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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

David Warsofsky(LD)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Penguins have recalled David Warsofsky from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

Warsofsky, 26, has had a really strong season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, scoring seven goals with 21 assists (28 points) in 24 games. He has failed to pick-up a point in four games with the Penguins and has been recalled because Kris Letang, Trevor Daley and Chad Ruhwedel are all sick on the Penguins’ blueline.

Source:
Pittsburgh Penguins 2017-01-11T09:44:08.000Z
David Warsofsky
Andrej Nestrasil(RW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Hurricanes have sent Andrej Nestrasil to Charlotte (AHL).

Nestrasil has been a healthy scratch for the last three games and went unclaimed on waivers, so he’ll go to Charlotte to grow his game. Nestrasil has one goal and four assists (five points) in 19 games this season.

Source:
Ken Preston 2017-01-10T13:56:31.000Z
Andrej Nestrasil
Gabriel Dumont(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Lightning recalled Gabriel Dumont from Syracuse (AHL).

Dumont, 26, has picked up five goals and five assists (10 points) in 19 games with Syracuse this season. Dumont’s recall likely means that he will make his Lightning debut on Thursday. He previously appeared in 18 NHL games, collecting one goal and two assists with the Canadiens.

Source:
Erik Erlendsson 2017-01-10T13:53:35.000Z
Gabriel Dumont
Pontus Aberg(LW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Predators have recalled Pontus Aberg from Milwaukee (AHL).

Aberg, 23, has registered nine goals and 10 assists (19 points) in 23 games with Milwaukee this season. He has also appeared in nine games with the Predators, registering one goal and one assist. There’s no word whether or not he will draw into the lineup on Tuesday.

Source:
Adam Vingan 2017-01-10T11:27:45.000Z
Pontus Aberg
Anton Slepyshev(LW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have recalled Anton Slepyshev from Bakersfield (AHL).

Slepyshev, 22, has 10 points (3G / 7A) in nine games with Bakersfield this season. With Jesse Puljujarvi being sent down, Slepyshev returns to the Oilers, where he scored two goals with two assists in 15 games earlier this season.

Source:
@EdmontonOilers 2017-01-09T12:30:04.000Z
Anton Slepyshev
Jesse Puljujarvi(RW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Oilers have sent Jesse Puljujarvi to Bakersfield (AHL).

Puljujarvi has been in and out of the Oilers’ lineup recently and has compiled just eight points (1G / 7A) in 28 games this season. The rookie will head to Bakersfield to tinker with his game, but don’t be surprised if you see him back in an Oilers uniform later this season.

Source:
@EdmontonOilers 2017-01-09T12:28:37.000Z
Jesse Puljujarvi
Anton Forsberg(G)|LAK
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Blue Jackets have recalled Anton Forsberg from Cleveland (AHL).

Forsberg has gone 12-6-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .930 SV% in 21 games with Cleveland this season and has been recalled to replace Curtis McElhinney as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup. McElhinney has been placed on waivers, so expect Forsberg to remain with the Blue Jackets for the foreseeable future.

Source:
Columbus Blue Jackets 2017-01-09T10:53:20.000Z
Anton Forsberg
Brandon Tanev(LW)|UTA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Jets have recalled Brandon Tanev from Manitoba (AHL).

With Patrik Laine out, Tanev has been recalled and could draw into the lineup on Monday. Since being sent down in late-December, Tanev scored one goal with two assists (three points) in six games with Manitoba. Tanev or Chris Thorburn will play in place of Laine.

Source:
JetsNation 2017-01-09T10:27:28.000Z
Brandon Tanev
Paul Carey(C)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Paul Carey from Hershey (AHL).

On Sunday, Liam O’Brien was recalled to replace T.J. Oshie on Monday and now Carey has been called up because Tom Wilson is questionable to play vs. Montreal. Carey has picked up 10 goals and 15 assists (25 points) in 28 games with Hershey this season.

Source:
Isabelle Khurshudyan 2017-01-09T10:24:10.000Z
Paul Carey
Liam O'Brien(C)|UTA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Capitals have recalled Liam O’Brien from Hershey (AHL).

O’Brien, 22, appeared in 13 games with the Capitals last season, but he is set to make his season debut on Monday. O’Brien has five goals and 13 assists (18 points) in 28 games with Hershey this season and comes to the Capitals with one goal and one assist in his NHL career. T.J. Oshie is doubtful to play tonight, which is why O’Brien was recalled.

Source:
Tarik El-Bashir 2017-01-09T10:22:11.000Z
Liam O'Brien
Sven Andrighetto(RW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Canadiens have recalled Sven Andrighetto from St. John’s (AHL).

Andrighetto, 23, has appeared in eight games with the Canadiens this season, registering two assists. The 23-year-old has picked up 22 points (8G / 14A) with the IceCaps and he is expected to be in the lineup on Friday wit Brendan Gallagher sidelined.

Source:
Eric Engels 2017-01-06T13:34:01.000Z
Sven Andrighetto
Nikita Scherbak(LW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Canadiens have recalled Nikita Scherbak from St. John’s (AHL).

Scherbak, 21, was the Canadiens’ first round pick (26th overall) in 2014 and has scored 10 goals with 10 assists (20 points) in 27 games with St. John’s this season. Scherbak could get an extended look with the Canadiens with Brendan Gallagher out for at least eight weeks with fractured left hand.

Source:
Eric Engels 2017-01-06T12:37:51.000Z
Nikita Scherbak
Gustav Forsling(D)|FLA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks have sent Gustav Forsling to Rockford (AHL).

Forsling has been a healthy scratch in three of the last four games and played just 10:17 TOI last night. His return to the AHL suggests that Brian Campbell will get back into the lineup on Friday. Forsling has one goal and three assists (four points) in 32 games with Chicago.

Source:
Tracey Myers 2017-01-06T11:15:11.000Z
Gustav Forsling

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.