Silovs was reassigned to Abbotsford (AHL) on Saturday.
NHL Hockey Player News
The Sharks recalled Schuldt from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) on Saturday.
Villalta has been recalled from Tucson (AHL).
Utah HC has recalled goalie Matt Villalta from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL), swapping places with Jaxson Stauber. The 25-year-old Villalta has a 3.01 GAA and .906 SV% in 41 games (17-21-3) with Tucson this season.
Stauber has been re-assigned to Tucson (AHL).
Utah HC has recalled goalie Matt Villalta from the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL), swapping places with Jaxson Stauber. The 25-year-old Stauber allowed four goals on 10 shots (.600 SV%) in Thursday's disastrous 8-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Dunne has been loaned to Rochester (AHL).
Dunne is an undrafted 26-year-old forward that played two games with the Sabres this season but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. He has 26 points (9G / 17A) in 58 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL).
Sasson has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL) under emergency conditions.
Sasson made his NHL debut earlier this season, scoring six points (2G / 4A) in 24 games with Vancouver. The undrafted 24-year-old forward has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, tallying 26 points (9G / 17A) in 37 games with the Abbotsford Canucks.
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Ryan has been loaned to Bakersfield (AHL).
Ryan played the last two games for the Oilers but has been loaned to the Bakerfield Condors (AHL), accommodating the call-up of goalie Oliver Rodrigue. The 38-year-old Ryan is averaging 9:20 time-on-ice and has five points (1G / 4A) in 35 games with the Oilers this season.
Rodrigue has been recalled from Bakersfield (AHL) on an emergency basis.
With Stuart Skinner battling an upper-body injury, the Oilers have recalled Rodrigue from the Bakersfield Condors (AHL), likely to serve as Calvin Pickard's backup. The 24-year-old Rodrigue has never played an NHL game and has a 3.05 GAA and .899 SV% in 40 games this season (18-15-7) with Bakersfield.
Korchinski has been recalled from Rockford (AHL).
Korchinski played nine games with the Blackhawks earlier this season, scoring zero points, but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. The 20-year-old defenseman has 27 points (3G / 24A) in 54 games with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) this season.
Utah has recalled Kailer Yamamoto from Tucson (AHL).
Yamamoto played three games with Utah earlier this season but has spent the majority of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. The 25-year-old Yamamoto has 51 points (19G / 32A) in 51 games with the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) this season.
Malott has been recalled from Ontario (AHL).
Malott played one NHL game in the 2021-22 season with the Winnipeg Jets, but has exclusively spent his professional career in the AHL. The undrafted 28-year-old forward has 51 points (23G / 28A) in 61 games with the Ontario Reign (AHL) this season.
Halverson has been re-assigned to Syracuse (AHL).
Halverson played his first NHL game in nearly a decade last week and posted an ugly 5.18 GAA and .792 SV%. The 28-year-old goalie will return to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), where he has a 2.32 GAA and .913 SV% in 34 games (16-9-8).
Atkinson has been recalled from Syracuse (AHL).
Atkinson has not played since March 13th but has been recalled from the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). The 35-year-old has been limited to only four games in the last six weeks despite scoring three points (1G / 2A) in those contests. In a corresponding move, Brandon Halverson was re-assigned to Syracuse.
Cossa was recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL) on an emergency basis on Tuesday.
Cossa's recall suggests one of Cam Talbot or Alex Lyon will be unavailable for Tuesday's game in Colorado, as Petr Mrazek was already announced out with an undisclosed injury. The 15th-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has performed well at the AHL level this season, registering a 19-11-5 record and a .913 SV%.
Dunne has been recalled from Rochester (AHL).
Dunne is an undrafted 26-year-old forward that played one game with the Sabres earlier this season but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. He has 26 points (9G / 17A) in 58 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL).
Lavoie has been re-assigned to Henderson (AHL).
Lavoie has not played a game since March 5th and has been re-assigned to the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL). The 24-year-old Lavoie has zero points while averaging 10:05 time-on-ice in nine games with the Golden Knights this season.
Kolosov has been recalled from Lehigh Valley (AHL).
Kolosov has split time between Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley (AHL) this season, posting a 3.45 GAA and .870 SV% in 15 appearances with the Flyers (4-8-1). The 23-year-old Kolosov will provide some depth for a Flyers team that has had trouble relying on Ivan Fedotov, who has allowed 14 goals on the last 77 shots he's faced (.818 SV%) in four appearances (0-3-0).
MacDonald has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles (AHL).
MacDonald has 27 points (10G / 17A) in 135 career NHL games, but has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL. The 32-year-old defenseman has an impressive 50 points (27G / 23A) in 55 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) this season.
Crotty has been recalled from Iowa (AHL) on emergency conditions.
Crotty made his NHL debut last season, playing one game with the Arizona Coyotes. The 25-year-old defenseman has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, scoring eight points (0G / 8A) in 56 games with the Iowa Wild.
Murray has been loaned to Rochester (AHL).
Murray played three games with the Sabres this season but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. The 26-year-old forward has 40 points (23G / 17A) in 55 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) this season. In a corresponding move, the Sabres recalled Isak Rosen from Rochester.
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.