It’s been two weeks since the NHL trade deadline. Is that enough time to say whether a move was season-altering, irrelevant, smart or disastrous?
Probably not. If your team acquired a player on March 7, odds are he’s played six or seven games. That isn’t enough of a sample size to draw any grand conclusions.
It is enough, however, to warrant a progress report. Most teams, whether they arrived via trade or AHL call-up, have a new player (or two, or three) to work into the mix. And while two weeks isn’t a ton of time, there also isn’t a ton of time left in the regular season, either. It’s time to check-in with the new guys.
And if your team’s lineup hasn’t changed in any real way since the holidays, or whatever — maybe next year.
Last week: 2
Sean’s ranking: 1
Dom’s ranking: 1
Sometimes the biggest fish turns out to be a dud. Sometimes he takes a little bit of time to acclimate to his surroundings. Not Power Rankings HQ’s favorite son Jake Guentzel, though, who has immediately stormed onto the scene to show that he’s much more than just Sidney Crosby’s sidekick. He’s got eight points in six games, 75 percent of the expected goals and has outscored opponents 6-0. Sheesh.
Guentzel has fit like a glove with the Hurricanes, which is no surprise given his style and savvy. He’s meshed particularly well with Seth Jarvis with some slick passing plays that make it look like the duo have played together for years, not weeks.
The give and go between Guentzel and Jarvis 🔥 pic.twitter.com/No09pMbw0K
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 20, 2024
Last week: 3
Sean’s ranking: 2
Dom’s ranking: 2
The early returns on Walker, added to give the Avs an offensive element on their second or third pair, have been solid. Colorado has outscored opponents 5-3 with him on the ice and adequately controlled the run of play, and his knack for joining the rush (or leading it, in this case) has paid off a few times.
Some wild back-and-forth hockey in this one but it’s Sean Walker who breaks the ice with his first as a member of the @Avalanche! 🏔️ pic.twitter.com/HNKZFXfyNw
— NHL (@NHL) March 17, 2024
He scored another one against Edmonton on March 16, posting a Game Score of 5.08. Not a bad precursor, given how the Western Conference playoff bracket could shake out.
Last week: 4
Sean’s ranking: 4
Dom’s ranking: 4
The reason the Stars acquired Tanev was clear — they needed a right-shot defenseman to play behind Miro Heiskanen and help shoulder at least some of the load, especially with the playoffs looming. Seven games in, that’s exactly what Dallas has gotten; Tanev, along with Jani Hakanpää, has started tons of his shifts in the defensive zone and still succeeded, posting positive goal-share numbers and the lowest expected goals/against per 60 on the team.
4. Edmonton Oilers, 42-21-3
Last week: 5
Sean’s ranking: 5
Dom’s ranking: 3
The Oilers put up a seven-spot on Thursday night against the Sabres — surely you’d find Henrique’s name somewhere on the scoresheet, right? Nope. Edmonton’s new third-line center has just two points in seven games as an Oilers, but that’s fine if he’s doing his part territorially. Unfortunately, he’s not doing that either with just 31 percent of the expected goals coming into Thursday’s game. He did improve in that regard against Buffalo, but it’s still difficult to say he’s made a tangible impact. Considering the cost to acquire him and the stakes this season carries, he’s going to have to figure things out sooner rather than later.
Last week: 1
Sean’s ranking: 3
Dom’s ranking: 6
Tarasenko put on a show in his second game as a Panther with two goals and an assist on the top line. Aside from that, though, he’s been mostly invisible, with zero points in the other five games and only five shots on net. His underlying numbers are also way below average and that’s while predominantly playing…
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