NHL Hockey Player News

Derek Grant(C)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Ducks acquired Derek Grant from the Penguins for Joseph Blandisi.

Grant has scored twice with three assists (five points) in 25 games with the Penguins this season. The 28-year-old returns to Anaheim, where he had the best year of his career, scoring 12 goals with 12 assists (24 points) in 2017-18.

Source:
Anaheim Ducks 2019-01-17T15:37:30.215Z
Derek Grant
Pontus Aberg(LW)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Wild acquired Pontus Aberg from the Ducks for Justin Kloos.

Aberg had 11 goals and eight assists (19 points) in his first 37 games with the Ducks but has been a healthy scratch for the last four games. Aberg fell out of favour with head coach Randy Carlyle so he gets moved to Minnesota, where he will fight with Matt Hendricks and J.T. Brown for playing time in the bottom-6.

Source:
Anaheim Ducks 2019-01-17T15:27:45.483Z
Pontus Aberg
Justin Kloos(C)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Ducks acquired Justin Kloos from the Wild for Pontus Aberg.

Kloos has registered 12 goals and 18 assists (30 points) in 34 games with Iowa (AHL) this season. Aberg had a nice run but fell out of favour with head coach Randy Carlyle as of late, serving as a healthy scratch for four straight games. Kloos will report to San Diego (AHL) at first but could earn a call-up if the Ducks continue to struggle.

Source:
Anaheim Ducks 2019-01-17T15:24:42.527Z
Justin Kloos
Devin Shore(C)|MIN
Trade
Trade
The Ducks have acquired Devin Shore from the Stars for Andrew Cogliano.

Shore is a former second-round pick who looked like he had some offensive side after picking up 26 points (15G / 11A) in 25 AHL games in 2016. However, he has a career-high of 33 points and has registered just 17 points (5G / 12A) in 42 games this year. He could play on a line with Ryan Kesler after Cogliano was sent the other way.

Source:
@AnaheimDucks 2019-01-14T15:31:00.754Z
Devin Shore
Jared Coreau(G)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Blues have acquired Jared Coreau from the Ducks for future considerations.

Ville Husso was hurt for the Blues AHL team so acquiring Coreau adds some goaltending depth at the AHL-level. Coreau once looked like a promising young netminder but has struggled mightily at the NHL-level and is 3-6-2 with a 3.57 GAA and .895 SV% in 13 games with San Diego (AHL) this season.

Source:
Jim Thomas 2019-01-04T00:12:09.802Z
Jared Coreau
Darren Archibald(LW)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Senators have acquired Darren Archibald and Anders Nilsson from the Canucks for Mike McKenna, Tom Pyatt and a 2019 sixth-round pick.

Archibald has spent most of the season with Utica (AHL), where he has 11 goals and five assists (16 points) in 23 games. The 28-year-old forward, who stands at 6-foot-3, 210 lbs., Archibald has 14 points (6G / 8A) in 52 career NHL games.

Source:
@Canucks 2019-01-02T18:50:57.336Z
Darren Archibald
Anders Nilsson(G)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Senators have acquired Anders Nilsson and Darren Archibald from the Canucks for Mike McKenna, Tom Pyatt and a 2019 sixth-round pick.

Nilsson has gone 3-8-1 with a 3.09 GAA and .895 SV% in 12 games with the Canucks this season. With Craig Anderson out with a concussion the Senators are trying to upgrade their goaltending situation by swapping McKenna for the 28-year-old Nilsson. His career .905 SV% suggests that he won’t be too big of an upgrade though.

Source:
@Canucks 2019-01-02T18:49:09.539Z
Anders Nilsson
Tom Pyatt(C)|
Trade
Trade
The Canucks have acquired Tom Pyatt, Mike McKenna and a 2019 sixth-round pick from the Senators for Anders Nilsson and Darren Archibald.

Pyatt has recorded just two assists, 29 shots and a minus-16 rating in 37 games this season—averaging 11:42 TOI/gm. Pyatt will switch locker rooms tonight but will likely serve as a healthy scratch against the team that just traded him. Pyatt could be on his wait to Utica (AHL) after clearing waivers at noon.

Source:
@Canucks 2019-01-02T18:52:23.652Z
Tom Pyatt
Mike McKenna(G)|
Trade
Trade
The Canucks have acquired Mike McKenna, Tom Pyatt and a 2019 sixth-round pick from the Senators for Anders Nilsson and Darren Archibald.

McKenna was set to serve as the Senators backup vs. Vancouver tonight but now he switches locker rooms and will be Jacob Markstrom’s backup vs. the Senators. McKenna has gone 1-4-1 with a 3.96 GAA and .897 SV% in 10 games with Ottawa this season.

Source:
@Canucks 2019-01-02T18:46:04.063Z
Mike McKenna

NHL Trade Tracker

Are you looking for all the latest NHL trade news from around the league? Then you’ve come to the right spot! Daily Faceoff’s NHL trade tracker provides up-to-the-minute updates on the latest personnel moves and trade rumours from all 32 franchises. When your favourite player gets dealt for future considerations, you’ll be the first to know!

Along with our NHL trade tracker, we also provide information on how hockey trades work, the strategy behind these moves, and how the latest NHL trades could impact your sports betting strategy.

It’s important for fans, sports bettors, and fantasy managers to stay informed on the latest NHL transactions. If you can keep tabs on the latest moves in the NHL, this can assist you in making intelligent pickups or trades in fantasy hockey and help shape your bets based on the new personnel added to a team.

NHL Trade Rules

NHL trades can be quite lucrative, with players, prospects, and draft capital moved to complete a deal. While there are a variety of ways to finalize trades, they all need to abide by the trade rules and regulations set by the league. Even the San Jose Sharks can’t take on everyone’s bad contracts.

Learn more about the rules around trades below so you can better understand how trades work, and the transactions made in our NHL trade tracker.

Salary Cap

In order for any NHL trade to be processed successfully, all parties involved must abide by the league’s salary cap rules. The current NHL salary cap is $88M, meaning that each team’s total payroll must fall within the budgetary restriction.

The salary cap in the NHL is considered a “hard cap,” meaning that no team can exceed it. While the limitations around roster construction can be strict, there are still ways for teams to legally exceed the set limit that won’t cost teams a first-round pick.

In the playoffs, teams are technically able to exceed their cap space through the long-term injured reserve (LTIR). The LTIR allows teams to place injured players on extended leave (24+ calendar days or 10 NHL Games) and fill their roster spots based on their cap space heading into the regular season.

If a player is on the LTIR heading into the postseason, they can be activated regardless of if their re-addition to the team puts them over the salary cap.

Roster Limit

For any active NHL roster, they can only dress 23 skaters. While they’re able to move players up and down through their farm system (AHL/ECHL/International Players), they must abide by this player limit when it comes to active players dressed in each game.

This plays a big factor in determining trades, as teams will need to make salaries work to make the move official and fit the current team’s available roster spots.

Depth is an incredibly important part of any successful NHL team, so filling out their roster with talented players is pivotal to their success. Each roster spot holds immense value.

NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL trade deadline is the last opportunity for teams to make moves between each other during the regular season. The trade deadline generally falls after the All-Star break so teams can make their last-ditch efforts before the playoffs begin. Players must be on the team’s roster by the deadline at 3 PM to be eligible for the NHL playoffs.

Technically, teams can still make trades after this point if they don’t qualify or have been eliminated from the postseason. These trades will not take effect until the next season, but the transactions can still go through.

The deadline can make or break a team’s playoff hopes, making it a dramatic and hectic period for hockey fans and managers alike. Be sure to regularly check back with our NHL trade tracker around the deadline so you don’t miss any latest moves from across the league.

Understanding the Strategy Behind NHL Trades

NHL teams may want to make a trade for a number of reasons. Often, teams make trades when they are looking to head in a certain direction, whether this means trying to improve and compete for the Stanley Cup or tank and enter a rebuild.

A team that feels it has a strong enough unit to make a deep run into the postseason will likely forgo some of its draft capital to acquire proven talent and enhance its winning capabilities.

Conversely, a team that has hit a wall in terms of success and doesn’t feel they have what it takes to compete in the playoffs may opt to trade away valuable assets in favour of draft picks or promising prospects.

Other NHL trade strategies may involve team culture/personnel fits. If a player doesn’t fit within a coach’s game plan or doesn’t have chemistry with his line mates, teams may opt to deal him to find a better fit.

For daily fantasy sports players or hockey bettors, understanding the logic behind NHL trades can play a big part in your success. If you have a solid understanding of a team’s needs and the value brought by particular players, you can use this to gain an edge on your roster moves and bets.

Check out the most recent roster moves from around the league with our NHL trade tracker, and be sure to analyze the strategy used by each team when making their next move.

How NHL Trades Impact Sports Betting

NHL trades can have a major impact on sports betting, both in terms of daily games and futures. Players moving from team to team can alter a squad’s potential success and on-ice production.

For example, if a team decides to trade their leading goal-scorer, you can rightfully assume that their overall scoring numbers may drop as a result. This means a team you once would’ve taken the Over on may be better suited for the Under due to their new lineup.

Acquiring an all-star player for futures bets can dramatically influence the betting lines, increasing one team’s value while dropping another. If you’ve already placed a futures bet and the team you wagered on makes a trade, this could possibly increase or lower the value of your original ticket, depending on the result of the roster change.
Daily fantasy hockey players can also be impacted by NHL trades as you will need to see how a player fits into their new setting before including them in your drafted lineup.
Be sure to watch for any of the latest transactions by using our NHL trade tracker to stay informed on all the roster changes occurring throughout the league.

NHL Trades FAQs

Who decides NHL trades?

NHL trades are decided between two or more team general managers. The front office’s job is building a winning team. Building a winning team means discussing trades with other general managers across the league.

When can players be traded in the NHL?

During the NHL regular season, players can be traded up until the trade deadline. The deadline is the official cutoff point for when teams can no longer make moves between each other. Players can also be traded throughout the offseason.

Why do they trade players in hockey?

Teams trade players in hockey for a variety of reasons, but generally, it is done to find success, whether that is in the short term or long term. Teams may trade their top players in search of draft picks if they are undergoing a rebuild, whereas contending teams may look to acquire talent to boost their playoff chances.

How often are NHL players traded?

Trades are a common occurrence throughout the NHL and happen often. Some years feature less trades than others, it all depends on each teams needs and the availability of attractive talent.