The Coyotes recalled Soderstrom from Tucson (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Soderstrom has played just a single NHL game this season. He has eight goals and 17 assists in 50 AHL games this season.
NHL Hockey Player News
The Flyers assigned Ginning to Lehigh Valley (AHL) on Friday.
Ginning will return to the AHL after making his NHL season debut for the Flyers on Thursday. Ginning has two goals and 11 assists in 52 games with Lehigh Valley this season.
The Flyers assigned Lycksell to Lehigh Valley (AHL) on Friday.
Lycksell will return to the AHL after a four-game stint with the Flyers. He is yet to register a goal but has managed three assists in nine games with the Flyers this season.
Fix-Wolansky has been recalled from Cleveland (AHL) on Friday.
Fix-Wolansky is currently third in AHL scoring with 23 goals and 54 points in 51 games played but will put a halt to his production as he earned his second promotion of the season to Columbus on Friday. The 24-year-old offensive right-winger had appeared in one game early this season for the Blue Jackets, but failed to put up any counting stats across 12:32 TOI.
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Froese has been reassigned to Henderson (AHL) on Friday.
With Vegas making a flurry of deals at the trade deadline, Byron Froese finds himself the odd-man out of the Golden Knights roster and has been reassigned to Henderson (AHL). The 32-year-old veteran had failed to produce in his 16-game showing with Vegas, with only one assist, 17 SOG, four PIMs and a -2 plus/minus.
Morelli has been reassigned to Henderson (AHL).
Morelli was the odd man out of the Golden Knights' roster after Friday's trade deadline deals and was reassigned to Henderson (AHL). The 28-year-old left-winger impressed during his first, but limited appearance with the Golden Knights with three goals, four points, nine SOG and a -3 plus/minus in nine games played.
Lilleberg has been reassigned to Syracuse (AHL) on Friday.
Lilleberg made a strong impact in his first career appearance with Tampa Bay but has been reassigned to Syracuse (AHL) after the Lightning made some deadline acquisitions. The 23-year-old Norweigan rookie will head back to the minors with three assists,17 SOG, eight PIMs and a -14 plus/minus in 23 games played with Tampa Bay.
Crozier has been reassigned to Syracuse (AHL).
Crozier was the odd man out of Tampa Bay's roster after their trade deadline acquisitions and will head back to Syracuse (AHL) on Friday. The 23-year-old rookie did well in his first NHL showing, with two assists, seven PIMs and a -2 plus/minus in 13 games played.
Johnson has been reassigned to Rochester (AHL) on Friday.
With Johnson being reassigned to the Rochester Americans (AHL), Kyle Clague was recalled by the Sabres. Johnson has spent the majority of his first professional season with the Sabres, tallying seven points (0G / 7A) in 41 games.
Clague has been called up from Rochester (AHL) on Friday.
Ryan Johnson was reassigned to the Rochester Americans (AHL) on Friday, allowing the Sabres to recall Clague. The 25-year-old Clague has spent most of the season in the AHL, tallying 23 points (3G / 20A) in 42 games with Rochester.
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Zboril has been assigned to Cleveland (AHL).
The Blue Jackets acquired Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick from the Bruins for Andrew Peeke on Friday. Zboril has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign, posting nine points (0G / 9A) in 31 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL). The 27-year-old defenseman is an impending unrestricted free agent.
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Raanta has cleared waivers and been reassigned to the Chicago Wolves (AHL).
Raanta, Tony DeAngelo, and Brendan Lemieux were all placed on waivers by the Hurricanes on Thursday as the team was clearing cap space toward their eventual acquisition of Jake Guentzel. Raanta has struggled this season, including being placed on waivers earlier in the year, and has a 2.99 GAA and .872 SV% through 24 games this season (12-7-2).
Oesterle has been reassigned to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Oesterle made his first appearance in the Flames lineup in nearly two months earlier this week, playing 14:07 time-on-ice and recording two hits. Oesterle has no goals and two assists in 22 games this season.
Podkolzin has been reassigned to Abbotsford (AHL) on Friday.
Podkolzin just played his first three games with Vancouver this season, being held off the scoresheet while averaging nearly 11 minutes of ice time. He has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with Abbotsford (AHL), where he has 28 points (15G / 13A) in 44 games.
Jost has been recalled from Rochester (AHL) on Friday.
Jost began the season with the Sabres, scoring four points (2G / 2A) in 29 games, but was placed on waivers in December and has been with the Rochester Americans (AHL) since. In 25 games with Rochester, the 25-year-old Jost has 14 points (4G / 10A).
Fleury has been recalled from Coachella Valley (AHL).
Fleury played 12 games with Seattle last season but has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign with the Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL), tallying 26 points (5G / 21A) in 54 games. The 25-year-old Fleury was the third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Fagemo has been loaned to the Ontario Reign (AHL).
Fagemo has not suited up for the Kings since January 26 and has been reassigned to the Ontario Reign (AHL). The 23-year-old Fagemo has an impressive 47 points (31G / 16A) in 36 games with Ontario.
Koch has been reassigned to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL).
Koch made his NHL debut on Thursday and recorded 10 penalty minutes in 9:20 time-on-ice. The Slovak-born Koch drew into the Coyotes' lineup for Matt Dumba, who was scratched for trade-related reasons. Koch has one goal and ten assists in 47 games with Tucson (AHL) this season.
The Kings recalled Fagemo from Ontario (AHL) on Thursday.
Fagemo has played four games with the Kings this season and is yet to register a point. He has been very productive in the AHL, however, scoring 31 goals and adding 16 assists in 31 games with the Ontario Reign.
Koch has been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL).
Koch had one goal, 11 points and 67 PIMs in 47 games played with the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) this season and earned his first career NHL call-up on Thursday. The 27-year-old undrafted defenseman spent the majority of his professional career in the Czechia league before making the leap to North America in 2023-24.
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.