Call up / Send down
The Red Wings have assigned Jordin Tootoo to Grand Rapids (AHL).
Tootoo has a minus-4 rating in eight games with the Red Wings this season.
NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Call up / Send down
The Predators have recalled forward Filip Forsberg from Milwaukee (AHL) and assigned forward Taylor Beck to the Admirals.
Forsberg posted six points (1G / 5A) during a four-game stint with Milwaukee, reaching the scoresheet in each game. He started the season with Nashville, amassing five points (1G / 4A) in 11 games, including an assist in his most recent contest, a 6-4 victory over Colorado on November 6. The Predators have posted an 8-2-1 record with the Swede in the lineup in 2013-14.
Call up / Send down
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned forward Jayson Megna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
Megna played in six NHL games with Pittsburgh, notching two goals and three points. He scored his first NHL goal against Justin Peters and the Carolina Hurricanes on October 28. He returns to the AHL where he has three goals and five points in six games.
Call up / Send down
The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Tanner Pearson from Manchester (AHL).
Pearson, 21, made his NHL debut in Game 3 of the second round series between Los Angeles and San Jose and appears to be capable of providing value to the Kings, who selected him with the final pick of the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft. In 15 games with Manchester this season, the 6-foot, 205 pound forward has recorded 11 points (7-4=11) in 15 games while taking 52 shots.
Call up / Send down
The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Martin Jones from Manchester (AHL).
With Jonathan Quick injured and heading back to Los Angeles, Jones will meet the team in New York for tomorrow's contest vs. the Islanders. Jones is 9-2-2 with a 2.24 GAA and .927 SV% with Manchester.
Call up / Send down
The Flames have sent Max Reinhart back to the AHL.
Reinhart played two games, averaging 11:04 TOI with the Flames. He failed to record a point but he returns to Abbotsford where he has three goals and six assists in 13 games.
Call up / Send down
The Habs have sent Gabriel Dumont to Hamilton (AHL).
Dumont failed to record a point in two games with the Candiens. He returns to Hamilton where he has four assists and 20 penalty minutes in 12 games.
Call up / Send down
The Habs have sent Greg Pateryn to Hamilton (AHL).
Pateryn did not appear in a contest with the Habs. He returns to the Hamilton Bulldogs where he has three goals and four assists in seven games.
Call up / Send down
The Coyotes have recalled Chris Brown from Portland (AHL).
Brown was the 36th overall pick in 2009 - he appeared in three games with Phoenix earlier in the season without recording a point. Brown registered three goals and five assists in 10 games with Portland. He will dress on the Coyotes fourth line this evening.
Call up / Send down
The Canucks have reassigned Darren Archibald to Utica (AHL).
Archibald recorded two assists in eight games while averaging 8:35 TOI. He returns to Utica where he has one goal and one assist in four games.
Call up / Send down
The Canucks have recalled David Booth from his conditioning stint with Utica (AHL).
Booth had one assist and a minus-1 rating in three games with Utica. He will return to the Canucks where he has one goal and two assists in 11 games. In his three years in Vancouver he has had a hard time staying healthy and has only been able to muster 35 points (18G / 17A) in 79 games. Booth should be in the lineup on Thursday.
Call up / Send down
The Dallas Stars have recalled Travis Morin from Texas (AHL).
Morin, 29, was a ninth round pick in 2004 and has only appeared in three NHL games. He currently leads the AHL in scoring with 10 goals and 14 assists (24 points) in 13 games.
Call up / Send down
Veteran Mike Mottau was recalled from San Antonio on Monday.
Mottau appears to be in line to make his Panthers debut on Tuesday after playing 313 NHL games with the Bruins, Islanders, Devils, Flames and Rangers. He is not a fantasy option.
Call up / Send down
The Lightning have recalled Dmitry Korobov from Norfolk.
Korobov is a 24-year-old defenseman who has six assists in 13 games with Norfolk. The Lightning saw Sami Salo and Keith Aulie go down on Monday, so Korobov provides them with depth on the blueline.
Call up / Send down
The Lightning have recalled J.T Brown from Norfolk (AHL).
Brown is a 23-year-old winger who has four goals and six assists (10 points) in 13 games with Norfolk (AHL). With the injury to Steven Stamkos the Lightning will have to undoubtedly juggle their lineup to try and replace the lost production.
Call up / Send down
Fasth (lower-body) has been assigned to Norfolk on a long-term injury conditioning loan.
Fasth has been out since October 18 and has seen his replacement Frederik Andersen go 6-0-0 with a 1.41 GAA and .952 SV%. It will be interesting to see how the Ducks handle this situation - Fasth was great in his rookie season and signed a two-year extension, but will the Ducks send a 6-0 Andersen down?
Call up / Send down
The Blues activated Brendan Morrow off of injured reserve and assigned forward Chris Porter to the Chicago Wolves.
Porter failed to record a point while averaging 7:45 TOI in two games with the Blues.
Call up / Send down
The Panthers have loaned G Jacob Markstrom to San Antonio of the AHL.
Markstrom is 1-5-3 with a 3.36 GAA and .877 SV% in eight starts this season. In 37 careers starts (42 appearances) Markstrom is 11-24-5 with a 3.16 GAA and .899 SV%.
Call up / Send down
The Calgary Flames announced today that they have assigned defenceman Chad Billins to the Abbotsford Heat (AHL).
Billins appeared in his first two career NHL games for the Flames during his recall, recording two assists. Billins was signed as a free agent this past summer on July 5th. He is in his first season with the Heat and currently is tied for the team lead in goals with five in 10 games played.
Call up / Send down
The Red WIngs have recalled Xavier Ouellet from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Ouellet played well in 17:15 in his only game with the Red Wings on October 21. He has three assists and a plus-8 rating in 12 games with Grand Rapids. With Jonathan Ericsson and Brendan Smith sidelined with injuries, Ouellet will dress tomorrow vs. Tampa Bay.
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.