Two weeks is hardly enough time to expect a player to settle into a new NHL situation. You’ve got new systems to learn and chemistry to build with new teammates, to say nothing of figuring out a new best place to grab a pre-game coffee on the way to the rink.
Everyone understands it takes some time to get acclimated.
OK, that last part referencing patience isn’t true, mostly because — in some cases — fans had an entire summer to get excited about a big, new acquisition and let’s just say they’d like to see results well before Christmas songs are in heavy rotation.
With that in mind, we decided to make this week’s power ranking a sort of blink test in terms of how the new arrivals are blending in. (By the way, we’re excluding rookies from this list. We’ll do a full freshman check later this season). From instant connections to awkward fits and everything in between, here’s a glimpse at how all 32 teams are finding flow with the new blood.
1. Winnipeg Jets (6-0-0) Everyone is off to a good start in Winnipeg, including the one real newcomer, Eric Comrie. And, of course, Comrie still has the added benefit of already having had one go in Manitoba previously. Regardless, his one start was a stellar 39-save performance in a Jets win.
2. New York Rangers (5-0-1) Reilly Smith has been a perfect fit on the top line so far, netting six points in six outings — including four in his past two games. Did we mention Pittsburgh is eating 25 per cent of his salary?
3. Dallas Stars (5-2-0) Never-flashy Ilya Lyubushkin is starting nearly 80 per cent of his shifts in the defensive zone and holding his own while playing nearly 17:50 a night. The other right-shot defender Dallas picked up in the summer, Matt Dumba, was injured in his second game with the Stars but returned on Tuesday night. Backup goalie Casey DeSmith has been awesome, posting a .941 save percentage in two starts.
4. Minnesota Wild (4-0-2) Yakov Trenin is a trenches player and his 13.41 hits-per-60 is second on the Wild behind only Marcus Foligno (14.40). He’s giving the Wild a gritty 13 minutes a night and, along with Foligno, making the third line a pain to play against.
5. Calgary Flames (5-0-1) Anthony Mantha had a hot start, but he’s now pointless in three contests, while Justin Kirkland continues to be a wonderful fourth-line surprise. Big Kevin Bahl is playing 20 minutes a night beside Rasmus Andersson on the top pair.
6. Washington Capitals (5-1-0) Pierre-Luc Dubois had the best night of his short Caps career on Wednesday, picking up his first goal with the squad and adding two apples. He’s now got five points in a half-dozen outings. The points have been coming for defenceman Jakob Chychrun, too, as he’s got two goals and four points while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per night. Unfortunately, defenceman Matt Roy was hurt in his first game as a Cap and has not returned to the lineup since.
7. Tampa Bay Lighting (4-2-0) Jake Guentzel was the biggest UFA signing of the summer and he’s delivering so far with seven points in six outings. The 29-year-old has been held off the scoresheet just once during his fledgling Bolts tenure.
8. Florida Panthers (4-3-1) Nate Schmidt is trying to get his career back on track as a support player with the Panthers. He was a scratch in the season-opener but has played every game since and saw a season-high 16:14 of ice in his most recent outing. Adam Boqvist, meanwhile, is still trying to tap into the tools that got him drafted seventh overall in 2018. However, through seven games with Florida he’s got just a single assist and is minus-5. That said, it still has to be cool to be playing with his brother, Jesper, who joined Florida from Boston in the summer and is playing centre on the third line.
9. Vancouver Canucks (3-1-2) Hello, Kevin Lankinen. Signed off the scrapheap as a hedge against Thatcher Demko’s injured knee, the Finn has not endured a 60-minute loss in four starts with the Canucks and is sporting a .941 save percentage.
10. Toronto Maple Leafs (4-3-0) Have we commissioned an Anthony Stolarz statue yet? My goodness, the big man has been spectacular in the Buds crease so far.
11. New Jersey Devils (5-3-1) Two guys who never flashed much — if any — offence previously have been early-season revelations for Jersey. Paul Cotter has five goals in nine outings in a third-line role, while Jonathan Kovacevic has five points in nine games while playing an important 21:34 on the right side of the second pair. The newcomer New Jersey is really counting on, goalie Jacob Markstrom, is still getting settled in.
12. Vegas Golden Knights (4-2-1) New goalie Ilya Samsonov has a .943 save percentage in three outings, while incumbent starter Adin Hill is struggling with an .851 mark in four games. And while he’s technically not a newcomer after playing seven games with Vegas last year, let’s point out that Tomas Hertl’s first full season with the club is off to a splendid start. Hertl has seven points in seven contests, thanks largely to a big 2-2-4 showing versus the Kings on Tuesday.
13. Carolina Hurricanes (3-2-0) Shayne Gostisbehere is soaring in his return to Carolina, where he played 23 games with the Canes in 2022-23. The offence-first blue-liner has found the back of the net in four straight games, which actually puts him halfway to the NHL record of eight straight outings with a goal for a defenceman, set by Mike Green in 2008-09.
14. Ottawa Senators (4-2-0) Linus Ullmark has been sidelined by what coach Travis Green called a “strain” since the first couple games of the season. Ottawa is on a western roadie right now and the hope is he’ll be back in the fold very soon. Nick Jensen is off to a great start on the blue line, notching four assists through a half-dozen games.
15. Boston Bruins (3-3-1) Cole Koepke is your favourite new hockey name, and the 26-year-old has certainly curried good favour with his new team, posting six points in seven contests after playing a total of 26 NHL games in his career prior to this year, all with Tampa Bay. As for the big-ticket guys, Elias Lindholm is setting in just fine with five points and Nikita Zadorov is playing almost 19 minutes a night on the second pair.
16. Utah Hockey Club (4-2-1) John Marino was one of Utah’s big off-season acquisitions, so it’s a real bummer for the player and club that he’s sidelined three to four months after having back surgery to repair an injury sustained in training camp. The biggest fish Utah landed in the summer, though, was Mikhail Sergachev and UHC is certainly leaning into his new No. 1 D-man status. Through seven games, Sergachev is playing 26:13 per night, tied with Roman Josi for the most minutes per night in the NHL. And, with Marino and Sean Durzi both sidelined on the blue line long-term, how about 24-year-old Michael Kesselring stepping up with four points this year and nearly 20 minutes per night?
17. Edmonton Oilers (2-4-1) Nothing in Edmonton has gone smoothly so far, including the triple-goose egg statline posted by pointless Viktor Arvidsson. Jeff Skinner has two tallies in seven games. Let’s just say everybody needs to pick it up in Northern Alberta.
18. Colorado Avalanche (3-4-0) We’re cheating again because Casey Mittelstadt joined the Avs at the deadline last year, but his first full year as 2C in Denver is going well with four goals in seven games.
19. Anaheim Ducks (3-2-1) Veteran Brian Dumoulin is logging valuable minutes on the back end for Anaheim and has pitched in a couple assists in six games.
20. St. Louis Blues (4-3-0) Thus far, Philip Broberg looks every bit the top-4 D-man St. Louis believed he could be when they pried him from Edmonton with an offer sheet. Their other RFA play, Dylan Holloway, has not hit his offensive stride yet. Every Blues forward will need to pick it up now that Robert Thomas is out long-term with a fractured ankle.
21. Seattle Kraken (4-3-0) Brandon Montour has four points in seven games as a Kraken and, at 24:14, is playing nearly three full minutes per night more than any other Seattle skater. Chandler Stephenson — the other guy who inked a monster seven-year deal with the club in the summer — is playing 20:01 per night, two-and-a-half minutes more than the next-busiest Seattle forward.
22. Los Angeles Kings (3-2-2) Darcy Kuemper was the dice roll in the crease, and he made it three games before adding to his extensive injury history. He’s back practising with the Kings, who have not played a home game yet. Maybe some California home cooking will help Kuemper and the Kings settle in.
23. Buffalo Sabres (3-4-1) Ryan McLeod has been a dream third-line fit in Buffalo so far. He’s found the net in four straight games.
24. Detroit Red Wings (3-3-0) Vladimir Tarasenko has a couple goals, but is seeing under 14 minutes per night. Offence-oriented blue-liner Erik Gustafsson has been scratched a couple times already.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets (3-3-0) Sean Monahan is off to an awesome start as Columbus’ No. 1 pivot, notching seven points in six outings.
26. New York Islanders (2-2-2) Anthony Duclair had two goals in five contests before sustaining an injury that will sideline him for four to six weeks. That’s extra painful for a club that’s been blanked in three of its six outings.
27. Pittsburgh Penguins (3-4-1) Kevin Hayes does have three goals, but he’s played 10:09 or less in each of his past six games.
28. Chicago Blackhawks (2-4-1) Chicago brought in all kinds of new faces this off-season and one of them, Teuvo Teravainen, is tied for the team scoring with seven points in the same number of contests.
29. Montreal Canadiens (2-4-1) This was supposed to be the part where we talked about how Patrik Laine looks like a nice fit on a young squad. Instead, he sustained a long-term knee injury in a pre-season game, and we can say that the Habs really don’t have a new face in the lineup. Who knows, maybe a few more losses could change that.
30. Nashville Predators (1-5-0) The Preds have one win, and Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos have one goal apiece. Ugh.
31. Philadelphia Flyers (1-5-1) Jamie Drysdale got a 24-game dry run with Philly last year. At long last, he’s fully healthy and is trying to show his worth as an NHL defenceman. The offence wasn’t there through six games, but he picked up a pair of power-play helpers in a loss to Washington on Wednesday. Let’s see if he can keep it rolling.
32. San Jose Sharks (0-5-2) This team has yet to win this year, but Tyler Toffoli is doing his part with four goals and seven points in seven games.
