Mackey has been recalled from Hartford (AHL).
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Gustafsson has been reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL).
Koivunen has been reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
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Washe has been reassigned to San Diego (AHL).
Washe appeared in two games for Anaheim last season directly after finishing his season with Western Michigan (NCAA), and earned himself a two-year contract worth $812,500 AAV ($1.625M total). The 23-year-old forward was a sought-after free agent after finishing his senior season with Western Michigan in 2024-25 with 16 goals and 38 points in 42 games played.
Wood has been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL).
Wood was a healthy scratch for the Predators' first game of the season and will likely get some playing time in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals. The 20-year-old forward scored one point (0G / 1A) in his first six NHL games last season.
Gustafsson has cleared waivers and been reassigned to Manitoba (AHL).
Gustafsson will likely start his 2025-26 campaign with the Manitoba Moose after clearing waivers on Friday. The 25-year-old forward played 36 games with the Jets last season, recording six points (2G / 4A).
Del Mastro has been reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs (AHL).
With the return of Alex Vlasic, Del Mastro has been reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs (AHL). The 22-year-old Del Mastro played 24 games with the Blackhawks last season, recording six points (2G / 4A).
Dunne has been recalled from Rochester (AHL).
Dunne was recalled several times last season by the Sabres but only drew into the lineup twice. With Josh Norris (upper-body) sidelined for at least one game, Dunne gets an opportunity again. The 26-year-old Dunne scored 29 points (10G / 19A) in 68 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) last season.
The Ducks recalled Washe from San Diego (AHL) on Wednesday.
Washe appeared in two games for Anaheim directly after finishing his season with Western Michigan (NCAA) and has earned himself a two-year contract worth $812,500 AAV ($1.625M total). The 23-year-old forward was a sought-after free agent after finishing his senior season with Western Michigan in 2024-25 with 16 goals and 38 points in 42 games played.
Ahcan has been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
Ahcan was a healthy scratch for the Avalanche on Tuesday and will return to the AHL. The 28-year-old undrafted defenseman was called up for two games with the Avalanche last season but failed to make much of an impact. In 69 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) last season, he had an impressive five goals and 41 points.
New Jersey has recalled MacEwen from Utica (AHL).
MacEwen split time last season between the Ottawa Senators and Belleville Senators (AHL), and could see a similar role this year with New Jersey and Utica (AHL). The 29-year-old forward has 34 points (17G / 17A) in 237 career NHL games.
Cowan has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Cowan was never really expected to make Toronto out of training camp and is expected to be a healthy scratch despite being called up before their season-opening game on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 19-year-old Cowan was Toronto's 28th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
The Stars have recalled Justin Hryckowian from Texas (AHL).
Hryckowian had a strong preseason, recording one goal, two assists, five shots, and eight hits in five games. He was initially assigned to the AHL for cap-related reasons, but returns to the NHL roster after Jamie Benn and Oskar Back were placed on IR. Hryckowian ranked second on the Stars' AHL affiliate in scoring last season with 60 points (22G, 38A) in 67 games.
Edmonton has recalled Isaac Howard from Bakersfield (AHL).
Tomasek has been recalled from Bakersfield (AHL).
Tomasek is an undrafted 29-year-old forward who signed with the Oilers towards the end of last season. He is slated to make his NHL debut and could get a look on the Oilers' electric top powerplay unit, where he spent some time during the preseason. Tomasek scored 57 points (24G / 33A) in 47 games with Farjestads BK Karlstad (SweHL) last season.
Haight has been recalled from Iowa (AHL).
Haight was the 47th overall pick of Minnesota in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old forward has yet to play an NHL game. He scored 34 points (20G / 14A) in 67 AHL games with the Iowa Wild last season.
Mancini has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL).
The Canucks recalled Mancini, who is expected to be on their opening night roster on the third defensive pair alongside Elias Nils Pettersson. The 23-year-old Mancini played a career-high 16 games with the Canucks last season, scoring three points (1G / 2A).
Calgary has recalled Samuel Honzek from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Calgary placed Jonathan Huberdeau and Martin Pospisil on IR ahead of their season opener and has recalled Samuel Honzek from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) in a corresponding move. The 20-year-old left-winger was Calgary's 2023 1st round pick (16th overall) and will look to pick up his 1st career NHL point in 2025-26 after failing to do so in five appearances with the Flames last season.
Stevenson has been recalled from Hershey (AHL).
Stevenson made his NHL debut during the regular season, posting a 5.00 GAA and .868 SV% in one game (0-1-0). The undrafted 26-year-old goalie spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, posting a 2.94 GAA and .888 SV%.
Yager has been recalled from Lethbridge (AHL).
Yager was the 14th overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old forward has spent the previous four seasons in the WHL, including scoring 52 points (14G / 38A) in 33 games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes this season.
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.