Beckman has been reassigned to Iowa (AHL) on Tuesday.
The roster move closes the book on Beckman's 2023-24 NHL season. The 22-year-old left winger played 11 games with the Wild this season, registering no goals and two assists.
NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Silovs has been reassigned to Abbotsford (AHL) on Tuesday.
With Thatcher Demko's return from a lower-body injury, Silovs has been reassigned to the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL. The 23-year-old Silovs recorded a 2.47 GAA and .881 SV% in four games (3-0-1) with Vancouver.
Raty has been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Raty was the fifth-round pick of the Coyotes in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to play an NHL game and has collected 43 points (14G / 29A) in 43 games with the Tuscon Roadrunners (AHL).
Rondbjerg has been recalled from Henderson (AHL) on Tuesday.
Rondbjerg has played 18 games with the Golden Knights this season, scoring three points (1G / 2A) in 18 games, but has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL. He has 25 points (9G / 16A) in 48 games with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).
Del Bel Belluz has been recalled from Cleveland (AHL) and will make his NHL debut on Tuesday.
Del Bel Belluz was the 44th overall pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old has scored 30 points (9G / 21A) in 55 games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) this season.
Coghlan has been recalled from Springfield (AHL) and is available on Tuesday.
Coghlan has yet to crack the Hurricanes roster this season but could get the chance after being recalled on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Coghlan has 41 points (16G / 25A) in 59 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL).
Comtois has been recalled from Chicago (AHL) and is available on Tuesday.
Comtois exclusively played in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks over the last three seasons but has yet to make his mark this year. The 25-year-old Comtois has 43 points (19G / 24A) in 62 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL).
Megna has been recalled from Providence (AHL) on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old Megna has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign with the Providence Bruins (AHL), scoring 51 points (18G / 33A) in 67 games. John Beecher was loaned to Providence on Tuesday in a corresponding move.
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Beecher has been loaned to Providence (AHL) on Tuesday.
Beecher has been a regular in the lineup for the Bruins over the last month, scoring three points (2G / 1A) in 13 games, but has been loaned to the Providence Bruins (AHL). Jayson Megna has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Clarke has been reassigned to Utica (AHL) on Tuesday.
Bowers has been reassigned to Utica (AHL) on Tuesday.
Mailloux has been recalled from Laval (AHL) late on Monday.
Mailloux was the 31st overall pick of the Canadiens in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old has played 70 games with the Laval Rocket in his first professional season, scoring 47 points (14G / 33A).
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Jenik has been reassigned to Tucson (AHL) on Monday.
Jenik's five-game stint with Arizona is up after he was reassigned to Tucson (AHL) on Monday to help with the team's playoff push. The 23-year-old only had one assist with Arizona but returns to Tucson, where he had 16 goals, 36 points and 48 PIMs in 54 games before his previous call-up.
Fix-Wolansky has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL) on Monday.
Fix-Wolansky is coming off the best game of his NHL career after scoring two goals vs. Nashville on Saturday but has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL) for their playoff run on Monday. The 24-year-old's 2023-24 with the Blue Jackets likely ends with a career-high two goals and three points in 11 games played.
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Subban has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL) on Monday.
Subban appeared in one game for Columbus during his recall and impressed despite losing with 32 saves on 35 shots (.914 SV%) but has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL) on Monday for the playoff push. The 30-year-old veteran returns to Cleveland, where he has struggled since being acquired at the trade deadline, with his 0-3-0 record, 4.56 GAA and .853 SV%.
Romanov has been recalled from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Mackenzie Blackwood is out for the remainder of the season due to an undisclosed injury, prompting the Sharks to recall Romanov. The 24-year-old Romanov has a 3.14 GAA and .904 SV% in 29 games (9-9-8) with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this season.
Husso has been recalled from the Grand Rapid's Griffins (AHL).
Husso has been sidelined since mid-February due to a lower-body injury and was loaned to the Grand Rapids Griffins for a conditioning stint last week. The 29-year-old Husso had struggled when called upon this season with a 9-5-2 record, 3.55 GAA and .892 SV%.
Klapka has been recalled from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Klapka played four games for the Flames earlier this season but has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL). The undrafted 23-year-old has 45 points (21G / 24A) in 64 games with the Wranglers.
Del Mastro has been reassigned to Rockford (AHL) on Monday.
Del Mastro has played two games for the Blackhawks this season but has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL). The 21-year-old Del Mastro has 37 points (7G / 30A) in 66 games with Rockford.
Ostapchuk has been recalled from Belleville (AHL).
Mark Kastelic suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday, resulting in Ostapchuk being recalled from the Belleville Senators (AHL). The 20-year-old Ostapchuk played six games with the Senators earlier this season but has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with Belleville, scoring 28 points (17G / 11A) in 66 games.
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.