NHL Hockey Player News

Drew MacIntyre(G)|
Trade
Trade
The Blackhawks have acquired Drew MacIntyre from the Hurricanes for Dennis Robertson.

MacIntyre has gone 11-13-1 with a 3.09 GAA and .890 SV% in 28 games with Charlotte (AHL) this season. He was sent to the Blackhawks, where he provides Rockford (AHL) with goaltending depth.

Source:
Terrell Williams 2016-03-01T09:27:34.000Z
Drew MacIntyre
Sergei Plotnikov(LW)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Coyotes have acquire Sergei Plotnikov from the Penguins for Matthias Plachta and a 2017 7th Round Pick.

Plotnikov has often served as a healthy scratch this season after coming over from the KHL this summer. He has two assists in 32 games this season, and could already face his former team tonight with the Coyotes in Pittsburgh.

Source:
Dave Molinari 2016-02-29T16:44:12.000Z
Sergei Plotnikov
Kris Versteeg(RW)|
Trade
Trade
The Kings have acquired Kris Versteeg from the Hurricanes for Valentin Zykov and a conditional fifth round pick.

Versteeg won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks last season and has picked up 11 goals and 22 assists (33 points) in 63 games with the Hurricanes this season. He’ll have a shot at another Stanley Cup this season as he joins the Kings, where he could find himself in their top-6.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2016-02-29T10:25:44.000Z
Kris Versteeg
Eric Staal(C)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Rangers have acquired Eric Staal from the Hurricanes for a 2016 second round pick, a 2017 second round pick and Aleksi Saarela.

Staal has been with the Hurricanes since being drafted second overall in 2003. He has seen his offensive output dip in recent years and has posted just 10 goals and 23 assists (33 points) in 63 games this season. He is a pending unrestricted free agent and leaves one brother (Jordan) to join another (Marc). He will play in the Rangers’ top-6 and shouldn’t be leaned on as heavily as he was in Carolina.

Source:
@NYRangers 2016-02-29T10:24:12.000Z
Eric Staal
Michael Sdao(D)|
Trade
Trade
The Sabres have acquired Michael Sdao, Eric O’Dell, Cole Schneider and Alex Guptill from the Senators for Jason Akeson, Phil Varone, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc and a conditional draft pick.

Sdao, 26, was a seventh round pick (191st overall) in 2009. He never appeared in an NHL game with the Senators and had just two assists in 17 games on the Binghamton (AHL) blueline this season.

Source:
@Media_Sens 2016-02-28T23:37:32.000Z
Michael Sdao
Alex Guptill(LW)|
Trade
Trade
The Sabres have acquired Alex Guptill, Eric O’Dell, Cole Schneider, and Michael Sdao from the Senators for Jason Akeson, Phil Varone, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc and a conditional draft pick.

Guptill, 23, was a third round pick (77th overall) in 2010 and was acquired by the Senators as a part of the Jason Spezza deal with Dallas. He had just one assist in three games with Binghamton this season and 14 goals and nine assists in 38 games between Evansville and Manchester of the ECHL.

Source:
@Media_Sens 2016-02-28T23:37:38.000Z
Alex Guptill
Cole Schneider(LW)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Sabres have acquired Cole Schneider, Eric O’Dell, Alex Guptill and Michael Sdao from the Senators for Jason Akeson, Phil Varone, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc and a conditional draft pick.

Schneider, 25, was leading Binghamton (AHL) in points with 42 (17G / 25A) in 54 games at the time of the trade. He now heads to Rochester after spending nearly five full years with Binghamton, where he had 83 goals and 108 assists (191 points) in 263 games.

Source:
@Media_Sens 2016-02-28T23:37:43.000Z
Cole Schneider
Eric O'Dell(C)|
Trade
Trade
The Sabres have acquired Eric O’Dell, Cole Schneider, Alex Guptill and Michael Sdao from the Senators for Jason Akeson, Phil Varone, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc and a conditional draft pick.

O’Dell, 25, was a second round pick (39th overall) in 2008 and was in his first season with the Senators organization. The young centre has 37 points (18G / 19A) in 50 games with Binghamton (AHL) this season and eight career NHL points (3G / 5A) in 41 games with the Jets.

Source:
@Media_Sens 2016-02-28T23:37:51.000Z
Eric O'Dell
Phil Varone(C)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Senators have acquired Phil Varone, Jason Akeson, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc and a conditional draft pick from the Sabres for Eric O’Dell, Cole Schneider, Alex Guptill and Michael Sdao.

Varone, 25, was a fifth round pick (147th overall) in 2009. He has 32 points (13G / 19A) in 44 games with the Americans (AHL) this season and two points (1G / 1A) in five games with the Sabres.

Source:
@Media_Sens 2016-02-28T23:37:59.000Z
Phil Varone
Jason Akeson(C)|
Trade
Trade
The Senators have acquired Jason Akeson, Phil Varone, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc and a conditional draft pick from the Sabres for Eric O’Dell, Cole Schneider, Alex Guptill and Michael Sdao.

Akeson, 25, has 30 points (8G / 22A) in 52 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) this season. He has one goal and one assist in 15 career NHL games with the Flyers. Akeson is a native of Orleans, Ontario, which is a suburb of Ottawa, so this is a homecoming for the young winger.

Source:
@Media_Sens 2016-02-28T23:38:04.000Z
Jason Akeson
Justin Schultz(RD)|SEA
Trade
Trade
The Penguins have acquired Justin Schultz from the Oilers for a third-round pick.

Schultz, 25, has seen his offensive numbers slip since posting 27 points (8G / 19A) in 48 games in his rookie season. He lacked confidence and often served as a healthy scratch this season, posting 10 points (3G / 7A) in 45 games. He heads to Pittsburgh where he should land a regular role on their third line with Ben Lovejoy sidelined, but until we see more offence, he should remain on the waiver wire.

Source:
Darren Dreger 2016-02-28T23:22:02.000Z
Justin Schultz
Jakub Kindl(D)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Panthers have acquired Jakub Kindl from the Red Wings for a 2017 6th round pick; Detroit retains 15 percent of Kindl's contract.

Kindl, 29, has cleared waivers twice this season and has split his season between Detroit and Grand Rapids (AHL). He has six points (2G / 4A) in 25 games with the Red Wings and four points (3G / 1A) in 10 games with the Griffins. He provides the Panthers with blueline depth for nearly nothing.

Source:
Ansar Khan 2016-02-28T23:22:04.000Z
Jakub Kindl
Teddy Purcell(RW)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Panthers have acquired Teddy Purcell from Edmonton for a third round pick.

Purcell, 30, has picked up 11 goals and 21 assists (32 points) in 61 games in his second season in Edmonton. After spending four and a half years with Tampa Bay (2010-2014) he heads back to the state of Florida, with the Panthers this time around. Purcell will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Source:
George Richards 2016-02-28T23:21:51.000Z
Teddy Purcell
Jiri Hudler(LW)|FA
Trade
Trade
The Panthers have acquired Jiri Hudler from the Flames for a 2016 second round pick and a 2018 fourth round pick.

Hudler, 32, has had a down season after posted a career-high 76 points (31G / 45A) in 78 games last season. He has 10 goals and 25 assists (35 points) in 53 games this season and now he heads to Florida where he will be part of a Stanley Cup bid before becoming a free agent this summer. Look for him to play on a line with Nick Bjugstad.

Source:
Pierre LeBrun 2016-02-28T23:15:21.000Z
Jiri Hudler

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.