Offseason Moves Having the Biggest Impact on the 2014-15 NHL Season

NHL teams use the offseason as a period to rebuild, and free agency provides teams the ability to reshape their rosters. The 2014-15 season is a few weeks old, but we are already seeing some side effects of the transactions made this past summer.

Some moves that were no-brainers, such as the Patric Hornqvist for James Neal deal, have already paid expected dividends. Others, such as the Mike Ribeiro signing, have had unexpectedly good results.

These are just a few moves that have had a big impact to date, so here are some other notable moves that have played a role in the shaping of this young season.

Patric Hornqvist to Pittsburgh Penguins

Dave Reginek/Getty Images

Hornqvist is off to the greatest start of his career, and he's been a solid winger for Sidney Crosby. The duo has been widely successful this season, and it is fair to say that both have benefited from playing with each other.

Crosby leads the league in scoring with 24 points in 14 games, and his running mate has nine goals and nine assists for 18 points. The duo has been in sync since the start of training camp, and Hornqvist should be applauded for his efforts.

Finding a compatible winger for Crosby has been easier said than done over the past few years, yet the former Nashville Predator has acted like the two have been skating together for years.

Peter Laviolette to Nashville Predators

Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

The Predators are one of the best teams in the NHL. That is a phrase that not many people expected to hear this season. The Predators hired Peter Laviolette to be the team's head coach, and he's had an immense impact thus far.

He is allowing his team to play more of an offensive style. As a result, the Predators are scoring more goals. It also helps that Neal and Ribeiro are rekindling their chemistry from their days with the Dallas Stars, and that has allowed the Predators to ice a bona fide first line for the first time in a long while.

Barry Trotz set records as the franchise's lone bench boss, but the change from Trotz to Laviolette has led to Nashville looking like it can contend for a playoff spot.

Ryan Miller Signs with the Vancouver Canucks

Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Ryan Miller is 11-2-0 in 13 starts with the Vancouver Canucks. He is single-handedly transforming the team back into the playoff contender it was under Alain Vigneault, and his dominance has been unexpected.

He has a 2.46 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage, and those numbers will continue to improve as the season goes on.

Miller is starting to look like the goalie he was in his heyday with the Buffalo Sabres, and that bodes well for the entire Canucks organization. He is an early favorite to contend for the Vezina Trophy, and he will garner more attention if he can improve his other stats.

Jori Lehtera Signs with St. Louis Blues

Vladimir Tarasenko is having a phenomenal season to date, but his running mate, Jori Lehtera, has mostly flown under the radar.

Lehtera was drafted in 2008, but he opted to return to Tappara of the Finnish SM-Liiga after spending seven games with the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL. This summer, he was signed as a restricted free agent by the team that drafted him after tallying 153 points in 178 KHL games.

The move has had amazing results, as Lehtera has been a great pivot for Tarasenko, and he's posted some solid numbers as well. In 14 games, he's been a point-per-game player and provided the St. Louis Blues with some serious flexibility.

Radim Vrbata Signs with the Vancouver Canucks

Radim Vrbata has had a sizable impact with the Canucks so far this season, and he's been an underrated acquisition.

He proved to be the perfect addition to the mighty Sedin duo, and he's come through in a big way on the power play. Through 15 games, he has six goals, seven assists and 13 points, with seven of them coming on the power play.

The Sedins have been looking for someone to fit in with them over the past years, and they finally have their third man in Vrbata.

Scott Hartnell Traded to Columbus Blue Jackets

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Scott Hartnell was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a very interesting trade that sent R.J. Umberger to the Philadelphia Flyers. The deal made very little sense for the Flyers, as Hartnell was a fan favorite and a rugged scoring winger.

With the Blue Jackets, Hartnell has stepped up in a huge way, and he's provided 14 points in 15 games. The Blue Jackets have been hit hard with the injury bug, and Hartnell has provided veteran leadership and scoring that Columbus has sorely needed.

Nashville Predators Take Chance on Mike Ribeiro

Jonathan Kozub/Getty Images

Ribeiro was a big free-agent signing of the Arizona Coyotes during the summer of 2013, but he was bought out after one year, during which he only tallied 47 points.

The Coyotes cited behavioral issues as a reason to buy out Ribeiro, and it set off a red flag that a team so desperate to save money decided to pay a player not to play for it.

This summer, Predators general manager David Poile reached out and offered Ribeiro a minimal contract, and the veteran center graciously accepted it.

Ribeiro has rewarded the Predators and Poile's faith in him, and he currently has 13 points in 15 games. He's meshed well with Neal, and that duo should continue to have success for the Predators for the rest of the season.

Jason Spezza Traded to Dallas

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

This was the first major move of the summer, yet this chump somehow forgot about it. Thanks to the readers, Jason Spezza is getting the slide he deserves. Spezza has been a quality center in the NHL, and he's had elite numbers.

However, they came in the Eastern Conference, not a tougher and more physical Western Conference. Given Spezza's injury history, the biggest question remained: can he produce in a more physical setting than he was accustomed to?

Thus far, Spezza has proved his worth, and he has tallied 15 points in 16 games.

Nashville Adds James Neal

John Russell/Getty Images

James Neal was mentioned in additional slides, but he gets his own right here. He's been a great offensive player for the Predators, and he is proving that he doesn't need Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin to score. 

When he was sent out of town, there were a lot of questions as to whether or not he would be an effective player. Thus far in Nashville he has proved his critics wrong, and it will be interesting to see how close to 40 goals he will come this season.

With the Preds and his center Mike Ribeiro, Neal currently has eight goals. He's off to a great start, and bigger and better things are certainly in the cards for him.

Anton Stralman Signs with the Tampa Bay Lightning

Scott Audette/Getty Images

Anton Stralman joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free agent this summer, and he's been their best defender with Victor Hedman sidelined. The New York Rangers opted to let Stralman walk, and they signed 38-year-old Dan Boyle in his place.

Boyle returned on November 13 after missing every game since the season opener with a broken hand, and his absence from the lineup had negatively impacted the Rangers.

Stralman, on the other hand, has played swimmingly for the Lightning, and the swift Swede has 10 points in 16 games. He is also a plus-14 and has been a solid two-way defender. The Lightning's newest defender is still relatively young, so odds are this deal will have an impact that lasts way beyond this season.

Stats current prior to games played on November 14.