With the lack of movement in the NHL since about the second week of July, the flurry of activity of earlier this summer seems so distant. However, going back to before the Stanley Cup Final had even ended, teams have made some drastic changes this offseason.
While there may be more moves ahead, especially when we get closer to the season as teams need to shed salary or restructure their rosters in anticipation of the forthcoming expansion draft for the new Las Vegas franchise, most of the big deals have been completed. In an effort to encapsulate the summer to date, here's a look at some of the most important acquisitions of the offseason, ranked by potential impact they'll have on their new teams.
It was just one of a few shocking trades earlier this summer, but the Oilers dealing away Taylor Hall remains puzzling. One of the top left wingers in the NHL and a former No. 1 overall pick, Hall is a game-changer for New Jersey. Adding a top-six forward in the thick of his prime is extremely difficult to do, but Devils GM Ray Shero did it at a reasonable cost.
Over the past three seasons, two of which were shortened by injury, Hall notched 183 points. The closest Devil over that same span is Hall's ex-junior teammate Adam Henrique with 136. Hall had 47 more points in 22 fewer games. And he did it on three separate Oilers teams that were among the worst in the entire NHL.
His arrival in New Jersey gives the team another cornerstone piece to build on, joining franchise goalie Cory Schneider in that category. When the Devils drafted Adam Larsson, the guy they traded for Hall, he was supposed to be the franchise defenseman. That hadn't materialized yet and probably was not going to. For Shero to shed a good but probably not great defenseman for a potential franchise-altering forward has to be one of the great moves of his distinguished career as a general manager.
While losing Shea Weber is a tough pill to swallow, Subban may be a better fit for Peter Laviolette's up-tempo attack. Subban has been a weapon on the back end in Montreal, but will have an even better team, especially on the blue line, around him in Nashville. After posting three consecutive seasons of 51 or more points, even in an injury-shortened campaign in 2015-16, his numbers should rise in Nashville.
On top of what he brings to the ice, he's the kind of NHL star that Nashville really has never been able to enjoy in more than 15 years as a franchise. He brings excitement on the ice and off.
You don't trade away your captain in a one-for-one unless you think you're going to improve. David Poile made a really tough decision on this, but he also just completed one of the most exciting rosters in the NHL.
The debate this trade has generated has overshadowed the fact that Weber remains a top-level defenseman. He's older than Subban and more likely to decline over the next few years, but the Shea Weber of right now should not end up being much of a drop off from what Montreal was getting out of Subban.
The challenge Weber faces now is that he's not going to have a high-end D partner like he did over the years in Nashville. Weber always had a steady No. 2, whether it was Ryan Suter or Roman Josi (who started looking like the No. 1 last season). Now we get to see just how well he can fare when the focus is mostly on him. Weber has topped 50 points three times in his career and is coming off of his third 20-goal season.
The Canadiens think they are better now. If they are, it's not much, but there's little doubt that Weber will be an important player, logging a ton of high-leverage minutes and making a substantial impact on this team.
The Sabres may still be a player or two away from being able to say their rebuild is in the past, but adding Okposo this summer gets them a few steps closer. With strength down the middle led by Ryan O'Reilly and Jack Eichel, Okposo gives the team a proven producer at wing, especially one who is used to playing with high-end players. He has been a bit of a late bloomer at the NHL level, with his best years coming after he turned 25. Okposo had 184 points over the past three seasons.
The boldness displayed by Florida to trade for Yandle's negotiating rights and then to convince him to forgo unrestricted free agency was one of the signals to the hockey world that these are not the same old Panthers. Yandle is among the most productive blue liners in the entire NHL since he became a full-timer in 2009-10. Only Erik Karlsson and Duncan Keith have more points than Yandle since then. He also is a possession dynamo and should be able to excel in the roster hole left by Brian Campbell.
One has to wonder where the Canucks are going and what the vision is for the organization, but signing a proven scorer like Eriksson is a deal most teams would be happy to make. It's especially helpful when you have Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin still playing at a high level. Coming off of a 30-goal season with Boston, Eriksson should be able to at least maintain his high production alongside the twins, if that's where he ends up.
The Flames had the worst team save percentage in the NHL by a lot last season. So they went out and traded for the guy with the highest save percentage in the league. Underappreciated in St. Louis, Elliott has a chance to be an unthreatened No. 1 in Calgary, at least in the short term. Elliott had a .930 save percentage in 42 appearances last season. He then played a starring role in the Blues' deep playoff run with a .921 mark in 18 postseason starts. While it will be hard to put up those kinds of gaudy numbers in Calgary, he's going to be a massive upgrade to the .892 mark their goalies put up last season.
The Oilers got an older, more expensive replacement for Taylor Hall in Lucic, but he should at least be able to help change the dynamic of the team some. Since it appears Lucic will be playing alongside Connor McDavid, he should be able to produce at or above career rates, while also providing some protection and his general nastiness on the ice. If Lucic can help usher in a change in culture, that's an added victory for Peter Chiarelli in this deal. That may be harder to measure, but a necessary element to consider in Lucic's overall potential impact.
We only remember the bad things about Radulov's previous time in the NHL. His departure for the KHL and the year the Predators had to suspend him during the playoffs are still fresh, but he was pretty good when he played. One hopes Radulov has matured off the ice, because he is unquestionably gifted on it. He has routinely been among the KHL's top scorers and had 65 points in 53 games last season. Montreal needed more scoring and he should be able to bring that in a top-six role if he manages to transition smoothly. Having prior NHL experience is a big help.
Toronto desperately needed an upgrade in net. Andersen is a bit of a risky choice. The 26-year-old is still young in goalie terms and already has 125 NHL games under his belt. He has had his ups and downs, often fighting for the No. 1 job in Anaheim. Ultimately, he became expendable, but he has had a fair amount of success in his young career. An all-rookie selection in 2013-14, Andersen has a career .918 save percentage and went 77-26-12 over three seasons in Anaheim. He's going to have a pretty weak Leafs team in front of him this year, but he is better than what they had and if he responds well, it could be a big year for his development as a No. 1.
The high price the Isles paid for Ladd while losing both Okposo and Frans Nielsen puts pressure on the former Winnipeg Jets captain to perform. His points took a dip last season, but he still put up 25 goals and helped contribute. He also had eight goals in a mere 19-game span after being traded to the Blackhawks. He's still a very good player with two Stanley Cup titles in his career. The Islanders don't look better than they did last season as a whole, but Ladd should be fine.
The Bruins paid such a high price for Backes, but he should provide some scoring depth and gives Boston another strong all-around forward. He certainly seems to fit into the Bruins culture, but they're paying a premium for his declining years. In the short term, this deal should be fine, which is what we're more focused on for this particular list. Backes has been essentially a lock to score 20-plus goals and should be again regardless of where he fits into Boston's lineup.
As the league continues to move in a direction where puck-movers are seeing increased value over "shut down" or "stay-at-home" defensemen, Goligoski appears to be a smart add by the still-rebuilding Coyotes. A steady veteran with strong possession numbers over his career and a decent rate of production will help supplement a blue line that already includes the dynamic Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Goligoski had 37 points in 82 games last season with the Dallas Stars.
Having set roots in the city, Campbell took a deep, deep discount from what he probably could have commanded on the open market to go back to Chicago. Even at 37, Campbell remains a strong top-four defenseman. His point production has slipped, but he is an advanced stats darling with sparkling possession figures throughout his career. Chicago's blue line needed help and they're getting a big helping hand from a familiar face.
Larsson is going to be starting at a bit of a disadvantage as the guy the Oilers traded one of their former No. 1 picks and best players for. That said, he definitely upgrades the Edmonton defense with his presence. It's not going to be a massive upgrade, but anything has to be better than what they were trotting out last year. The 23-year-old should be able to put up more points in Edmonton given his role and the style they'll play. He had 18 points in 82 games last season.
