutter gives him the nod.
Call up / Send down
Fasth is with Norfolk (AHL) on a long-term conditioning assignment.
Fasth was injured in pre-game warmups on November 22nd and has not played since. Fasth started for Norfolk on the weekend, it was his first game action since November 18. With the emergence of Frederik Andersen in his absence, Fasth has become a potential trade target for teams who are in need of adding goaltending depth.
Call up / Send down
The Blues have reassigned Dmitrij Jaskin to Chicago (AHL).
Jaskin played on Thursday for the ill Vladimir Tarasenko, but Tarasenko was healthy enough to go this afternoon, so Jaskin return to the AHL for the Olympic break.
Call up / Send down
Jean-Philippe Cote has cleared waivers and has been assigned to Syracuse (AHL).
Cote has shuffled in an out of the Lightning lineup over the last two week. He often dressed as a seventh defenceman when in the lineup and averaged just 10:00 TOI while recording four assists in 19 games.
Call up / Send down
The Lightning recalled Vladislav Namestnikov on Friday and he will be in the lineup tonight.
Namestnikov was the Lightning's 1st round pick (27th overall) in 2011. Tonight he will make his NHL debut on a line with J.T Brown and Nikita Kucherov, a line that played very well for Lightning head coach Jon Cooper when he was with Syracuse (AHL). Namestnikov has 13 goals and 17 assists (30 points) in 31 games with Syracuse (AHL) this season.
Call up / Send down
The Islanders have assigned Matt Donovan to Bridgeport (AHL).
His assignment suggests that Travis Hamonic (concussion) will in fact return on Saturday. Donovan has split time between the Islanders and the Sound Tigers this season. He has seven points (1G / 6A) in 36 games with the Isles and 14 points (3G / 11A) in 17 games with Bridgeport.
Call up / Send down
The Penguins have assigned Jayson Megna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
The Penguins played their last game before the break on Friday, so they have assigned a trio of forwards to play in the AHL during the Olympic break.
Call up / Send down
The Penguins have assigned Harry Zolnierczyk to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
The Penguins played their last game before the break on Friday, so they have assigned a trio of forwards to play in the AHL during the Olympic break.
Call up / Send down
The Penguins have assigned Brian Gibbons to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
The Penguins played their last game before the break on Friday, so they have assigned a trio of forwards to play in the AHL during the Olympic break.
Call up / Send down
The Sharks have recalled John McCarthy from Worcester (AHL).
Matt Nieto is out with a foot injury tonight, so McCarthy has been recalled and will play tonight vs. the Blue Jackets.
Call up / Send down
The Sabres hav reassigned Phil Varone to Rochester (AHL).
Varone had one goal and one assist in nine games with the Sabres. He returns to Rochester where he has totalled eight goals and 25 assists (33 points) in 38 games.
Call up / Send down
The Sabres have reassigned Chad Ruhwedel to Rochester (AHL).
Ruhwedel was a plus-3 with 15 shots in seven games during his most recent call-up. He will play with Rochester during the Olympic break.
Call up / Send down
The Jets have recalled Paul Postma from St. John's (AHL).
Postman was with St. John's on a conditioning assignment after missing three months with a blood clot in his leg. While in St. John's he recorded one goal and five assists in four games. He has yet to register a point in eight contests with the Jets.
Call up / Send down
Predators reassign Taylor Beck to Milwaukee (AHL).
Beck has appeared in seven games for the Predators this season without recording a point.
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.