Offseason Moves Already Paying Off in the 2016-17 NHL Season
Small sample size. Not enough data. Too early to judge. All of those and many more are valid criticisms of the following NHL slideshow.
But the headline does not say anything about the early offseason moves that are already paying off becoming permanent. The facts are simply that the following NHL players, either acquired through trade or free agency, are already paying strong dividends to their teams, through the first two-and-a-half weeks of the regular season.
Criteria for inclusion is not limited to, but is helped by, if the player's strong start is something of a surprise. It should not be a surprise if Shea Weber is off to a good start. But the fact that he is off to an otherwordly start with the Montreal Canadiens made him a selection for this list.
Weber, in fact, starts off the six-player slideshow, so it's a pretty selective list. Who was left out? Who didn't deserve inclusion on this list? Click the comment tab and let me hear it.
Adrian Dater covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. Statistics courtesy of Hockey Reference unless otherwise noted.
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
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Why he's been a great find so far
There were instant hysterics in some parts of the local media when the Montreal Canadiens traded popular defenseman P.K. Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber. The trade might prove the "Worst in Canadiens History," according to one columnist.
So far, Weber has dished out heaping platters of eggs onto the faces of him and other doubters with his play for the Canadiens. In his first seven games for the Habs, Weber had three goals and nine points, a plus-12 and a staggering 114.4 PDO for a 6-0-1 club. He played more than 24 minutes in another Montreal win Thursday night over Tampa Bay.
Meanwhile, Subban, though he had five points in his first six games with the Predators, had a minus-five and a poor 48.3 Corsi for percentage for a 2-4-0 team. Subban is a quality player and even better guy, so there is no rooting against him here. But still...
We're still in a very small sample size, so the pro-Subban crowd may still laugh last on this deal. But so far? Uh, no, the Patrick Roy-to-Colorado trade in 1995 is in no danger of this one surpassing it as worst in Canadiens history. Not even close.
Thomas Vanek, Detroit Red Wings
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Why he's been a great find so far
Vanek once was a premier name in the league, but he was given a "high-priced, underachiever" tag after signing a big contract with the Minnesota Wild and giving less than full value in return.
It's much easier to get praise as the modestly paid, still-talented guy. Vanek's numbers through his first seven games—four goals, four assists—might have been considered normal during his days with the Buffalo Sabres.
But for a guy on a one-year, $2.65 million contract, Vanek has been getting rave reviews in Detroit. Minnesota bought out the final year of his three-year, $19.5 deal, and Vanek seems to have taken it personally.
Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils
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Why he's been a great find so far
Five goals in his first six games for the New Jersey Devils. For Taylor Hall, it's been a fine start for his new team after several years in Edmonton.
The Devils went 3-2-1 in those six games. The Oilers haven't seemed to miss him yet, with Adam Larsson, the player for whom he was traded, playing well too. But Hall has shown he is motivated to be the best player in this deal. His talent has never been questioned, but many wondered how quickly Hall would acclimate himself to New Jersey, in a new conference far from where he "grew up" as a player.
Those doubts have been quelled so far.
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Patrick Wiercioch, Colorado Avalanche
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Why he's been a great find so far
He's big (6'5", 205 pounds) and just 26, and has had 211 games of NHL experience with Ottawa before this season. But the Senators chose not to offer the lefty-shooting defenseman a new contract, and the Avalanche offered him a new home.
Colorado offered just a one-year, $800,000 contract, and so far they are getting a heck of a deal. Wiercioch (pronounced "Weer-Kosh") had five points in his first five games. If he were a free agent today, he'd probably get $4 million a year, minimum.
Amazingly, Wiercioch already had as many points in five games as he had in 52 for Ottawa last season.
Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild
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Why he's been a great find so far
Rightly viewed as one of the league's top players as recently as two or three years ago, Staal's stock dropped drastically after a disastrous stint with the New York Rangers following a deadline deal with Carolina last season.
New York cast him off to the free-agent market, and some thought the Wild were chasing after fool's gold when they signed Staal to a new three-year, $10.5 million contract. In his first eight games with the Wild, Staal had three goals and three assists, playing 18-20 minutes a game on average.
People forget: It seems like he's been around forever (he won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes way back in 2006), but he's still only 31. New York, in a rush-rush late-season scenario, wasn't the right fit for him, after so many years with the Hurricanes.
Now that he's had a chance to catch his breath, Staal is looking more like his old self again.
Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
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Why he's been a great find so far
Derick Brassard has been good so far with the Ottawa Senators, with four points in six games. But Mika Zibanejad has been the best player so far in the offseason trade involving the two.
Zibanejad had seven points in his first seven games, the best production pace of his still-young career. The 23-year-old Swede also had a strong 56.4 Corsi for percentage. He always showed promise with the Senators, but he never truly broke out.
As a leading man with the Rangers, the breakout for Zibanejad is starting to happen.
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