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Today’s power rankings will dissect the main roster moves that each team made in the offseason or during this year. Performance on the ice will play a factor in the rankings, but the acquisition cost will also be factored in when analyzing how successful a move has been.
Some established players will get the benefit of the doubt. For example, Jack Eichel has only played 12 games for the Golden Knights, but he’s ranked pretty high on this list.
Here are the rankings:
1 - Tony DeAngelo – D – Carolina Hurricanes:
The 26-year-old is currently out of the lineup with an injury, but there’s no denying the impact he’s made in Carolina. After being bought out by the Rangers, he landed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Hurricanes, and he’s sure to get a significant raise this off-season. He has 40 points through 43 games in 2021-22.
2 - Pavel Buchnevich – W – St. Louis Blues:
The Buchnevich for Sammy Blais swap has worked out perfectly well for the Blues. The Russian winger has picked up 19 goals and 46 points through 50 games this season. The 26-year-old has missed the last two games with a concussion, but that doesn’t take away from his strong campaign.
3 - Tyler Toffoli – W – Calgary Flames:
The Flames landed Toffoli from the Habs during the season, and he’s fit in perfectly. The veteran is on a reasonable contract and he’s picked up 13 points in his first 13 games with the Flames. The 29-year-old has also picked up at least one point in four straight games. This was one of the better in-season moves a team has made in a while.
4 - Jack Eichel – C – Vegas Golden Knights:
The Eichel acquisition hasn’t really paid off yet, but it should eventually. He’s coming off major neck surgery, so it might take some time for him to get back into the swing of things. The 25-year-old has four goals and four assists in 12 games. He has three points in his last four outings.
5 - Zach Hyman – W – Edmonton Oilers:
Hyman was a big-ticket acquisition for the Oilers in the summer. He signed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract because he has a nice combination of skill and grit. He also benefits from playing with star forwards, but he does a lot of the dirty work for them. The contract is a little rich though. He has 19 goals and 37 points in 53 games.
6 - Vitek Vanecek – G – Washington Capitals:
Alright, this is a bit of a different one. The Caps lost Vanecek to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, but they traded him back to Washington for a second-rounder in 2023. The 26-year-old has a 14-7-5 record with a 2.35 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage this season. Getting him back was worth it.
7 - Alex Tuch – W – Buffalo Sabres:
Tuch wasn’t an off-season acquisition, as the Sabres got him from Vegas as part of the Jack Eichel trade last November. The Sabres had to wait for him to get healthy, but he’s been productive since returning to the lineup. The 25-year-old has 24 points through 27 games this season.
8 - Seth Jones – D – Chicago Blackhawks:
The Hawks made the huge splash to get Jones this summer and they gave him a massive extension worth $9.5 million per season. He’s put up 39 points in 56 games in 2021-22, which is more than reasonable but his acquisition hasn’t translated into wins for Chicago.
9 - Phillip Danault – C – Los Angeles Kings:
Danault was an important free-agent acquisition in the winter. He kind of flew under-the-radar because he isn’t an offensive producer. He has 17 goals and 18 assists in 58 games, which is very good, but he does a lot of the heavy lifting defensively. He’s freed up Anze Kopitar, so that he can do more offensively.
10 - Jared McCann – C – Seattle Kraken:
Every player on the Seattle roster was acquired from another team, either via trade, in free agency or through the expansion draft. McCann was a solid pick, as he has 23 goals and 35 points through 53 games. The Kraken just signed him to a new five-year, $25 million deal last week.
11 - Cam Atkinson – F – Philadelphia Flyers:
The Atkinson for Jakub Voracek swap has worked out for both sides to varying degrees. Neither team is in position to make playoffs right now, but Atkinson is having a solid season. The 32-year-old has 21 goals and 23 assists in 58 games with the Flyers. He has three years left on a deal that comes with a cap hit of $5.875 million.
12 - Conor Garland – W – Vancouver Canucks:
Garland and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were acquired from Arizona in the summer. That was a lot of salary for the Canucks to pick up, but it hasn’t led to more wins. Garland has 14 goals and 17 assists in 54 games this season. He has four years left on his deal at a cap hit of $4.95 million.
13 - Michael Bunting – F – Toronto Maple Leafs:
Bunting signed a two-year, $1.9 million deal with the Maple Leafs from Arizona. He’s fit in perfectly with some of Toronto’s best players. Bunting has 20 goals and 47 points in 58 games this season, which is excellent for a complimentary piece. This was a good value signing by GM Kyle Dubas.
14 - Dougie Hamilton – D – New Jersey Devils:
Hamilton was the biggest acquisition of free-agent frenzy in 2021, but his signing hasn’t made much of a difference on the ice for the Devils. They still aren’t going to make the playoffs even though they gave him a seven-year, $63 million deal. He has nine goals and 24 points in 39 games in 2021-22.
15 - Alex Goligoski – D – Minnesota Wild:
The Wild convinced Goligoski to join their team on a one-year contract which is huge. He has 27 points in 52 games while averaging just over 19 minutes of ice time per game. There was very limited risk to this signing and it’s worked out fairly well so far.
16 - Barclay Goodrow – F – New York Rangers:
Goodrow was a key piece of Tampa’s back-to-back Stanley Cup wins and that led to him getting a nice pay-day in New York. The 29-year-old is a great third-line player on a championship team. He has 13 goals and 24 points in 56 games this season.
17 - Corey Perry – F – Tampa Bay Lightning:
The Bolts got to play against Perry in the Stanley Cup Final when he was a member of the Montreal Canadiens. They clearly felt like they needed to have him, and they got that done. He has a solid 16 goals and 31 points in 57 games. The 36-year-old signed a two-year, $2 million deal, so he has one season remaining after this year.
18 - Shayne Gostisbehere – D – Arizona Coyotes:
Gostisbehere had some really productive years in Philadelphia, but his team wasn’t willing to put up with his defensive issues when the offense dried up. Gostisbehere is now playing in a pressure-free market and he’s put up 10 goals and 36 points in 58 games. He has one year left on his deal at $4.5 million.
19 - Nate Schmidt- D – Winnipeg Jets:
Schmidt was moved for the second time in two off-seasons. He went from Vegas to Vancouver to facilitate the Golden Knights’ acquisition of Alex Pietrangelo. Last summer he went from the Canucks to the Jets. He’s been better than he was in Vancouver and he’s back to being almost as productive as he was in Vegas. He has four goals and 24 assists in 58 games this season.
20 - Ryan Suter – D – Dallas Stars:
Suter was bought out by the Wild after last season and he found a new home in Dallas. The 37-year-old is still playing at a relatively high level. He has five goals and 20 assists in 57 games this season. Suter is averaging 23:29 of ice time.
21 - Alex Nedeljkovic – G – Detroit Red Wings:
Nedeljkovic hasn’t had the best season from a numbers standpoint, but Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman made a smart move when he acquired him from Carolina. He has a 15-17-6 record with a 3.23 goals-against-average and a .901 save percentage this season. He’s under contract for a reasonable sum of $3 million.
22 - Jakub Voracek – F – Columbus Blue Jackets:
Voracek is having an interesting season. He has a respectable 43 points in 57 games, but he’s scored just three times. He clearly isn’t worth the price they’re paying for him, as he has two years remaining on his current deal at $8.25 million.
23 - Mike Hoffman – W – Montreal Canadiens:
Hoffman was one of a few free-agent signings for the Habs, but he hasn’t been as productive as the team would’ve hoped. The 32-year-old has scored 11 goals and 11 assists in 43 games this season. Hoffman might be able to fetch an asset or two on the trade market, but he still has two years left on his contract.
24 - Danton Heinen – F – Pittsburgh Penguins:
The Pens didn’t have enough cap room to make a huge splash, but they found a way to add some nice depth pieces. Heinen inked a one-year, $1.1 million deal, and he’s fit in reasonably well. He has a respectable 12 goals and 23 points in 53 games this season.
25 - Tyler Ennis – F – Ottawa Senators:
The Sens invited Ennis to training camp on a PTO and they decided to keep him around. He’s put up some decent numbers, as he’s scored 20 points in 48 games. The 32-year-old could wind up getting moved before the trade deadline, but he doesn’t have much value.
26 - James Reimer – G – San Jose Sharks:
It’s not that Reimer has been excellent, but he was signed to a reasonable deal (two years, $2.25 million). The 33-year-old has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury. He owns a 15-12-5 record with a 2.84 goals-against0average and a .916 save percentage this season.
27 - Zach Parise – F – New York Islanders:
After having the final eight years of his contract with the Wild bought out, Parise signed a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Isles. The 37-year-old has seven goals and 16 assists in 55 games, which puts him eighth on the team in scoring. That’s decent value given his experience, production and salary.
28 - Linus Ullmark – G – Boston Bruins:
The Ullmark signing hasn’t really worked out as well as the Bruins had hoped. They gave him a four-year, $20 million free-agent contract last off-season, but he’s been overtaken on the depth chart by Jeremy Swayman. There’s still time for him to prove his worth, but it just hasn’t happened yet.
29 - Nicolas Aube-Kubel – F – Colorado Avalanche:
Aube-Kubel was an under-the-radar waiver pickup in-season, but he’s fit in pretty nicely. He’s picked up 15 points and 37 penalty minutes in 46 games this season. He’s a nice fourth-line contributor on a good Avalanche team.
30 - Lucas Carlsson – D – Florida Panthers:
Carlsson was acquired from Chicago last April. The 24-year-old has three goals and six assists in 34 games this season, while averaging 12:23 of ice time.
31 - Buddy Robinson – W – Anaheim Ducks:
The Ducks didn’t do very much in the off-season. They’re kind of in a rebuild, so they’ve done a good job of developing their own talent. Robinson was signed to a one-year, $750,000 deal. He has four points in 25 games this season.
32 - David Rittich – G – Nashville Predators:
The Preds needed to find a middle-of-the-pack backup goalie to play behind Juuse Saros. The 29-year-old has a 4-2-1 record with a 3.17 goals-against-average and a .890 save percentage this season.