Top Five NHLers thriving with new teams
OK, sure, it’s still early days. But it’s always fun catching up with how some of the top UFAs from the past summer have lived up to their deals with new teams.
So far, all NHL clubs have played between two and four games, with mixed results for some of the top names. Johnny Gaudreau, the biggest name on the market in July, has two points in three games for Columbus, but the team has come up empty-handed. In Calgary, Nazem Kadri is tied for the team lead with three points in two games, showing why he was so coveted after winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado.
These five players, in particular, deserve some praise for their early work. Here’s a look at five standouts that have found success with their new teams early on:
David Perron, LW, Detroit Red Wings
Perron, 34, was brought to Detroit to serve as a veteran presence for a young team in need of experience. Perron is having a Ray Whitney-style career – managing to stay relevant offensively in his mid-30s – and he already has three goals and four points in three games. With Lucas Raymond as the No. 1 right winger, Perron has slotted in spectacularly on the second line, giving the team solid scoring depth. That’ll be especially important with Tyler Bertuzzi out for the next month, too. If there’s anything St. Louis fans can take solace in, it’s that if history has told us anything, Perron will be back with the Blues before too long.
Dylan Strome, C, Washington Capitals
The Capitals desperately needed someone to step up down the middle in Nicklas Backstrom’s absence and Strome has done precisely that. Through four games, Strome has four points while finding success with various teammates. Strome has been aggressive on the attack, forcing turnovers and making himself tough to play against. Strome is on a one-year deal, but with how he’s playing, you have to imagine the Caps will look to extend him next summer.
Mason Marchment, LW, Dallas Stars
After a breakout season with Florida, Marchment earned a nice $4.5 million payday to help Dallas with its scoring woes. So far, so good, with Marchment scoring five points over three games in Dallas’ middle six. With Jason Robertson the clear No. 1 left winger, and Jamie Benn struggling to produce these days, adding Marchment has proven to be huge for the Stars early on. Turns out his offensive outburst likely wasn’t a case of just playing on a stacked team, huh?
Vincent Trocheck, C, NY Rangers
With Strome gone, Trocheck has slotted in nicely with the Rangers this season. He’s already up to five points in four games, working alongside Artemi Panarin to cause absolute havoc. Trocheck is a perfect No. 2 center in the NHL thanks to his intelligent decision-making, offensive instincts and two-way play, so adding him to a Rangers team with multiple talented scoring options has worked out very well early on. And, hey, if he can help kickstart Alexis Lafreniere’s play on a more consistent basis, that’s a huge score.
Nino Niederreiter, RW, Nashville Predators
With four goals in four games, Niederreiter has flourished in Smashville so far. Niederreiter’s chemistry with Ryan Johansen and Eeli Tolvanen has been apparent early on as they are the team’s top three scorers. Niederreiter to Nashville seemed like an obvious fit – he and Johansen were so dangerous together with Portland in the WHL. While that was more than a decade ago, they haven’t lost any of that magic early on.
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