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Willander has been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL).
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Hunt has been assigned to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
The Hurricanes recalled Nadeau from Chicago (AHL) on Friday.
The 30th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Nadeau has gotten off to a hot start to the season with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, tallying two goals and two assists through his first three games. Nadeau made his NHL debut last season and appeared in three games with the Hurricanes, registering zero goals and one assist.
Mrtka has been reassigned to Seattle (WHL).
Mrtka was Buffalo's 2025 1st round pick (9th overall) and scored point (0G / 1A) in four games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) this season. The 18-year-old Czech defenseman spent 2024-25 as an import player with Seattle (WHL), where he excelled with three goals and 35 points in 43 games played.
Danielson has been activated from injured, non-roster and assigned to Grand Rapids (AHL).
Danielson has yet to play in the 2025-26 season, recovering from an injury, and will make his debut at the AHL level with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 21-year-old forward was drafted ninth-overall by the Red Wings in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He had 39 points (12G / 27A) in 71 games with Grand Rapids last season.
Sabourin has been reassigned to Syracuse (AHL).
Sabourin is an undrafted 33-year-old forward with eight points (2G / 6A) in 47 career NHL games. He spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, where he scored 25 points (10G / 15A) in 68 games with the San Jose Barracuda.
Gushchin has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
Gushchin is off to a blistering start at the AHL level, scoring seven points (6G / 1A) in 18 games with the Eagles. The 23-year-old forward has five points (2G / 3A) in 18 career NHL games.
Ahcan has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
Ahcan is off to a hot start with the Eagles (AHL), with five points (1G / 4A) in four games. The undrafted 28-year-old defenseman has played 11 career NHL games and will hope to make his season debut with the team on their upcoming road trip.
Othmann has been recalled from Hartford (AHL).
Matt Rempe suffered an upper-body injury in the Rangers' most recent game, resulting in Othmann being recalled from Hartford (AHL). The 22-year-old Othmann played 22 games with the Rangers last season and scored two points (0G / 2A).
Highmore has been reassigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
Highmore came flying out of the gate with Bridgeport (AHL) to start this season, picking up four assists in his first four games. He earned himself an NHL call-up but did not draw into the Islanders' lineup, and has been sent back down to the AHL. The 29-year-old is expected to provide some forward depth for the Islanders after he appeared in 41 games with Ottawa in 2024-25, picking up two goals and six points.
Nystrom has been recalled from Chicago (AHL).
Nystrom was a seventh-round pick of the Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old defenseman has only played seven professional games in North America over the past two seasons, recording two points (0G / 2A) with the Chicago Wolves.
Luukkonen has been recalled from his conditioning assignment from Rochester (AHL).
Luukkonen missed the majority of training camp due to a lower-body injury and subsequently the first two weeks of the season. He was sent down to the Rochester Americans (AHL) for a conditioning stint, where he posted a 2.01 GAA and .913 SV% in one game (1-0-0). Alex Lyon has occupied the Sabres crease during Luukkonen's absence and has played well, which could lead to a battle for playing time between the two netminders now that Luukkonen has returned.
Saborin has been recalled from Syracuse (AHL).
Sabourin is an undrafted 33-year-old forward with eight points (2G / 6A) in 47 career NHL games. He spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, where he scored 25 points (10G / 15A) in 68 games with the San Jose Barracuda.
Hunt has been recalled from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Hunt has spent most of the previous three seasons in the AHL, but is no stranger to the NHL, with 235 career games, scoring 54 points (18G / 36A). The 29-year-old forward started the season with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL), where he scored six points (2G / 4A) in four games.
Warren has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
With Marc Gatcomb clearing waivers and being sent to Bridgeport (AHL) , New York has recalled Marshall Warren in a corresponding move. The 24-year-old defensemen has yet to appear in the NHL after joining the Islanders from the University of Michigan (NCAA) in 2023-24. He's earned his promotion due to his hot start to begin 2025-26, with two goals and five points in four games with Bridgeport.
Highmore been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
Highmore came flying out of the gate with Bridgeport (AHL) to start this season, picking up four assists in his first four games and has earned himself his first promotion to the Islanders on Thursday.The 29-year-old is expected to provide some forward depth for the Islanders after he appeared in 41 games with Ottawa in 2024-25, picking up two goals and six points.
Gatcomb has cleared waivers and been assigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
Gatcomb drew into the Islanders lineup in the second game of the season, replacing a suspended Jonathan Drouin, but has not played since. The 26-year-old cleared waivers on Thursday and will report to the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL), where he will have more exposure to playing time.
Agozzino cleared waivers on Thursday and has been assigned to Tucson (AHL).
Agozzino played two games with Utah, recording zero points, and returns to a familiar placed in the AHL after clearing waivers. The 34-year-old Agozzino spent all of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, where he scored 43 points (20G / 23A) in 55 games with the Tucson Roadrunners. The Mammoth recalled Kevin Rooney from Tucson in a corresponding move.
Rooney has been recalled from Tucson (AHL).
Andrew Agozzino was reassigned to Tucson (AHL) after he cleared waivers on Thursday, allowing the team to recall Rooney. The 32-year-old Rooney played a career-high 70 games with the Calgary Flames last season, scoring 10 points (5G / 5A). He started the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL, where he recorded four points (3G / 1A) with Tucson.
Copley has cleared waivers and been loaned to Ontario (AHL).
With Darcy Kuemper's return from a lower-body injury, the Kings placed Copley on waivers on Wednesday. The 33-year-old Copley spent the majority of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, tallying a 2.49 GAA and .904 SV% in 42 games with the Ontario Reign (24-17-1). He will report back to Ontario after clearing waivers on Thursday.
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.