Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>Boston didn\u2019t make any major splashes last summer, opting instead to tinker with its depth forwards.<\/p>\n The Jeannot signing was widely panned as an overpayment. It\u2019s still hard to see that contract aging well, but Jeannot\u2019s at least made a legitimate early impact. The bruising 28-year-old winger has been a versatile bottom-six contributor \u2014 his 15 points in 38 games are already the most he\u2019s notched since his rookie campaign, he ranks 15th in the league in hits, and he\u2019s been solid in a significant penalty-killing role.<\/p>\n Arvidsson has proven to be a decent buy-low pickup. He\u2019s scored 17 points in 30 games, which is commendable considering nearly all of that production has been at even strength. Arvidsson\u2019s two-way play-driving numbers are a little bit soft, and it\u2019s clear he isn\u2019t a proper top-six solution on a playoff-caliber team anymore, but he\u2019s a serviceable middle-six stopgap.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always liked Eyssimont as a fast, pesky fourth liner. He and Kuraly, who\u2019s on his second tour of duty with Boston, have been an effective duo, with the Bruins controlling nearly 55 percent of shots during their shifts together.<\/p>\n Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n Notable additions:\u00a0<\/strong>Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan (acquired in exchange for JJ Peterka), Alex Lyon ($1.5 million x two years), Conor Timmins (acquired in exchange for Connor Clifton and the No. 39 pick in 2025)<\/p>\n Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>Doan\u2019s dream fit in Buffalo has made the controversial Peterka trade age better than many expected.<\/p>\n The 23-year-old sophomore has flat-out been one of Buffalo\u2019s best forwards. He\u2019s on pace to score 25 goals and 55 points, and he\u2019s very impactful beyond just his production. Doan uses his smarts, high energy and heavy frame to dominate puck battles, control the boards and break up plays in all three zones. He\u2019s one of the team\u2019s best two-way wingers, as the Sabres have owned 59 percent of expected goals during Doan\u2019s five-on-five shifts.<\/p>\n Kesselring, on the other hand, has been tricky to evaluate. He\u2019s a talented, slick-skating 6-foot-5 defender with substantial second-pair upside, but he\u2019s been limited to just 16 games because of injuries. Kesselring\u2019s impact has been muted when he has been healthy \u2014 he\u2019s yet to register a point and has averaged just 15:14 per game \u2014 but it\u2019s going to require a much larger sample size to judge him.<\/p>\n Lyon\u2019s cheap signing from a dry goalie market last summer has been a lifesaver. The 33-year-old journeyman has become the club\u2019s de facto starter, notching a .906 save percentage in 21 games.<\/p>\n Timmins has long been an analytical darling in a sheltered third-pair capacity. He was thrust into a bigger role than expected because of Kesselring\u2019s injury, averaging over 19 minutes per game this season. Timmins started strong but eventually looked overmatched with this increased defensive workload, with the club surrendering 3.48 goals against per 60 and controlling only 44 percent of shot attempts during his five-on-five shifts this season. I would love to see what he can do in a more prescribed bottom-pair role once Kesselring returns, but we\u2019ll have to wait for that, as Timmins recently broke his leg.<\/p>\n \n It took the Hurricanes some time to find Nikolaj Ehlers\u2019 ideal lineup fit. (James Guillory \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n Notable additions:\u00a0<\/strong>Nikolaj Ehlers ($8.5 million x six years), K\u2019Andre Miller (acquired in exchange for a conditional 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick and Scott Morrow)<\/p>\n Early return: <\/strong>It took the Hurricanes some time to find Ehlers\u2019 ideal lineup fit. He began the season on a line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, but that combination didn\u2019t really click, with their marquee signing registering just four points in his first 11 games. Since then, though, Ehlers has settled in and found his groove.<\/p>\n The dynamic, speedy Danish winger has scored 27 points in his last 31 games. He initially built chemistry with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, but with Jarvis\u2019 injury, he\u2019s been bumped back up to the top line with Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, with this new-look trio clicking impressively.<\/p>\n Ehlers\u2019 game-breaking puck-carrying ability has added an exciting new dimension to Carolina\u2019s rush attack. He\u2019s been a consistently dangerous play-driver (Carolina\u2019s controlled 60 percent of scoring chances during his five-on-five shifts) and I\u2019d argue his point production has actually undersold his impact on Carolina\u2019s offense. Ehlers has collected a point on just 52 percent of the five-on-five goals he\u2019s been on the ice for \u2014 he\u2019s been snakebitten and has deserved to pick up a few more assists.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also still a fan of Carolina\u2019s expensive bet on Miller. Yes, he\u2019s made occasional mistakes and has been narrowly outscored during his five-on-five minutes despite his strong underlying metrics, but context is important. Miller was supposed to lead Carolina\u2019s second pair, but Jaccob Slavin\u2019s injuries (he\u2019s only played five games this season) have forced him to take on a larger top-pair role. That\u2019s meant eating a career-high 22:35 per game and handling some of the toughest matchups of all NHL defensemen.<\/p>\n Miller has held his own in this daunting role, and I\u2019d expect his performance to level up once Slavin\u2019s return allows him to settle into the second-pair slot he was actually acquired to fill.<\/p>\n Columbus Blue Jackets<\/p>\n Notable additions:\u00a0<\/strong>Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood (acquired in exchange for Gavin Brindley, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick), Isac Lundestrom<\/p>\n Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>Coyle has turned back the clock and emerged as the Blue Jackets\u2019 best two-way forward this season.<\/p>\n The 33-year-old shutdown center has been tasked with exceptionally tough matchups (one of the top 20 NHL forwards in terms of quality of competition) and the sixth-most defensive zone starts among all NHL forwards. Coyle has crushed that daunting assignment, helping the Blue Jackets control 56 percent of expected goals and outscore opponents 26-17 during those minutes. He\u2019s driving elite defensive results and leads all Blue Jackets forwards with 21 five-on-five points.<\/p>\n Wood, who was also part of the trade from Colorado, has been a solid bottom-six piece as well. He\u2019s chipped in with eight goals in 32 games and has played his usual speedy, rambunctious style.<\/p>\n Overall, this trade with the Avs has panned out way better than expected.<\/p>\n Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n Notable additions:<\/strong> John Gibson (acquired in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick and Petr Mr\u00e1zek), Mason Appleton ($2.9 million x two years), James van Riemsdyk ($1 million x one year), Jacob Bernard-Docker ($875,000 x one year)<\/p>\n Early return:<\/strong> It\u2019s incredible how quickly the narrative around a player can change. On Nov. 28, Gibson\u2019s results were brutal across the board \u2014 he had won just four of his 12 starts, was sporting an ugly .865 save percentage, and his goals saved above expected rating ranked bottom-five among all NHL goalies. He was viewed as one of the league\u2019s most disappointing acquisitions.<\/p>\n Since then, Gibson has flipped the script and bounced back as one of the sport\u2019s hottest goalies. The 32-year-old veteran is 10-2-0 with a sparkling .926 save percentage (tied for third-best in the league) since Dec 1. Gibson\u2019s performance through the first several weeks was so underwhelming that his full-season numbers (.896 save percentage) are pretty average despite his recent hot streak. But the critical point is that he\u2019s clearly turned a corner.<\/p>\n Appleton has come as advertised as a hard-working, defensively reliable third-liner with limited offensive upside (11 points in 34 games). van Riemsdyk has been a bargain $1 million pick-up for the bottom six \u2014 he\u2019s fourth on the Red Wings with 11 goals in 35 games.<\/p>\n Florida Panthers<\/p>\n Notable additions:<\/strong> Jeff Petry ($775,000 x one year, plus $250,000 in performance bonuses), Daniil Tarasov (acquired in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick)<\/p>\n Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>The Panthers struck gold two summers in a row by buying low on out-of-favor veteran UFA defensemen with Oliver Ekman-Larsson in 2023-24 and Nate Schmidt last season. They were clearly hoping to hit another home run with Petry, but he hasn\u2019t come close to being an OEL or Schmidt-level difference-maker.<\/p>\n Even if Petry maxes out his performance bonuses, he\u2019s only going to cost $1.025 million against the cap, so you\u2019d hardly consider this signing a mistake. However, Petry hasn\u2019t had the dramatic bounce-back many other defenders have experienced in Florida\u2019s system. Petry has scored just eight points in 39 games, averaging only 14:37 per game, and his underlying metrics are around break-even across the board in this sheltered role. He\u2019s a serviceable bottom-pair option but doesn\u2019t look capable of stepping into a bigger role, which means the Panthers could be in the market for another defenseman ahead of the trade deadline, especially with Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov\u2019s injuries.<\/p>\n Tarasov, on the other hand, has been an excellent under-the-radar pickup. The 26-year-old Russian netminder has posted a sturdy .904 save percentage in 14 games, including last Sunday, when he stopped 27 of 28 shots to lead the Panthers to a critical victory against the league-best Colorado Avalanche. Tarasov represents a significant upgrade over Vitek Vanecek, whom the Panthers let walk in free agency last summer.<\/p>\n Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n Notable additions:<\/strong> Noah Dobson (acquired in exchange for the No. 16 and 17 picks in 2025 and Emil Heineman), Zachary Bolduc (acquired in exchange for Logan Mailloux)<\/p>\n Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>GM Kent Hughes must be pleased with both of the splashy acquisitions he made.<\/p>\n Dobson has lived up to the billing as a marquee, top-pair-caliber right-shot defenseman. He\u2019s scored the sixth-most five-on-five points of all NHL defensemen and is on pace to eclipse the 50-point mark despite not receiving first-unit power-play time. Dobson has also been tasked with some of the most challenging defensive matchups in the league \u2014 he ranks top-five among all NHL defensemen in quality of competition. The Habs are about break-even at controlling shots and goals in those minutes, so you wouldn\u2019t say he\u2019s dominating those matchups per se, but he\u2019s effectively held his own in very difficult usage.<\/p>\n Dobson\u2019s evolution into a complete, well-rounded two-way defenseman in Montreal is notable, given that his defensive play was at times heavily criticized in New York.<\/p>\n Bolduc\u2019s offensive production has slowed down after a hot start. He\u2019s on pace for similar numbers to last year, when he flirted with 20 goals and was in the mid-30s point range. Would Montreal have liked to see Bolduc take another step and break out closer to the 25-goal range? Absolutely. However, he\u2019s already established his floor as a credible middle-six winger, and as a 22-year-old sophomore, there\u2019s still plenty of development runway left. I\u2019m a big believer in Bolduc\u2019s tools and potential, and most importantly, the Habs aren\u2019t missing much with Mailloux, who has had a ton of growing pains in St. Louis.<\/p>\n New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n Notable additions:<\/strong> Connor Brown ($3 million x four years), Evgenii Dadonov ($1 million x one year)<\/p>\n Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>Brown has been a strong fit for the Devils, contributing nine goals and 17 points in 35 games. He\u2019s lived up to his end of the bargain as a speedy, buzzsaw third-liner who can play reliably at both ends of the rink and chip in with secondary offense.<\/p>\n Overall, though, New Jersey didn\u2019t land enough difference-makers to fortify the club\u2019s supporting cast. Dadonov has played just five games due to injury, and the club\u2019s limited cap flexibility appears to have constrained its ability to take bigger swings. That\u2019s left the Devils in a similar spot to last year: they lack secondary scoring (New Jersey ranks 28th in goals scored per game) and are particularly vulnerable whenever Jack Hughes gets injured.<\/p>\n New York Islanders<\/p>\n Notable additions:<\/strong> Emil Heineman (acquired as part of the Noah Dobson trade), Jonathan Drouin ($4 million x two years), David Rittich ($1 million x one year), Maxim Shabanov ($975,000 x one year)<\/p>\n Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>Matthew Schaefer\u2019s immediate stardom, a healthy Mathew Barzal, Vezina-caliber play from Ilya Sorokin and Bo Horvat\u2019s career-best goal-scoring pace have been the main catalysts for New York\u2019s surprise ascent as a playoff contender. However, a couple of GM Mathieu Darche\u2019s offseason additions have also given the club a critical boost.<\/p>\n Heineman, who was an afterthought for many in the Dobson trade, has broken out as a complementary top-six contributor. The 24-year-old winger is second on the Isles with 13 goals and has been consistently noticeable with his speed, work rate and forechecking. He will be a fan favorite for a long time.<\/p>\n In an even bigger surprise, Rittich has been arguably the most valuable backup in the NHL. Rittich has pitched a stellar 11-5-2 record and .907 save percentage in 18 games behind a leaky Islanders defense. He\u2019s saved 17.9 goals above expected, which ranks top-10 among all netminders. Sorokin\u2019s mid-December injury could have derailed New York\u2019s playoff chances, but Rittich\u2019s excellent play has kept the club alive.<\/p>\n Beyond Heineman and Rittich, contributions from the newcomers have been more muted.<\/p>\n Drouin has mustered just three goals in 36 games. He\u2019s producing 0.53 points per game, which seems respectable on the surface, but it\u2019s a tad underwhelming when you consider he\u2019s been stapled to one of Barzal or Horvat in the top six for the whole season. The good news is the Islanders didn\u2019t commit excessively high AAV or term to his contract, but they\u2019ll surely want more impactful play from him in the second half.<\/p>\n Shabanov, one of the top scorers in the KHL last season, was a no-brainer, low-risk acquisition. He\u2019s chipped in with some handy bottom-six offense (14 points in 29 games), but his defensive metrics look rough, with New York controlling just 43 percent of expected goals during his five-on-five shifts.<\/p>\n New York Rangers<\/p>\n Notable additions:<\/strong> Vladislav Gavrikov ($7 million x seven years), Taylor Raddysh ($1.5 million x two years)<\/p>\n Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>Gavrikov has been everything the Rangers could have asked for as a top-pair shutdown beast. He\u2019s averaged nearly 24 minutes per night, has been a perfect partner for Adam Fox (the two have controlled 60 percent of scoring chances in their minutes together) and has fit seamlessly despite moving to a worse team and a less-established defensive environment than L.A. That last part is especially crucial because some high-profile free-agent defensemen, such as Brady Skjei, have struggled when moving to a less insulated environment.<\/p>\n The hulking Russian defender\u2019s underlying metrics dipped significantly last month when Fox was injured (Rangers were outshot, outchanced and outscored 13-7 during his five-on-five shifts), but he deserves a lot of slack because of the outrageous workload he was handling (averaging 25:11 in those 14 games) and because his fill-in partner, Braden Schneider, isn\u2019t a true top-four defender.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the Rangers\u2019 limited cap flexibility left them without an avenue to meaningfully boost their offense last summer. New York is clearly paying the price, ranking second-last in goals scored per game. The big swing GM Chris Drury made for J.T. Miller midway through last season isn\u2019t working, as the latter has produced just 22 points in 35 games.<\/p>\n Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n Notable additions:\u00a0<\/strong>Jordan Spence (acquired in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick), Lars Eller ($1.25 million x one year)<\/p>\n Early return:\u00a0<\/strong>Spence was one of my favorite under-the-radar acquisitions of the offseason<\/a>. He\u2019s delivered on that promise \u2014 the Senators have throttled opponents with a 62 percent share of scoring chances and a plus-nine goal differential during Spence\u2019s five-on-five shifts. Spence\u2019s mobility and play-driving are a critical development on the right side because Nick Jensen, the club\u2019s second-pair RD last year, has seen his performance and ice time fall off a cliff.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not convinced the Senators would trust Spence as a full-time second-pair option; he\u2019s still mostly deployed against the other team\u2019s bottom-six forwards despite an uptick in his ice time. He\u2019s an excellent depth piece, though, and worth more than the meager draft capital the Senators surrendered to acquire him.<\/p>\n Eller, meanwhile, has been a serviceable bottom-six center when healthy. He\u2019s limited offensively (six points in 28 games), but he\u2019s won over 60 percent of his faceoffs and has been trustworthy defensively.<\/p>\n![\"Nikolaj](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27713406.jpg\")
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