Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA

NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Andrej Sustr(D)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Andrej Sustr has been recalled from the Iowa Wild (AHL).

Sustr has a goal, five assists, 25 PIMS and is a +3 plus/minus in 20 games with Iowa (AHL) prior to his call-up Tuesday. Sustr will be looking to add to his 69 points (11G/58A) across 361 career NHL games he had picked up in his previous nine seasons.

Source:
Jessi Pierce 2022-12-27T15:40:13.028Z
Andrej Sustr
Charles Hudon(LW)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Charles Hudon has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).

Hudon had 10 goals, eight assists, 14 PIMs and a +3 plus/minus in 22 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) and will head back up to the Avalanche for a second time this season. In his previous seven games with Colorado (NHL) he had zero points, 16 SOG and two PIMs.

Source:
Colorado Avalanche 2022-12-27T15:23:44.525Z
Charles Hudon
Jonas Johansson(G)|TBL
Call Up
Call Up
Jonas Johansson has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).

Johansson is 9-6-0 with a .929 SV% and 2.15 GAA with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) and was recalled Tuesday after it was announced that Pavel Francouz was day-to-day with an injury (lower body). He has yet to play in the NHL in 2022-23, but in his previous 32 career games, has a 9-13-4 record, .883 SV% and 3.42 GAA.

Source:
Colorado Avalanche 2022-12-27T16:02:55.649Z
Jonas Johansson
Brayden Pachal(D)|CGY
Call Up
Call Up
Brayden Pachal has been recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).

Pachal will return to the Golden Knights for the second time this season after he collected one assist and a +1 plus/minus in two games in his previous call-up. In Henderson (AHL), he had two goals, six assists and 67 PIMs through 27 games while captaining Vegas' minor league affiliate.

Source:
Ben Gotz 2022-12-23T19:01:46.635Z
Brayden Pachal
Pavel Dorofeyev(RW)|VGK
Call Up
Call Up
Pavel Dorofeyev has been recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).

Dorofeyev has six goals, six assists, 24 PIMs and is a -3 plus/minus through 21 games with Henderson (AHL) but will be recalled Friday for the first time this season to join the Vegas Golden Knights. The 22-year-old had previously played two NHL games in 2021-22, but failed to pick up a point.

Source:
Ben Gotz 2022-12-23T18:59:41.282Z
Pavel Dorofeyev
Aatu Raty(C)|VAN
Call Up
Call Up
Aatu Raty has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).

Raty has five goals, seven assists, 10 PIMs and was a +4 plus/minus through 23 games with Bridgeport (AHL) and will be called up for the first time in his NHL career to the Islanders. The 2021 2nd-round pick (52nd overall) will be looking to make his NHL debut if he finds his way into New York's lineup.

Source:
Andrew Gross 2022-12-23T17:50:59.830Z
Aatu Raty
Givani Smith(RW)|CAR
Call Up
Call Up
Givani Smith has been recalled from Charlotte (AHL) and will be in the Panthers' lineup Friday.

Smith had been playing in Grand Rapids (AHL) prior to being dealt Monday to the Florida Panthers, where he had two goals, three assists, 45 PIMs and a -21 plus/minus through 19 games. He was part of a trade which saw Detroit acquire Danny O'Regan, and Anaheim, Michael Del Zotto.

Source:
Florida Panthers 2022-12-23T17:29:38.436Z
Givani Smith
Mac Hollowell(D)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Mac Hollowell has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).

Hollowell will return to the Maple Leafs after it was announced Rasmus Sandin would be heading to the injured reserve Thursday (neck). Hallowell has played well in his limited showings with the Maple Leafs, with two assists, four SOG and a +3 plus/minus while averaging only 12:56 TOI in the Leafs' bottom-six pairings.

Source:
Leafs PR 2022-12-22T17:13:38.195Z
Mac Hollowell
Aleksi Heponiemi(C)|FA
Send Down
Send Down
Aleksi Heponiemi has been reassigned to Charlotte (AHL).

Heponiemi had a goal and two assists with six SOG across 10 games with the Panthers but will head back down to Charlotte (AHL) Wednesday. Prior to his promotion to Florida, he had five goals, three assists and a +6 plus/minus through 18 games.

Source:
David Dwork 2022-12-21T19:33:11.654Z
Aleksi Heponiemi
Craig Smith(C)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Craig Smith has been recalled from Providence (AHL).

Smith cleared waivers and was sent to Providence (AHL) earlier this week but will surprisingly be recalled Wednesday back to Boston. The 33-year-old had a goal, three assists, and six PIMs in 18 games prior to his demotion and should draw back into the Bruins' lineup soon.

Source:
Shawn Hutcheon 2022-12-21T19:00:54.111Z
Craig Smith
Nils Hoglander(LW)|VAN
Send Down
Send Down
Nils Hoglander has been reassigned to Abbotsford (AHL).

Hoglander had three goals, six assists, 29 SOG and a -4 plus/minus in 25 games with the Canucks but will head to Abbotsford (AHL) in hopes of being called up again later in the season. The demotion is a bit of a surprise after Hoglander played 116 NHL games across the last two seasons.

Source:
Daniel Wagner 2022-12-21T18:32:08.844Z
Nils Hoglander
Samuel Ersson(G)|PHI
Call Up
Call Up
Samuel Ersson has been recalled from Lehigh Valley (AHL).

Ersson has a 9-8-1 record, .910 SV% and 2.70 GAA with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL) but has been recalled Wednesday as it was announced Felix Sandstrom will miss the upcoming road trip due to illness. He will likely make his NHL debut either Thursday or Friday as Philadelphia has a back-to-back situation.

Source:
Sam Carchidi 2022-12-21T18:23:25.193Z
Samuel Ersson
Arvid Holm(G)|FA
Send Down
Send Down
Arvid Holm has been reassigned to Manitoba (AHL).

Holm's NHL stay lasted a total of one day as he dressed and backed up David Rittich on Tuesday. Holm will head back to Manitoba where he was having an impressive season with a 7-3-2 record, 2.55 GAA, and .923 SV%. He will have to wait for his next call-up to make his NHL debut.

Source:
Winnipeg Jets PR 2022-12-21T17:31:43.471Z
Arvid Holm

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.