NHL Hockey Player News

Gilbert Brule(C)|INA
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Call up / Send down
The Coyotes have recalled Gilbert Brule from Portland (AHL).

Brule was with the Portland Pirates on a professional tryout but signed a one-year, two-way deal on November 30. In 11 games with Portland he netted seven goals and added five assists. He has not played in the NHL since the 2011-12 season when he had 14 points in 33 games with Phoenix.

Source:
Rich Nairn 2018-07-18T17:53:18.760Z
Kent Simpson(G)|
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Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks have recalled Kent Simpson from Rockford (AHL).

Simpson, 21, was drafted 58th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. He is in his first full season with the Rockford IceHogs and has posted a 6-7-0 record with a 3.38 GAA and .900 SV%. He will accompany the Blackhawks on their trip to Dallas and could stay with the team for an extended period of time, depending on how serious Corey Crawford's injury turns out to be.

Source:
Chris Kuc 2013-12-09T16:30:28.000Z
Kent Simpson
Colton Sceviour(RW)|FA
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Call up / Send down
The Dallas Stars announced today that forward Colton Sceviour has been recalled from the Texas (AHL).

Sceviour, 24, leads the AHL with 18 goals this season and leads all Texas Stars with 30 points in 26 games. The 6-foot, 200-pound forward has played in two career NHL contests, registering one assist. Sceviour was Dallas' fourth-round selection (112th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft.

Source:
Dallas Stars 2013-12-09T12:24:14.000Z
Colton Sceviour
Tye McGinn(LW)|
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Call up / Send down
The Flyers have recalled Tye McGinn from Adirondack (AHL).

McGinn appeared in six games with the Flyers earlier in the season totalling three goals and a plus-1 rating. While in Adirondack the 23-year-old left-winger had five goals and two assists in 18 games. He could draw into the lineup for Zac Rinaldo, who was ejected from Saturday's contest for jumping Antoine Roussel.

Source:
@NHLFlyers 2013-12-09T10:43:43.000Z
Tye McGinn
Tim Erixon(D)|
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Call up / Send down
The Blue Jackets have recalled Tim Erixon from Springfield (AHL).

Erixon currently leads Springfield in points with 16 (3G / 13A) in 14 games. The 6-foot-2, 200 lbs. defenseman was the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft and has appeared in 32 games over the last two years with the Blue Jackets, tallying five assists and a plus-5 rating. With James Wisniewski out for at least a week, Erixon will battle with David Savard for playing time on Columbus' blueline.

Source:
Rob Mixer 2013-12-09T10:32:39.000Z
Tim Erixon
Brian Dumoulin(D)|NJD
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Call up / Send down
The Penguins have recalled Brian Dumoulin from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

Dumoulin was the 51st overall pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2009 NHL Draft. He is currently in his second year with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) after spending three years at Boston College. The 6-foot-3, 200 lbs. defenseman has one goal and five assists in 22 games this season. With Pittsburgh down three starting D-men, Dumoulin could make his NHL debut tonight.

Source:
Dave Molinari 2013-12-09T10:29:15.000Z
Brian Dumoulin
Mike Kostka(D)|FA
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Call up / Send down
The Blackhawks have recalled Mike Kostka from Rockford (AHL).

Kostka has not played since October 19 due to a foot injury. He was sent to Rockford for conditioning but is now back with the big club. The Hawks are pretty deep on the blueline so he likely won't be in the lineup on a nightly basis. He had just eight assists in 35 games with the Maple Leafs last season.

Source:
Kevin McGran 2013-12-08T19:58:56.000Z
Mike Kostka
Matt Fraser(RW)|
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Call up / Send down
The Bruins have recalled Matt Fraser.

Fraser is in his first year with the Bruins organization after spending 2011-13 with the Dallas Stars. In 23 games with Providence he has 16 goals and five assists (21 points). He will make his Bruins debut tonight vs. Toronto, in 13 career NHL games he has on goal and two assists.

Source:
Boston Bruins 2013-12-08T16:05:28.000Z
Matt Fraser
Ryan Spooner(C)|
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Call up / Send down
The Bruins have recalled Ryan Spooner.

In two games with the Bruins this season Spooner has two assists. While with Providence he has recorded 24 points (5G / 19A) in 21 games. He will slide right into the lineup tonight vs. Toronto.

Source:
Boston Bruins 2013-12-08T16:01:24.000Z
Ryan Spooner
Freddie Hamilton(C)|
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Call up / Send down
Matt Nieto and Freddie Hamilton have been recalled from Worcester, while tough guy Matt Pelech was reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate.

Hamilton was scoreless in four games for the Sharks in late October. He made his NHL debut on October 21 in Detroit. In 15 games with Worcester, Hamilton has six goals and four assists.

Source:
Kevin Kurz 2013-12-08T10:42:03.000Z
Freddie Hamilton
Matthew Nieto(LW)|PIT
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
Matt Nieto and Freddie Hamilton have been recalled from Worcester, while tough guy Matt Pelech was reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate.

Nieto made the opening night roster and tallied two goals and four assists in 19 games as a rookie. He was reassigned to Worcester on November 26, and on Friday night against Portland, had two goals and three assists in an 8-2 Worcester win. It was one of just two games he played for the minor league Sharks.

Source:
Kevin Kurz 2013-12-08T10:41:23.000Z
Matthew Nieto
J.T. Miller(C)|NYR
Call up / Send down
Call up / Send down
The Rangers have recalled J.T Miller from Hartford (AHL).

In 15 games with the Rangers this season he has one goal and one assist with a minus-4 rating. He has been recalled as the Rangers extra forward with Derek Dorsett battling a wrist issue. While in the AHL, Miller racked up five goals and an assist in six games. He was their 15th overall pick in 2011.

Source:
Andrew Gross 2013-12-06T15:42:42.000Z
J.T. Miller
Zach Boychuk(C)|
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Call up / Send down
The Hurricanes have recalled Zach Boychuk from Charlotte (AHL).

Boychuk has not appeared in a game with the Hurricanes this season. In 22 games with Charlotte he recorded nine goals and 19 points with a minus-7 rating. Carolina placed Mike Komisarek on IR in order to recall Boychuk.

Source:
Michael Smith 2013-12-06T13:43:39.000Z
Zach Boychuk

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.