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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Oskar Steen(C)|FA
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Call Up
Oskar Steen has been called up from Providence (AHL).

With Milan Lucic being placed on LTIR, Steen has been called up as a possible replacement to slot into the lineup. Steen was off to a hot start with the Providence Bruins of the AHL this season, registering five points (3G / 2A) in five games.

Source:
Scott McLaughlin 2023-10-28T15:40:09.574Z
Oskar Steen
Mackie Samoskevich(RW)|FLA
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Mackie Samoskevich has been loaned to Charlotte (AHL).

Samoskevich was recalled Thursday to Florida but will continue his revolving door of roster transactions as he has been loaned back to Charlotte (AHL) Friday. The 20-year-old was Florida's 2021 first-round selection (24th overall) and has yet to pick a point up in any of his three games played with the Panthers in 2023-24.

Source:
Florida Panthers 2023-10-27T21:11:09.452Z
Mackie Samoskevich
Jesper Boqvist(C)|FLA
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Jesper Boqvist has been reassigned to Providence (AHL).

Boqvist played in his first game of the season on Thursday vs. Anaheim and had no counting stats after 10 shifts and 6:02 TOI and has been reassigned to Providence (AHL) Friday. The 24-year-old forward returns to the minors, where he has no goals, two assists, and four PIMs in five games so far in 2023-24.

Source:
Mark Divver 2023-10-27T20:20:03.261Z
Jesper Boqvist
Patrick Brown(C)|BOS
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Patrick Brown has been reassigned to Providence (AHL).

Brown failed to pick up a point in four games with Boston but had three SOG, two PIMs, and a -2 plus/minus and has been reassigned to Providence (AHL) on Friday. The 31-year-old was signed to a one-year, $800,000 contract in the offseason and returns to the minors for the first time since he captained the Henderson Silver Knights back in 2020-21.

Source:
Mark Divver 2023-10-27T20:22:34.723Z
Patrick Brown
Jakub Zboril(D)|FA
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Call Up
Jakub Zboril has been recalled from Providence (AHL).

Zboril had an assist, two PIMs and a +1 plus/minus in four games with Providence so far in 2023-24 and has earned his first call-up of the season to Boston Friday. The 26-year-old defenseman returns to the Bruins for his fifth NHL season after scoring a goal and four points in 22 games in 2022-23 while averaging just 13:17 TOI.

Source:
Mark Divver 2023-10-27T20:24:31.864Z
Jakub Zboril
Mason Lohrei(D)|BOS
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Call Up
Mason Lohrei has been recalled by Providence (AHL).

Lohrei was Boston's 2020 second-round pick (58th overall) and earned his first career call-up Friday from Providence (AHL) after putting up two assists, two PIMs, and a +3 plus/minus through five games in 2023-24. The 22-year-old defenseman will make his NHL debut if he finds himself in the Bruins lineup this weekend after playing in only 10 total AHL games after joining Providence from Ohio State (NCAA) at the end of his collegiate career in 2022-23.

Source:
Mark Divver 2023-10-27T20:45:04.189Z
Mason Lohrei
Jan Jenik(C)|OTT
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Call Up
Jan Jenik has been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL).

Jenik had a goal, two assists, and a +2 plus/minus in three games with Tucson (AHL) to start the 2023-24 season and has been recalled to Arizona on Friday. The 23-year-old right-winger returns to the Coyotes for his fourth NHL season and has four goals, five points, and 25 SOG in 17 career NHL games played.

Source:
Arizona Coyotes PR 2023-10-27T19:45:21.184Z
Jan Jenik
William Lagesson(D)|DET
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Call Up
William Lagesson has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).

Lagesson was called up on Friday from the Marlies (AHL), likely to replace Jake McCabe, who was injured after playing only 10 seconds on Friday and has been ruled out for the Maple Leafs Saturday night matchup against the Nashville Predators. In five games with the Marlies this season, Lagesson has one point (0G / 1A) and a -2 plus/minus rating.

Source:
Leafs PR 2023-10-27T18:23:29.899Z
William Lagesson
Fraser Minten(C)|BOS
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Fraser Minten has been returned to Kamloops (WHL).

Minten was one of the league's biggest camp surprises when he cracked the Maple Leafs' opening night roster but has been returned to Kamloops (WHL) after being a healthy scratch in Toronto's previous two outings. The 19-year-old was Toronto's 2022 second round pick (38th overall) and failed to pick up a point across his four game showing with the Maple Leafs early in the season. He returns to Kamloops, where he had 31 goals, 36 assists, 55 PIMs and a +24 plus/minus in 57 games played in 2022-23.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2023-10-27T18:10:07.948Z
Fraser Minten
Colton Dach(C)|EDM
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Colton Dach (ankle) has been activated from the injured non-roster and have assigned him to Rockford (AHL).

Dach was placed on the injured reserve with an ankle injury before the start of the season and has now been assigned to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. The 62nd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft has yet to play a game at the professional level and is coming off a season in the WHL where he scored 27 points (12G / 15A) in 23 games.

Source:
Greg Boysen 2023-10-27T14:48:21.131Z
Colton Dach
Jordan Spence(D)|OTT
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Call Up
Jordan Spence has been recalled from Ontario (AHL).

Spence has been recalled from Ontario (AHL) just a day after being sent down in what was mostly a paper transaction. The 22-year-old defensemen has appeared in five games so far in 2023-24 and has an assist, three SOG, and a +1 plus/minus. He should be back in the Kings' lineup for their next game Friday vs. Arizona.

Source:
LA Kings PR 2023-10-26T19:31:53.424Z
Jordan Spence
Jaret Anderson-Dolan(C)|WPG
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Call Up
Jaret Anderson-Dolan has been recalled from Ontario (AHL).

Anderson-Dolan was recalled from Ontario (AHL) a day after being sent down to appear in a game for the Reign while Los Angeles takes a three day break. The 24-year-old forward returns to the Kings where he has failed to pick up a point in only one appearance thus far in 2023-24. He had seven goals and 12 points in 46 games across his first full NHL season with the Kings in 2022-23.

Source:
LA Kings PR 2023-10-26T19:29:23.983Z
Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Jesper Boqvist(C)|FLA
Call Up
Call Up
Jesper Boqvist has been recalled from Providence (AHL).

The Bruins have recalled Boqvist as a result of news from earlier today that Milan Lucic will be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Boqvist, who will be an option to slide onto the Bruins fourth line, played 70 games with the New Jersey Devils last season, tallying 21 points (10G / 11A).

Source:
Fluto Schnizawa 2023-10-26T19:27:32.805Z
Jesper Boqvist
Ian Mitchell(D)|TBL
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Ian Mitchell has cleared waivers and been reassigned to Providence (AHL).

Mitchell was placed on waivers Wednesday but has been assigned to Providence (AHL) after he passed through unclaimed on Thursday. The 24-year-old had an assist, four PIMs and a +1 plus/minus in two games played with Boston this season. Mitchell was a piece of the trade which saw Taylor Hall head to Chicago in the offseason.

Source:
Chris Johnston 2023-10-26T18:05:31.579Z
Ian Mitchell

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.