NHL Hockey Player News

The Penguins have acquired Kevin Roy from the Panthers for Ryan Haggerty.

Roy was originally a fourth-round pick of the Ducks but signed with the Panthers this July. The 26-year-old left-winger has 28 games of NHL experience and has scored four goals with 10 assists (14 points) in 23 AHL games this season.

Kevin Roy
The Devils have acquired Kevin Bahl, Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr, a 2020 first-round pick and 2021 conditional third-round pick from the Coyotes for Taylor Hall and Blake Speers.

Bahl was a second-round pick (No.55 overall) in 2018 and is in his fourth OHL season. The 19-year-old defenseman has 20 points (5G / 15A) in 28 games with the Ottawa 67’s and is currently in camp for Canada’s World Juniors team.

Kevin Bahl
The Devils have acquired Nate Schnarr, Kevin Bahl, Nick Merkley, a 2020 first-round pick and 2021 conditional third-round pick from the Coyotes for Taylor Hall and Blake Speers.

Schnarr was a third-round pick (No.75 overall) in 2017 and turned pro this year after four years with the Guelph Storm (OHL). The 20-year-old centre had nine points (1G / 8A) in 22 AHL games with Tucson (AHL) but now is expected to report to Binghamton (AHL).

Nate Schnarr
The Devils have acquired Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr, Kevin Bahl, a 2020 first-round pick and 2021 conditional third-round pick from the Coyotes for Taylor Hall and Blake Speers.

Merkley, who was a 2015 first-round pick (No.30 overall) who has 16 points (3G / 13A) in 26 games with Tucson (AHL) this season. He has appeared in just one career NHL game. He is expected to report to Binghamton (AHL).

Nick Merkley
The Coyotes have acquired Blake Speers and Taylor Hall from the Devils for Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr, Kevin Bahl, a 2020 first-round pick and 2021 conditional third-round pick.

Speers was a third-round pick (No.67 overall) of the Devils in 2015 and has appeared in just three NHL games since. The 22-year-old centre has one assist in 10 games with Binghamton (AHL) this season. He is expected to report to Tucson (AHL).

Blake Speers
The Coyotes have acquired Taylor Hall and Blake Speers from the Devils for Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr, Kevin Bahl, a 2020 first-round pick and 2021 conditional third-round pick.

Hall is a pending unrestricted free agent, so this could be a pure rental but the Coyotes are expected to pursue an extension. Hall will look to improve his numbers in Arizona to maximize his next deal and he could benefit from playing on a line with Phil Kessel. Hall's numbers so far are still decent, scoring six goals one 109 shots (5.5 SH%) with 19 assists (25 points) in 30 games.

Taylor Hall
The Hurricanes have acquired Oliwer Kaski from the Red Wings for Kyle Wood.

Kaski signed with the Red Wings this summer after three years in Finland. He was the third highest-scoring defenseman in SM-liiga history last year, posting 51 points (19G / 32A) in 59 games. He hasn't had the same success in North America, scoring two goals with three assists (five points) in 19 AHL games.

Oliwer Kaski
The Red Wings have acquired Kyle Wood from the Hurricanes for Oliwer Kaski.

Wood was originally a third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2014. The 23-year-old was already been traded three times in his career--first from Colorado to Arizona (2016), then from Arizona to San Jose (2018) and then from San Jose to Carolina in August. Now he heads to Detroit, where he will likely report to Grand Rapids initially. He has five points (3G / 2A) in 14 games with Charlotte (AHL) this season.

Kyle Wood
The Golden Knights acquired Chandler Stephenson from the Capitals for a 2021 fifth-round draft pick.

It sounded as if the Capitals were set to waive Stephenson to clear a roster spot for Carl Hagelin to return to the lineup, but the Golden Knights stepped up. Cody Eakin is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, so Stephenson is expected to replace him in the Vegas bottom-6. The 25-year-old hasn't done much offensively this season, posting three goals and one assist in 24 games with Washington.

Chandler Stephenson
The Red Wings have acquired Eric Comrie from the Coyotes for Vili Saarijarvi.

Comrie was originally a second-round pick of the Jets but was claimed off of waivers by the Coyotes during the preseason. Comrie has not appeared in an NHL game this season but has gone 4-0-0 with a 2.75 GAA and .900 SV% in four AHL starts. With Jimmy Howard hurt, Comrie could join the Red Wings immediately and serve as Jonathan Bernier's backup.

Eric Comrie
The Blues have acquired Jacob de la Rose from the Red Wings for Robby Fabbri.

de la Rose was originally a second-round pick of the Canadiens in 2013 but has been with the Red Wings since 2018 after being claimed on waivers in October 2018. de la Rose has just 13 points (4G / 9A) in 76 games with Detroit but is an effective penalty killer and will battle with MacKenzie MacEachern for playing time on the fourth line.

Jacob De La Rose
The Red Wings have acquired Robby Fabbri from the Blues for Jacob de la Rose.

Fabbri was originally selected in the first-round (No.21 overall) back in 2015 but injuries have derailed a once promising career. After posting 18 goals and 37 points in his rookie year, Fabbri has amassed just 36 points (14G / 22A) in 92 games over the last three seasons. He has had a hard time finding playing time with the Blues but that will not be an issue in Detroit. As long as he can stay healthy, Fabrri should be able to breathe new life into his career.

Robby Fabbri
The Devils have acquired Louis Domingue from the Lightning for a conditional 2021 seventh-round draft pick.

After the Lightning signed Curtis McElhinney, Domingue was pushed back to the AHL, where he is 2-1-1 with a 3.81 GAA and .863 SV% to start the season. Domingue provides the Devils with extra goaltending depth, a position that has been lacking to start 2019-20.

Louis Domingue
The Red Wings have acquired Brendan Perlini from the Blackhawks for Alec Regula.

Perlini only played in one of the Blackhawks' first 10 games this season and voiced his displeasure and was hoping to be traded. The Blackhawks granted his request and send him to a Red Wings team that is devoid of NHL wingers right now. He should get all of the playing time he wants with the Red Wings and should immediately jump into their top-6 if head coach Jeff Blashill elects to get Andreas Athanasiou some help. Perlini is a former first-round pick (No.12 overall in 2014) but has career-highs of just 17 goals and 30 points (2018).

Brendan Perlini
The Panthers have acquired Aleksi Saarela from the Blackhawks for Ian McCoshen.

Saarela was originally a third-round pick of the Hurricanes, where he spent the first two years of his career before being traded to Chicago in a trade that sent Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling to Carolina. Saarela opened the 2019-20 season with Rockford and registered just one assist in five games. He will report to Springfield (AHL).

Aleksi Saarela
The Blackhawks have acquired Ian McCoshen from the Panthers for Aleksi Saarela.

McCoshen made 19 appearances with the Panthers last season but has started the 2019-20 season in the AHL, where he has registered four assists in seven games. McCoshen is a big, (6-foot-3, 217 lbs) physical defenseman who averaged 2.2 hits per game with Florida last year. He is expected to report to Rockford (AHL).

Ian McCoshen
The Rangers have acquired Nick Ebert and a 2021 fourth-round pick from the Senators for Vladislav Namestnikov.

Ebert’s stay with the Senators was short-lived. The 25-year-old defenseman returned from Europe after two years and appeared in just one game with Belleville (AHL) before being traded to New York. Ebert will report to Hartford (AHL).

Nick Ebert

NHL Trade Tracker

Are you looking for all the latest NHL trade news from around the league? Then you’ve come to the right spot! Daily Faceoff’s NHL trade tracker provides up-to-the-minute updates on the latest personnel moves and trade rumours from all 32 franchises. When your favourite player gets dealt for future considerations, you’ll be the first to know!

Along with our NHL trade tracker, we also provide information on how hockey trades work, the strategy behind these moves, and how the latest NHL trades could impact your sports betting strategy.

It’s important for fans, sports bettors, and fantasy managers to stay informed on the latest NHL transactions. If you can keep tabs on the latest moves in the NHL, this can assist you in making intelligent pickups or trades in fantasy hockey and help shape your bets based on the new personnel added to a team.

NHL Trade Rules

NHL trades can be quite lucrative, with players, prospects, and draft capital moved to complete a deal. While there are a variety of ways to finalize trades, they all need to abide by the trade rules and regulations set by the league. Even the San Jose Sharks can’t take on everyone’s bad contracts.

Learn more about the rules around trades below so you can better understand how trades work, and the transactions made in our NHL trade tracker.

Salary Cap

In order for any NHL trade to be processed successfully, all parties involved must abide by the league’s salary cap rules. The current NHL salary cap is $88M, meaning that each team’s total payroll must fall within the budgetary restriction.

The salary cap in the NHL is considered a “hard cap,” meaning that no team can exceed it. While the limitations around roster construction can be strict, there are still ways for teams to legally exceed the set limit that won’t cost teams a first-round pick.

In the playoffs, teams are technically able to exceed their cap space through the long-term injured reserve (LTIR). The LTIR allows teams to place injured players on extended leave (24+ calendar days or 10 NHL Games) and fill their roster spots based on their cap space heading into the regular season.

If a player is on the LTIR heading into the postseason, they can be activated regardless of if their re-addition to the team puts them over the salary cap.

Roster Limit

For any active NHL roster, they can only dress 23 skaters. While they’re able to move players up and down through their farm system (AHL/ECHL/International Players), they must abide by this player limit when it comes to active players dressed in each game.

This plays a big factor in determining trades, as teams will need to make salaries work to make the move official and fit the current team’s available roster spots.

Depth is an incredibly important part of any successful NHL team, so filling out their roster with talented players is pivotal to their success. Each roster spot holds immense value.

NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL trade deadline is the last opportunity for teams to make moves between each other during the regular season. The trade deadline generally falls after the All-Star break so teams can make their last-ditch efforts before the playoffs begin. Players must be on the team’s roster by the deadline at 3 PM to be eligible for the NHL playoffs.

Technically, teams can still make trades after this point if they don’t qualify or have been eliminated from the postseason. These trades will not take effect until the next season, but the transactions can still go through.

The deadline can make or break a team’s playoff hopes, making it a dramatic and hectic period for hockey fans and managers alike. Be sure to regularly check back with our NHL trade tracker around the deadline so you don’t miss any latest moves from across the league.

Understanding the Strategy Behind NHL Trades

NHL teams may want to make a trade for a number of reasons. Often, teams make trades when they are looking to head in a certain direction, whether this means trying to improve and compete for the Stanley Cup or tank and enter a rebuild.

A team that feels it has a strong enough unit to make a deep run into the postseason will likely forgo some of its draft capital to acquire proven talent and enhance its winning capabilities.

Conversely, a team that has hit a wall in terms of success and doesn’t feel they have what it takes to compete in the playoffs may opt to trade away valuable assets in favour of draft picks or promising prospects.

Other NHL trade strategies may involve team culture/personnel fits. If a player doesn’t fit within a coach’s game plan or doesn’t have chemistry with his line mates, teams may opt to deal him to find a better fit.

For daily fantasy sports players or hockey bettors, understanding the logic behind NHL trades can play a big part in your success. If you have a solid understanding of a team’s needs and the value brought by particular players, you can use this to gain an edge on your roster moves and bets.

Check out the most recent roster moves from around the league with our NHL trade tracker, and be sure to analyze the strategy used by each team when making their next move.

How NHL Trades Impact Sports Betting

NHL trades can have a major impact on sports betting, both in terms of daily games and futures. Players moving from team to team can alter a squad’s potential success and on-ice production.

For example, if a team decides to trade their leading goal-scorer, you can rightfully assume that their overall scoring numbers may drop as a result. This means a team you once would’ve taken the Over on may be better suited for the Under due to their new lineup.

Acquiring an all-star player for futures bets can dramatically influence the betting lines, increasing one team’s value while dropping another. If you’ve already placed a futures bet and the team you wagered on makes a trade, this could possibly increase or lower the value of your original ticket, depending on the result of the roster change.
Daily fantasy hockey players can also be impacted by NHL trades as you will need to see how a player fits into their new setting before including them in your drafted lineup.
Be sure to watch for any of the latest transactions by using our NHL trade tracker to stay informed on all the roster changes occurring throughout the league.

NHL Trades FAQs

Who decides NHL trades?

NHL trades are decided between two or more team general managers. The front office’s job is building a winning team. Building a winning team means discussing trades with other general managers across the league.

When can players be traded in the NHL?

During the NHL regular season, players can be traded up until the trade deadline. The deadline is the official cutoff point for when teams can no longer make moves between each other. Players can also be traded throughout the offseason.

Why do they trade players in hockey?

Teams trade players in hockey for a variety of reasons, but generally, it is done to find success, whether that is in the short term or long term. Teams may trade their top players in search of draft picks if they are undergoing a rebuild, whereas contending teams may look to acquire talent to boost their playoff chances.

How often are NHL players traded?

Trades are a common occurrence throughout the NHL and happen often. Some years feature less trades than others, it all depends on each teams needs and the availability of attractive talent.