Rooney has been recalled from Tucson (AHL).
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NHL Transactions & Roster Moves
Fisker-Molgaard has been reassigned to Coachella Valley (AHL).
Murashov has been reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
With Tristan Jarry (lower body) activated from Injured Reserve and returning to the crease, Pittsburgh has reassigned Murashov to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 21-year-old Murashov is widely seen as the goalie of the future for Pittsburgh and impressed in a small four-game sample (1-1-1), posting a 1.90 GAA and a .913 SV%.
Mackey has been recalled from Hartford (AHL).
With Juuso Parssinen's demotion to Hartford after clearing waivers, the Ranger have recalled Mackey. The 29-year-old Mackey has not play an NHL game yet this season. He has 11 points (4G / 7A) in 42 career games.
Parssinen cleared waivers and has been assigned to Hartford (AHL).
Parssinen appeared in 14 games with the Rangers this season, scoring three points (2G / 1A), but failed to make a lasting impact and was ultimately placed on waivers. The 24-year-old Parssinen had a surprising rookie season with the Nashville Predators in 2022-23, scoring an impressive 25 points (6G / 19A) in 45 games, but has not maintained that success in three seasons since, scoring only 31 points (16G / 15A) in 105 games.
Trineyev has been recalled from Hershey (AHL).
Trineyev was a fourth-round pick, 117th overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Capitals. The 23-year-old forward has yet to play an NHL game and has played exclusively in the AHL his previous three seasons. He has 12 points (6G / 6A) through 15 games with the Hershey bears (AHL) in 2025-26.
Husso has been recalled from San Diego (AHL).
With Lukas Dostal (lower body) battling an injury, Anaheim has recalled Husso from the San Diego Gulls (AHL). The 30-year-old Husso is no stranger to the NHL, appearing in 145 games (71-46-19) with a 3.05 GAA and .901 SV%. That said, expect Husso to serve as the backup to Petr Mrazek during Dostal's absence.
Quillan has been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Quillan made his NHL debut last season, playing one game with the Maple Leafs, but has predominantly played at the AHL level. The undrafted 23-year-old forward has impressed with the Marlies (AHL) this season, scoring 14 points (2G / 12A) in 14 games.
Ivan has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
Ivan played a prominent role with the Avalanche during the 2024-25 season, making his NHL debut and scoring eight points (5G/3A) in 40 games. That said, the 23-year-old Czech forward has played exclusively in the AHL through 2025-26, scoring six points (2G / 4A) in 18 games with the Eagles.
Warren has been reassigned to Bridgeport (AHL).
Mitchell has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL).
Robidas has been recalled from Chicago (AHL).
Robias was impressive in his NHL debut last season, scoring two points (1G / 1A) in two games with the Hurricanes. The 22-year-old fifth-round pick from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has yet to play an NHL game this season and has 12 points (4G / 8A) in 16 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL).
Pinelli has been recalled from Cleveland (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Pinelli was a fourth-round pick, 114th overall, by the Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old forward has yet to play an NHL game and has 10 points (5G / 5A) in 13 games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) this season.
Morton has been assigned to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
With a myriad of injuries to the Flames' forward core, Morton earned himself a call-up last week and drew into the lineup for three games. However, the undrafted 26-year-old will return to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL), where he has 12 points (4G / 8A) in 16 games this season.
Poulin has been reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Poulin made his Pittsburgh season debut recently, playing two games in favor of an injured Ville Koivunen, but he will return to Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL). The 24-year-old Poulin has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 16 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
Patera has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL) under emergency conditions.
Patera was assigned to Abbotsford (AHL) yesterday to get some extra playing time, but was quickly recalled on Tuesday in correspondence to Kevin Lankinen not traveling with Vancouver due to personal reasons. The 26-year-old Patera has a 3.10 GAA and .894 SV% in five games (1-2-1) with the Abbotsford Canucks this season.
Salomonsson has been recalled from Manitoba (AHL).
Salamonsson was drafted in the second-round, 55th overall, by the Jets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old Swedish defenseman has yet to play an NHL game. He made his North American professional debut last season in the AHL, scoring 27 points (5G / 22A) in 53 games with the Manitoba Moose.
Mayo has been reassigned back to Cleveland (AHL).
Mayo played one game for the Blue Jackets earlier this month, but he will return to a familiar place in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). The 29-year-old Mayo has four points (0G / 4A) in five games with Cleveland this season.
MacEachern has been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL).
MacEachern was effective in a limited role with Vancouver this season, scoring four points (1G / 3A) in eight games, but will return to Abbotsford (AHL). The 31-year-old forward scored 32 points (12G / 20A) in 40 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) last season.
Lachance has been assigned to Utica (AHL) on Monday.
Lachance made his NHL debut earlier this month, playing one game, but he has been reassigned to the AHL. LaChance was a sixth-round pick, 186th overall, of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old forward has three points (1G / 2A) in 13 games with the Utica Comets (AHL) over the previous two seasons.
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.