NHL Hockey Player News

Marek Mazanec(G)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Predators have reassigned Marek Mazanec to Milwaukee (AHL).

With the Predators acquiring Devan Dubnyk on Wednesday, they have sent Mazanec down which leaves them with Carter Hutton and Dubnyk. Mazanec was 8-10-4 with a 2.80 GAA and .902 SV% this season.

Source:
Nick Cole 2014-01-17T13:42:48.000Z
Marek Mazanec
Joonas Nattinen(C)|INA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Canadiens have recalled Joonas Nattinen from Hamilton (AHL).

Nattinen, 23, was selected in the third round (65th overall) in the 2009 NHL Draft. He has never played in the NHL but has recorded 21 goals and 20 assists (41 points) in 124 games at the AHL level. He has 11 points (5G / 6A) in 37 games with Hamilton this season.

Source:
Arpon Basu 2018-07-18T17:53:22.459Z
Carl Klingberg(LW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Jets have recalled Carl Klingberg from St. John's (AHL).

Klingberg, 22, has played in 33 games with the IceCaps so far this season. In that time, the he has recorded 18 points (11G / 7A) and 20 penalty minutes. He has played in seven career NHL games between Atlanta and Winnipeg where he recorded four penalty minutes.

Source:
Winnipeg Jets 2014-01-16T12:42:24.000Z
Carl Klingberg
Kellan Lain(C)|INA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Canucks have recalled Kellan Lain from Utica (AHL).

Lain is a 24-year-old, undrafted forward who stands in at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds. Lain brings some serious size to the Canucks lineup, but not much in the way of offence. He is not expected to have any fantasy impact during his stint with the big club. He has collected 11 points (7G / 4A) in 35 games with Utica this season.

Source:
Jeff Paterson 2018-07-18T17:53:23.403Z
Martin Jones(G)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Kings have recalled Martin Jones from Manchester (AHL).

The Kings traded Ben Scrivens to the Edmonton Oilers today so Jones has been recalled and will be Jonathan Quick's backup. Jones was excellent while Quick was on the shelf with a groin injury, but he likely won't see to much action behind Quick. The Kings have two back-to-back's left in January, so he should see at least two starts in the next eight games.

Source:
Los Angeles Kings 2014-01-15T16:09:42.000Z
Martin Jones
Dalton Prout(D)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
Blue Jackets assign defenseman Dalton Prout to Springfield Falcons (AHL)

Prout, 23, has recorded two assists, 31 penalty minutes and 41 blocked shots in 25 games with Columbus this season. He tallied one goal and six assists for seven points with 27 penalty minutes and a +15 rating in 28 games with the Blue Jackets during the 2012-13 campaign, leading the club in plus/minus while ranking second among rookie NHL defensemen in that category.

Source:
Columbus Blue Jackets 2014-01-15T12:55:47.000Z
Dalton Prout
Linden Vey(RW)|
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Kings have recalled Linden Vey from Manchester (AHL).

Vey has suited up for 14 games with the Kings this season, he has registered five assists in that span. While with Manchester he has 22 points (6G / 16A) in 20 games.

Source:
John Hoven 2014-01-15T12:25:33.000Z
Linden Vey
Ryan Strome(C)|ANA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Islanders have sent Ryan Strome to Bridgeport (AHL) to clear room for Radek Martinek to be activated.

Strome has no been the offensive splash he was expected to make, he recorded four points (1G / 3A) in 15 games with the Islanders. This could be a temporary move until Travis Hamonic is ready to return, but regardless Strome won't be in the lineup on Thursday.

Source:
Arthur Staple 2014-01-15T11:37:35.000Z
Ryan Strome
Tyler Toffoli(C)|SJS
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Kings sent Tyler Toffoli to Manchester (AHL) on Tuesday.

Toffoli got off to a hot start with four goals and four assists in his first seven games and 17 points (9G / 8A) 22 games. However he has failed to record a point in his last 11 games and now finds himself back in the AHL.

Source:
Jon Rosen 2014-01-15T11:31:13.000Z
Tyler Toffoli
Tomas Jurco(RW)|FA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Red Wings recalled Tomas Jurco from Grand Rapids on Tuesday.

With Tomas Tatar in Slovakia because of his father's funeral, Jurco has been recalled and will play on Thursday. The 21-year-old recorded two goals and one assist in seven games with the Red Wings in late December. Jurco, the 35th pick overall in 2011, showed he has some promise and has played very well at the AHL level as well. He leads Grand Rapids with 32 points (13G / 19A) in 32 games.

Source:
Dana Wakiji 2014-01-15T11:24:10.000Z
Tomas Jurco
Nicholas Drazenovic(C)|INA
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Penguins have recalled forward Nick Drazenovic from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

Drazenovic, 26, currently places fifth on WBS with 20 points (7G / 13A) in 26 games this season. Last season the 6-foot, 192-pound Drazenovic split the campaign between the Columbus Blue Jackets and their top minor-league affiliate, the Springfield Falcons of the AHL. Drazenovic spent the majority of the ’12-13 season with Springfield, establishing career highs in assists (36) and points (53) in 62 regular-season games. His 53 points ranked second on the team and 17th in the AHL.

Source:
Pittsburgh Penguins 2018-07-18T17:53:27.981Z

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.