The Ducks have added Max Jones to the 23-man roster.
Jones is expected to make his season debut on Friday after replacing Sonny Milano (undisclosed) on the roster. Jones had 12 points (8G / 4A) in 59 games a season ago.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
The Red Wings have recalled Givani Smith from the taxi squad.
The Flyers have promoted Samuel Morin to the active roster.
Morin is a 6-foot-6 defenseman who is making the transition to forward this promotion puts him one step closer to playing forward at the NHL-level. The 25-year-old will not play on Thursday but he could make his season debut soon with both Sean Couturier and Morgan Frost out with injuries.
The Avalanche have promoted Hunter Miska to the NHL roster.
Pavel Francouz is day-to-day with a minor injury so Miska has been called up to serve as Philipp Grubauer's backup in Los Angeles.
The Sabres have promoted Jonas Johansson from the taxi squad.
Linus Ullmark, who was Monday's projected starter, will miss tonight's game due to personal reasons. As a result, Johansson was promoted from the taxi squad and he's expected to back up Carter Hutton.
The Maple Leafs have promoted Pierre Engvall from the AHL to the Taxi squad.
Nick Robertson was hurt over the weekend and is expected to miss some time, so Engvall comes up from the AHL and should be in the lineup on Monday evening. The 24-year-old Engvall had eight goals and seven assists (15 points) in 48 games with the Maple Leafs last season.
The Avalanche have promoted Bowen Byram to the taxi squad.
Byram was the No.4 overall pick in 2019 and is coming off of a terrific showing as a member of Team Canada at the World Juniors. The 19-year-old defenseman had 52 points (14G / 38A) in 50 AHL games a season ago and could make his NHL debut at some point during the 2021 season.
Geekie has been called up from the taxi squad and will play on Saturday.
With Jordan Staal out because of COVID-19 protocol, Geekie will draw into the lineup on Saturday. It’s unclear how the Hurricanes’ lines will shake out but Vincent Trocheck figures to move up to the second line with Geekie handling a bottom-6 role.
The Blues have recalled Mackenzie MacEachern from the taxi squad.
MacEachern was originally sent to the taxi squad to the Blues could become cap compliant but was able to be recalled Wednesday because Vladimir Tarasenko was moved to LTIR. MacEachern had 10 points (7G / 3A) in 51 games a season ago.
The Blues have recalled Jordan Kyrou from the taxi squad.
Kyrou was originally sent to the taxi squad to the Blues could become cap compliant but was able to be recalled Wednesday because Vladimir Tarasenko was moved to LTIR. Kyrou had four goals and five assists (nine points) in 28 NHL games a season ago.
The Flyers have recalled Mark Friedman from Lehigh Valley (AHL).
With Philippe Myers out long-term, Friedman comes up to serve as the Flyers seventh defenseman. Friedman has one assist in six NHL games this season and has picked up 18 points (3G / 15A) in 45 AHL games.
Send Down
The Wild have reassigned Gerald Mayhew to Iowa (AHL).
While playing almost exclusively in the top-6, Mayhew failed to register a point in six games during most recent call-up. His return to the AHL suggests that Eric Staal will be back in the lineup on Thursday.
Call Up
Tennyson was recalled from Binghamton (AHL) and will draw into the lineup on Tuesday.
Tennyson picked up three assists in 19 games with the Devils earlier in the season and will replace Frederik Claesson in the lineup on Tuesday. He has added nine points (1G / 8A) in 25 AHL games this year.
The Hurricanes reassigned Alex Nedeljkovic to Charlotte (AHL).
With Petr Mrazek set to return from a concussion on Tuesday, Nedeljkovic will be the goalie to go to Charlotte and get some playing time. The 24-year-old netminder went 1-2-1 with a 3.05 GAA and .887 SV% during his call-up and returns to the AHL where he is 15-10-2 with a 2.51 GAA and .905 SV%.
Geekie was recalled from Charlotte (AHL) and is expected to make his NHL debut on Sunday.
Geekie was a third-round pick (No.67 overall) in 2017 and leads all active Checkers with 22 goals and is third with 42 points in 55 AHL games this season. Geekie is expected to replace Ryan Dzingel (upper-body) and skate on the fourth line with Nino Niederreiter and Jordan Martinook in his NHL debut.
The Ducks reassigned Brendan Guhle to San Diego (AHL).
Guhle has performed well with the Ducks this season, scoring four goals with four assists (eight points) in 30 games while playing 17:04 ATOI. His return to the AHL suggests that Josh Manson will return to the Ducks blueline on Sunday.
The Devils have recalled Janne Kuokkanen from Binghamton (AHL).
Kuokkanen was the prospect Devils got back from Carolina in the Sami Vatanen trade. Since joining Binghamton, Kuokkanen has scored three goals with three assists (six points) in four games. Overall, that gives him 15 goals and 33 assists (48 points) in 56 AHL games this year. He has not registered a point in 11 career games.
The Sharks have recalled Nikolai Knyzhov from San Jose (AHL).
Knyzhov is in his first year in North America and he has picked up five points (1G / 4A) in 33 games on the Barracuda blueline. He could make his NHL debut on Saturday with Jacob Middleton out and the Sharks with no concrete No.6 defenseman.
The Sabres have recalled John Gilmour from Rochester (AHL).
Gilmour has been summoned from the AHL likely to serve as the seventh defenseman with Lawrence Pilut unlikely to be available on Saturday. Gilmour has six goals and seven assists (13 points) in 36 AHL games this season.
The Blackhawks have recalled Dennis Gilbert from Rockford (AHL).
Gilbert comes up after Lucas Carlsson took a puck to the head on Thursday night. Gilbert has split his 2020 campaign between the AHL and NHL, collecting three points (1G / 2A) in his 20 games with the Blackhawks.
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.