Which Eastern Conference trades and signings have aged best and worst?
Analyzing every Eastern Conference team's most noteworthy moves and how they've panned out so far.
theathletic.com
The offseason is when NHL GMs usually make their biggest, boldest moves. It’s a manager’s chance to finally weaponize cap flexibility, trade chips, dip into the free-agent market, and engage in a flowing trade market to execute their blueprint.
We’re approaching the halfway point of the 2023-24 season, which is a sensible time to re-evaluate every club’s biggest offseason acquisitions (we won’t dig into every depth addition unless there’s been a noteworthy impact). Half a season isn’t long enough to make a final verdict for trades or signing, especially as players acclimate to new cities, teammates and coaches, but it’s enough of a sample to reflect on the early return on investment. We’re going to start with Eastern Conference teams and we’ll go through the Western Conference next week.
Let’s dive in.
Boston Bruins
Notable additions: Morgan Geekie ($2 million, two years), James van Riemsdyk ($1 million, one year)Early return: The Bruins lost the most talent of any team this summer: Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired, Taylor Hall was a cap casualty and deadline rentals Dmitry Orlov and Tyler Bertuzzi walked in free agency.
GM Don Sweeney was forced to patch holes using the bargain bin because of cap constraints and has done an effective job.
Geekie started slow, with just three points in 12 games in a third-line winger role and got injured shortly after. He’s played well since returning, scoring 11 points in 17 games and moving to center. The gritty, heavy forward has worked his way up to a top-six role lately and his $2 million cap hit is starting to look like a nice deal.
Van Riemsdyk is sixth in team scoring with 22 points in 33 games on a meager $1 million contract. He’s been solid in a third-line left wing role and spent time anchoring the net-front role for Boston’s top power-play unit — four of his six goals and nine of his 22 points have come on the man advantage — although he’s been bumped down to the second unit lately.
Buffalo Sabres
Notable additions: Connor Clifton ($3.33 million, three years), Erik Johnson ($3.25 million, one year)Early return: Buffalo’s decision not to add a high-profile top-four defenseman or address the goaltending situation is aging poorly.
Clifton’s struggled defensively, made big-time mistakes and isn’t top-four capable. He looks overpaid with a $3.33 million cap hit for another two seasons. Johnson doesn’t move the needle at this stage in his career and has averaged just 14:06 per game.
Clifton and Johnson have been the Sabres’ worst play-driving defensemen in terms of controlling five-on-five shot attempts and expected goals, yet they make a combined $6.58 million against the cap.
Carolina Hurricanes
Notable additions: Dmitry Orlov ($7.75 million, two years), Michael Bunting ($4.5 million, three years), Tony DeAngelo ($1.675 million, one year)Early return: Orlov’s transition to Carolina has been a work in progress. He couldn’t mesh with DeAngelo early in the season but has played significantly better alongside Jalen Chatfield. Orlov’s mostly played on the third pair averaging just 16:47 per game, so a $7.75 million cap hit may seem excessive, but you have to remember that Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce are pending unrestricted free agents and the Canes historically don’t like to hand out long-term contracts to players approaching 30 (Dougie Hamilton is just one example).
There’s a good chance Carolina signed Orlov to avoid having to dole out risky extensions to one or both of Skjei and Pesce. That means next season — when he’ll presumably play in a top-four role — will be the big test of whether the Orlov move was worth it or not.
Bunting’s been a solid add as he’s on pace for 57 points and has been a penalty-drawing machine.
DeAngelo’s inability to mesh with Orlov on the third pair has resulted in him appearing in just 20 games.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Notable additions: Ivan Provorov (acquired for 2023 No. 22 pick and a conditional second-round pick), Damon Severson ($6.25 million, eight years)Early return: The Provorov trade isn’t as bad as it may seem on the surface.
Yes, he’s overmatched playing 23 minutes per game, but he’s done a serviceable job considering the team quality around him. The Blue Jackets acquired him at a retained $4.725 million cap hit, which expires at the end of next season, so Columbus can easily flip him at next year’s deadline and recoup significant assets (especially if they retain on Provorov’s already shrunken cap hit). In the meantime, Provorov is shouldering heavy minutes this season and next so blue-chip defense prospects Denton Mateychuk and David Jiricek have extra time to properly develop.
The Severson signing, on the other hand, is likely going to age poorly. Severson’s a slick offensive puck-mover prone to defensive mishaps. He’s a solid defenseman and his $6.25 million cap hit isn’t too bad, but eight years of term for him starting at 29 years old looks problematic. This is a contract for a win-now team to sign, not one that isn’t even close to a playoff spot.
Detroit Red Wings
Notable additions: Alex DeBrincat (acquired for a conditional first-round pick, fourth-round pick and Dominik Kubalik), J.T. Compher ($5.1 million, five years), Shayne Gostisbehere ($4.125 million, one year), Patrick Kane ($2.75 million, one year), Justin Holl ($3.4 million, three years), Jeff Petry (acquired for Gustav Lindstrom and a fourth-round pick), Daniel Sprong ($2 million, one year), James Reimer ($1.5 million, one year)Early return: DeBrincat’s injected much-needed top-of-the-lineup scoring ability. The diminutive sniper is on pace for a team-high 36 goals and 82 points. DeBrincat will cost the Red Wings just a late first-round pick (they can elect to surrender Boston’s 2024 first-rounder from the Tyler Bertuzzi trade) and spare parts, making this a home-run acquisition.
Detroit made it a huge priority to add offensive skill and it’s succeeded (the Red Wings have jumped from 24th in goals scored per game last season to fifth best in 2023-24) but has it come at the expense of team defense? Individually, the DeBrincat, Gostisbehere (on pace for 59 points from the back end), Sprong and Kane (13 points in 14 games) acquisitions have all panned out. But all four of those players are also relatively one-dimensional scorers and collectively, the team is 27th in goals against and near the bottom of the NHL in most five-on-five play control metrics.
Reimer’s flop as the Red Wings’ backup is a big reason for the club’s December slide out of a playoff spot. The 35-year-old veteran stepped into a bigger role because of injuries and has failed — he’s lost eight of his last nine decisions, rocking an ugly .875 save percentage in that timeframe.
Compher’s five-year contract raised eyebrows but the early returns have been promising. He’s an all-situations workhorse, ranking second among Detroit forwards in averaging 19:04 per game, and was off to a blistering start with 19 points in 24 games before getting hurt. Compher’s two-way metrics are a bit soft and he’s struggled at times since returning from the injury (the Red Wings were outscored 10-3 with him on the ice at five-on-five in December) but overall, he’s been worth every penny so far.
Holl’s been fine as a third-pair defender, but his contract seems like an overpayment for what he is. Petry’s struggled.
Overall, the Red Wings’ new acquisitions have sparked a huge boost offensively but the goaltending position still lacks stability and the team’s defensive play is a glaring concern.
Florida Panthers
Notable additions: Evan Rodrigues ($3 million, four years) Niko Mikkola ($2.5 million, three years), Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($2.25 million, one year)Early return: GM Bill Zito hit it out of the park with his summer signings.
Rodrigues is on pace for a career-high 53 points. He’s meshed well on the first line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, which is one of the best trios in the league this season.
Mikkola, Ekman-Larsson and Dmitry Kulikov played an integral role in keeping the Panthers’ defense afloat through the first several weeks when Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour were injured.
Mikkola has been a steady second pair piece, averaging north of 20 minutes per game. He’s used his size and skating to drive stellar shot and scoring chance prevention numbers, which has translated to a sparkling 1.86 goals against per 60 minutes rate at five-on-five. If he can keep this level up, Mikkola’s contract is going to be a steal.
Ekman-Larsson has scored seven goals and 18 points in 37 games. He effectively caddied Gustav Forsling on the top pair at the start of the season, averaging nearly 24 minutes per game playing his off-side. OEL’s defensive numbers are a bit soft, and he’s been scaled back to third-pair usage since Ekblad and Montour’s returns, but overall, he’s crushed expectations.
Montreal Canadiens
Notable additions: Alex Newhook (acquired for the No. 31 and No. 37 picks in the 2023 draft)Early return: The Canadiens are hoping Newhook can follow in the footsteps of Kirby Dach’s breakout last season. Montreal bet that it could extract more from the speedy, high-motor forward than the win-now Avs could because of consistent, elevated opportunity and Martin St. Louis’ development model.
Newhook’s made a decent first impression. He chipped in seven goals and 13 points in 23 games, showing potential with his pace, work rate and creativity. He looked strong on the wing but struggled at center when Dach’s season-ending injury forced him to play some games down the middle.
Newhook suffered a high ankle sprain on Nov 30, with 10-12 weeks being the initial timeline for recovery, so we’ll have to wait longer to gauge whether he’ll live up to the acquisition cost or not.
New Jersey Devils
Notable additions: Tyler Toffoli (acquired for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick)Early return: Toffoli, on pace for 34 goals and 61 points, has been a terrific fit next to Jack Hughes. Toffoli’s intelligent off-puck reads, knack for finding open ice and explosive shooting release fit like a glove with Hughes’ game-breaking speed, puckhandling and playmaking.
The Toffoli trade is a slam dunk, especially given the modest price. The only question now is whether the Devils will re-sign the 31-year-old as a pending unrestricted free agent.
New York Islanders
Notable additions: A full year of Bo HorvatEarly return: The 2023-24 Islanders don’t have many new faces but there is one big difference: having Horvat for a full season alongside Mathew Barzal.
The two barely got to play together last season because of Barzal’s second-half injury. Now, Horvat’s playing around the point-per-game clip, winning his matchups as a top-line center (Islanders have outscored teams 30-18 with Horvat on the ice at five-on-five) and has boosted the Isles’ power play from 30th to 10th this season.
