The Predators recalled Steven Santini from Milwaukee (AHL).
Santini, who was acquired in the P.K. Subban trade, has been in Milwaukee all season. The 24-year-old has five assists in 17 AHL games and 21 points (5G / 16A) in 114 career NHL games.
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
The Predators reassigned Miikka Salomaki to Milwaukee (AHL).
Salomaki has been a healthy scratch for seven straight games and heads to Milwaukee, where he has one goal and one assist in three games this season.
The Devils have recalled Louis Domingue from Binghamton (AHL).
Domingue has gone 2-1-1 with a 2.25 GAA and .918 SV% in four games since joining the Binghamton Devils. He was great for the Lightning last season, going 21-5-0 with a .908 SV% but was relegated to the AHL after the Lightning signed Curtis McElhinney. He was acquired by the Devils and has been called up with no one going the other way, a sign New Jersey will carry three goalies for the time being.
The Hurricanes have recalled Eetu Luostarinen from Charlotte (AHL).
Luostarinen, 21, appeared in three games with the Hurricanes while Erik Haula was out. He will likely head out to Chicago to serve as an extra forward and will head back to the AHL when the Hurricanes return home. Luostarinen has five goals and three assists (eight points) in 12 AHL games.
The Flyers have reassigned Carsen Twarynski to Lehigh Valley (AHL).
Twarynski has spent most of the season with the Flyers, where he has just one goal in 14 games. He heads back to the AHL to make room for Morgan Frost to join the Flyers for the first time in his career.
The Flyers have recalled Morgan Frost from Lehigh Valley (AHL).
Frost, who has picked No.27 overall in 2017, is one of the Flyers' top prospects and has registered 12 points (5G / 7A) in his first 16 career AHL games. Frost takes Carsen Twarynski's spot on the roster and should make his NHL debut in Florida on Tuesday.
The Bruins have recalled Urho Vaakanainen from Providence (AHL).
Vaakanainen appeared in the last three games with the Bruins before being sent to the AHL in a "paper move." He has not recorded a point but has averaged 17:25 TOI/gm and will likely be in the lineup in New Jersey on Tuesday.
The Bruins have recalled Brendan Gaunce from Providence (AHL).
Gaunce has spent the entire season with Providence, where he has recorded four goals and three assists (seven points) in 11 games. He spent the first five years of his career with the Canucks, where he had 15 points (6G / 9A) in 117 career NHL games.
The Sabres have recalled Tage Thompson from Rochester (AHL).
Thompson is tied for the team lead with 12 points (6G / 6A) in 16 games with Rochester this season. Kyle Okposo left past night's game and is questionable to play on Sunday, so look for Thompson to make his season debut in Chicago. The 2016 first-round pick has 21 points (10G / 11A) in 106 career NHL games.
Carey has been called-up from Providence (AHL) and will play Saturday.
Carey has 13 points (7G / 6A) in 17 games with Providence this season. With Patrice Bergeron out, Carey comes up to make his season debut.
The Canadiens have recalled Charles Hudon from Laval (AHL).
Hudon has played very well in the AHL, scoring nine goals with two assists (11 points) in 17 games this season. Hudon has played over 100 NHL games over the last two seasons but has just 39 points (13G / 26A) in 110 career games. He takes Jonathan Drouin's spot on the roster.
The Penguins have recalled Joseph Blandisi from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
Blandisi has one goal and one assist in seven games with the Penguins this season. During his time in the AHL, he has picked up four points (2G / 2A) in eight games. He will take Sidney Crosby's place on the roster.
The Capitals have reassigned Tyler Lewington to Hershey (AHL).
Lewington played 8:49 as a No.7 defenseman last night but goes down so Tyler Boyd can come up and dress as the 12th forward on Saturday. Lewington has four goals and two assists (six points) in four AHL games this season.
Send Down
The Capitals have reassigned Ilya Samsonov to Hershey (AHL).
Don't panic, Samsonov isn't going anywhere. This is a cap move to allow the Capitals to bring up Travis Boyd to dress as a 12th forward on Saturday. Samsonov probably won't even leave the team and Vitek Vanecek will be sent down and Samsonov will be "recalled" when either Nic Dowd or Carl Hagelin are healthy.
The Capitals have recalled Vitek Vanecek from Hershey (AHL).
This is a salary cap related move. The Capitals need a forward because Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin are out, so Vanecek comes up and the higher-paid Ilya Samsonov heads to the AHL for the game. The move opened up enough cap space for Travis Boyd to be called up. Samsonov will likely swap spots with Vanecek next week.
The Capitals have recalled Travis Boyd from Hershey (AHL).
Washington played with 11 forwards on Friday but Boyd comes up to dress as the 12th forward on Saturday. He has split his time between the NHL and AHL, totalling four assists in six games with the Capitals and six points (4G / 2A) in four games with the Bears. Tyler Lewington went down to Hershey to make room for Boyd.
The Capitals have recalled Tyler Lewington from Hershey (AHL).
With Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin both out on Friday, Lewington comes up to serve as a seventh defenseman. Lewington has no points in six total games this season, five in the NHL and one in the AHL.
Send Down
Poehling has been reassigned to Laval (AHL).
Poehling played in four straight games but was sent back before Friday's game in Washington. Jordan Weal will take the spot that was previously filled by Poehling. He returns to the AHL, where he has collected three goals and two assists (five points) in 14 games.
The Flames have recalled Oliver Kylington from Stockton (AHL).
Kylington has scored three goals in three games since being sent back to Stockton. With T.J. Brodie out indefinitely, Kylington returns to the NHL, where he has one assist in 14 games this season.
The Devils have recalled Colton White from Binghamton (AHL).
White was a fourth-round pick in 2015 and appeared in three NHL games with the Devils last season. The 22-year-old defenseman, who has three assists in 15 AHL games this season, could make his season debut on Friday night. Sami Vatanen (upper-body) was moved to IR to make room for White.
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.