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NHL: How are new faces doing with their new teams?

By Jeremy Tuch

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 06: Toronto Maple Leafs Center John Tavares (91) looks towards the photographer during the regular season NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 6, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Jeff Chevrier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 06: Toronto Maple Leafs Center John Tavares (91) looks towards the photographer during the regular season NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 6, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Jeff Chevrier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

A first impression is always the most important one to make. After the first 10 plus games of the NHL season, let’s take a look at how the top players who’ve moved teams are doing, and how much their team may be enjoying their company.

The NHL regular season is now in full swing, and players are getting into their normal grooves and teams are experiencing the ebbs and flows of the year. It’s usually now that we get used to seeing players who’ve switched teams in their new uniforms and to see how they’re fitting in with their new squads.

That being said, the season is also very young, and it’s too soon to count out anyone from making a push for a playoff spot. It’s also a very small sample size for judging how a player is acclimating to his new home.

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But who cares about all that? You see that new player make one mistake that leads to a goal in the other direction, and you’re having regrets immediately about locking that guy up for 3-6 years. Or you see a guy score a hat trick in his third game, and the good feelings ride for a while because one game makes him clearly worth it.

This is what we’re going to look at today. We’ll go through the top 20 acquisitions, via trade or free agency, and check in on their early progress with their new team.

We will not be using the typical scale of 1-10, or A+ to F, rather we will be grading on the David Clarkson Regret-o-meter. The scale works as follows: 1 David Clarkson means no regerts, everyone is happy, and five David Clarksons means you have a David Clarkson situation on your hand, where no one liked the deal when it was signed, and the player seems to be justifying that with poor play.

For those who don’t know or remember, David Clarkson signed a 7 year deal with Toronto in the summer of 2013 and got suspended for the first 10 games of his Maple Leafs career, playing just 118 games before being chased out of town, and going onto long-term injured reserve with Columbus.

So let’s take a look at the biggest names that changed teams, and how they’re doing after the first month of the season.

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