Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA

NHL Transactions & Roster Moves

Devin Shore(C)|FA
Call Up
Call Up
Shore has been recalled from Iowa (AHL).

Shore has been a regular in Minnesota' lineup the last month and will return from a paper transaction on Wednesday that sent him to the Iowa Wild (AHL). The 30-year-old forward is averaged 8:21 time-on-ice and scored one point (0G / 1A) in 21 games this season.

Source:
Minnesota Wild PR 2025-01-09T16:39:33.573Z
Devin Shore
Sam Colangelo(RW)|ANA
Call Up
Call Up
Colangelo has been recalled from San Diego (AHL).

Moments after being named to the AHL All-Star game, the Ducks recalled Colangelo from the San Diego Gulls (AHL). The 23-year-old forward was the 36th overall pick of the Ducks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He went scoreless in eight games with the Ducks earlier this season but has been productive after the AHL level, scoring 22 points (13G / 9A) in 24 contests.

Source:
Patrick Present 2025-01-08T20:44:09.265Z
Sam Colangelo
David Jiricek(D)|PHI
Call Up
Call Up
Jiricek has been recalled from Iowa (AHL) on emergency conditions.

With Brock Faber exiting Tuesday's game with an upper-body injury, Minnesota has recalled Jiricek from Iowa (AHL). The 21-year-old Jiricek has not played an NHL game since being acquired in a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has two points (0G / 2A) in 11 AHL games with the Iowa Wild.

Source:
Minnesota Wild PR 2025-01-08T20:29:48.162Z
David Jiricek
Tyson Kozak(C)|BUF
Call Up
Call Up
Kozak has been recalled from Rochester (AHL).

Kozak made his NHL debut earlier this season, scoring one goal in three games. The 22-year-old forward was a seventh-round pick of the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He has 12 points (6G / 6A) in 24 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) this season.

Source:
Buffalo Sabres 2025-01-08T15:53:32.220Z
Tyson Kozak
Travis Boyd(C)|TOR
Send Down
Send Down
Boyd has been assigned to Iowa (AHL).

Boyd's time in Minnesota was very temporary as he was returned to Iowa (AHL) after just one day after he was brought in as an extra due to an illness running through the team. The 31-year-old returns to Iowa (AHL) where he has excelled this season with three goals, 20 points and eight PIMs in 22 games played.

Source:
Minnesota Wild PR 2025-01-07T22:28:54.024Z
Travis Boyd
Carson Lambos(D)|MIN
Send Down
Send Down
Lambos has been assigned to Iowa (AHL).

Lambos was recalled on Monday due to Minnesota having a round of illness go across the team but was not needed for their matchup Tuesday vs. St. Louis and will return to Iowa (AHL). The 21-year-old will have to wait to make his NHL debut as he return to Iowa, where he has two goals and five points in 27 games played this season.

Source:
Minnesota Wild PR 2025-01-07T22:19:02.771Z
Carson Lambos
Mitchell Stephens(C)|SEA
Call Up
Call Up
Stephens has been recalled from Coachella Valley (AHL).

Stephens played nine games with Seattle earlier this season, scoring one point (0G / 1A), but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign with the Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL), where he has eight points (4G / 4A) in 18 games. The 27-year-old forward has 17 points (5G / 12A) in 104 career NHL games.

Source:
Davy Jones Locker Room 2025-01-07T17:53:03.909Z
Mitchell Stephens
Kevin Gravel(D)|NSH
Send Down
Send Down
Gravel has been assigned to Milwaukee (AHL).

With Jeremy Lauzon (lower body) on Injured Reserve, the Predators recalled Gravel from the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) for precautionary reasons before being reassigned to Milwaukee. The 32-year-old Gravel is no stranger to the NHL, with 135 games of experience, but has primarily been an AHL player the past three seasons. He has five points (1G / 4A) in 25 games with Milwaukee this season.

Source:
Nashville Predators 2025-01-07T17:51:16.277Z
Kevin Gravel
Cale Fleury(D)|SEA
Send Down
Send Down
Fleury has been reassigned to Coachella Valley (AHL).

Fleury has frequently been with Seattle as an extra defenseman this season but has only drawn into the lineup twice. The 26-year-old has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, tallying 14 points (5G / 9A) in 19 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Source:
Sound of Hockey 2025-01-07T17:42:26.565Z
Cale Fleury
Ales Stezka(G)|FA
Send Down
Send Down
Stezka has been reassigned to Coachella Valley (AHL).

With Joey Daccord (upper body) activated from Injured Reserve, Setzka has been reassigned to the Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL). The 28-year-old Stezka exclusively served as the backup to Philipp Grubauer while with Seattle. He has a 2.94 GAA and .906 SV% in 18 games (6-9-3) with Coachella Valley in the AHL.

Source:
Sound of Hockey 2025-01-07T17:46:51.345Z
Ales Stezka

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.