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The Capitals have assigned Vitek Vanecek to Hershey (AHL) on a conditioning loan.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
The Blackhawks recalled Jakub Galvas from Rockford (AHL).
Galvas has been recalled because Calvin de Haan is questionable to play Friday due to an undisclosed injury. The 22-year-old has no points in five games with Chicago and has 10 points (2G / 8A) in 32 AHL games.
The Maple Leafs have recalled Nick Robertson from Toronto (AHL).
Robertson is among the Maple Leafs' top prospects but has had a tough time gaining any traction due to repeated injury issues. Since returning to the Marlies lineup recently, Robertson has scored three goals with five assists (eight points) in nine games. He had one assist in six games with the Maple Leafs last season.
The Rangers have sent Zac Jones to Hartford (AHL).
Jones played in five straight games with the Rangers before being a healthy scratch in Ottawa on Sunday. Patrik Nemeth (personal) replaced him in the lineup against the Senators.
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Rask cleared waivers and has been reassigned to Iowa (AHL).
With Nick Bjugstad close to returning to the Wild lineup, Rask was waived and sent to the minors to clear room on the roster. The emergence of Matt Boldy and Connor Dewar had pushed Rask to a reserve role.
The Wild recalled Calen Addison from Iowa (AHL).
With Matt Dumba dealing with an injury, Addison has a chance to get back into the Wild lineup on Sunday. The 21-year-old defenseman has spent most of the season in the AHL but has suited up for nine games with the Wild, scoring two goals with one assist.
The Blackhawks have recalled Lukas Reichel from Rockford (AHL).
Reichel is the Blackhawks' top prospect and has forced his way back into the NHL after dominating the AHL through 33 games. The 19-year-old leads Rockford with 33 points (14G / 19A) and should suit up for his third career NHL game on Friday.
The Maple Leafs sent Timothy Liljegren to Toronto (AHL).
After claiming Adam Brooks off of waivers from the Golden Knights, the Maple Leafs needed to clear a roster spot. They did so by sending Liljegren back to the Marlies, so look for Travis Dermott to replace him in the lineup on Thursday.
The Oilers have sent Stuart Skinner to Bakersfield (AHL).
With Mikko Koskinen returning from the COVID-19 protocol list, Skinner goes back to the AHL. Skinner is coming off of his first career shutout and has gone 6-6-0 with a 2.62 GAA and .913 SV% with the Oilers this season.
The Predators have recalled Cole Smith from Milwaukee (AHL).
Nick Cousins is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, so Smith comes up from the AHL and should play in the bottom-6 on Tuesday. Smith has spent most of the season in the AHL, posting 10 goals and 12 assists (22 points) in 33 games with Milwaukee.
The Flyers have recalled Morgan Frost from Lehigh Valley (AHL).
Derick Brassard found himself back on the shelf over the weekend, so Frost may be back in the Flyers' lineup on Tuesday. Frost has split his time between the AHL and NHL pretty equally this season. He's posted 18 points (5G / 13A) in 20 AHL games and has seven points (2G / 5A) in 26 NHL games.
The Islanders have recalled Cory Schneider from Bridgeport (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Semyon Varlamov landed in COVID-19 protocol on Saturday, so Schneider has been recalled to serve as Ilya Sorokin's backup on Tuesday. Schneider has gone 5-9-2 with a 3.08 GAA and .906 SV% in 16 AHL games this season.
The Canadiens have recalled Corey Schueneman from Laval (AHL).
Schueneman will replace Ben Chiarot in the lineup on Sunday after Chiarot landed on IR with a lower-body injury. Schueneman has picked up one assist in four games with the Canadiens this season.
The Oilers have recalled Markus Niemelainen from Bakersfield (AHL).
With Duncan Keith out at least two weeks with a concussion, Niemelainen returns to the NHL. He previously played seven games with the Oilers this season but has spent most of the year in Bakersfield, where he has seven points (2G / 5A) in 23 games.
The Capitals recalled Brett Leason from Hershey (AHL).
Leason has spent most of the season with the Capitals, scoring three goals with three assists (six points) in 33 games. He was recalled on Wednesday to join the team on their way to Montreal, replacing Alex Ovechkin, who was ineligible to travel to Canada due to COVID-19.
Fix-Wolansky was recalled from Cleveland (AHL) and is expected to make his NHL debut on Tuesday.
Fix-Wolansky was a seventh-round pick in 2018 and is set to replace Emil Bemstrom (COVID-19) in the lineup on Tuesday. The 22-year-old has scored nine goals with eight assists (17 points) in 22 AHL games this season.
Skinner was recalled from Bakersfield (AHL).
Mike Smith will start Tuesday vs. Vegas but Skinner will likely start Wednesday with Mikko Koskinen landing in COVID-19 protocol. Skinner has gone 8-0-2 with a 1.97 GAA and .928 SV% in 10 AHL games and 5-6-0 with a 2.85 GAA and .908 SV% in 12 NHL games this season.
The Oilers have recalled William Lagesson from Bakersfield (AHL).
Lagesson went to the AHL during the All-Star break but is expected to be in the lineup on Tuesday. Lagesson will likely continue to play for Kris Russell, who was moved to IR in a corresponding move on Monday.
The Hurricanes have recalled Josh Leivo from Chicago (AHL).
Leivo returns to the Hurricanes after the All-Star break with Jesperi Kotkaniemi in COVID-19 protocol and Teuvo Teravainen listed as a game-time decision. If Teravainen can't play, expect Leivo to suit up and skate on the fourth line.
The Capitals have recalled Pheonix Copley from Hershey (AHL).
Copley appeared in relief in the Capitals final game before the All-Star break, stopping 21 of 22 shots in a loss to the Oilers. Copley started the game as Ilya Samsonov's backup because Vitek Vanecek was dealing with an injury. Being recalled post-All-Star break suggests that Vanecek still isn't 100 percent heading into Tuesday's game vs. Columbus.
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.