Eriksson goal-scoring drought at 9 games
OFF-SEASON ACQUISITIONS: Slow start by Eriksson has Canucks fans wondering what’s the deal
One month into the season and it’s official: Montreal won the Shea Weber for P.K. Subban trade.
Well, maybe that’s a tad bit too strong. At the very least, the Canadiens won the month of October.
While the Canadiens are undefeated in regulation time and Weber is a favourite to win the Norris Trophy, the Predators are the second-worst team in the NHL and Subban has a minus rating (minus-7) that would make most golfers envious.
In Edmonton, defenceman Adam Larsson has been everything ex-Oilers forward Taylor Hall wasn’t.
And while Steven Stamkos made the right decision re-signing with the Lightning, the Canucks look like they made the wrong one acquiring Loui Eriksson.
Oh, and former No. 1 overall pick Nail Yakupov may no longer be a draft bust.
These are just a sample of the snap conclusions the hockey world is making after evaluating the many off-season moves in the NHL.
Again, it’s been only a month. Things could — and probably will — significantly change between now and the end of the season.
But for now, here is a look at how some of the bigger moves have panned out:
Shea Weber, Montreal
Acquired: Traded from Nashville for P.K. Subban
Montreal went the first month of the season without a loss in regulation and Weber leads all defencemen with four goals and 10 points and a plus-12 rating in nine games.
It’s easy to look good when you have Carey Price as a goalie. Then again, Nashville’s Pekka Rinne is a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist.
P.K. Subban, Nashville
Acquired: Traded from Montreal for Shea Weber
While the Canadiens are the best team in hockey and Weber is favoured for the Norris Trophy, the Predators have the second-worst record in the NHL and Subban has a minus-7 rating. Sounds lopsided, right? Well, consider that Subban, who has five points in eight games, and the Canadiens also had a great October last season (10 points in 12 games). And we all know how that turned out.
Taylor Hall, New Jersey
Acquired: Traded from Edmonton for Adam Larsson
The Devils (4-2-2) might not be as red hot as the Oilers, but the addition of Hall has been an improvement for the team with last year’s worst offence. Hall leads the club in scoring with seven points, has scored two game-winners and has as many goals (5) as Connor McDavid. He’s a big reason New Jersey currently owns one of the two wild card spots.
Adam Larsson, Edmonton
Acquired: traded from New Jersey for Taylor Hall
Larsson doesn’t play a particularly flashy offensive game — he has no goals and only two assists — but he is ranked fifth among defencemen with 24 hits and been a much-needed solidifying force on Edmonton’s back end. It’s not accurate to say he’s the main reason the Oilers are 7-2-0 — or that the team wouldn’t have the same record with Hall in the lineup — because that ignores Connor McDavid’s impact on the team.
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay
Acquired: Free agent, eight years for $68 million
Tampa Bay has lost the last three games, but the decision to re-sign with the Lightning is turning out to be a good one for Stamkos, who has 10 points in nine games and is tied for the Rocket Richard Trophy race with six goals. And regardless of the team’s 5-4-0 record, the Lightning is still everyone’s favourite to win the Stanley Cup.
Andrew Ladd, N.Y. Islanders
Acquired: Free agent, seven years for $38.5 million
With the addition of Patrik Laine (six goals and eight points in nine games), you have to think Winnipeg made the right move in trading Ladd at the deadline and naming Blake Wheeler captain. Ladd is only 30 years old, but with no goals and one assist, he is playing like someone who is on his last legs in the league, not on the first year of a seven-year contract.
Loui Eriksson, Vancouver
Acquired: Free agent, six years for $36 million
The Canucks, who burst out of the gate with four wins, have fallen back to earth by losing their last five games. Part of the reason for the stumble is a lack of offence — seven goals in five games — particularly from Eriksson. He was supposed to be the third Sedin brother. Instead, with no goals, four assists and just 13 shots in nine games, it’s a wonder he scored 30 goals last season.
Thomas Vanek, Detroit
Acquired: Free agent, one year for $2.6 million
Some mocked the Red Wings for delaying the rebuild and signing another aging veteran — especially one who on his fifth team in the last six years. But Vanek has been a pleasant surprise, scoring four goals and eight points in seven games for a 6-4-0 Red Wings team that is in second place in the Atlantic Division.
Derick Brassard, Ottawa
Acquired: Traded from N.Y. Rangers, along with seventh-rounder (2018), for Mika
Brassard, who has five points in eight games, scored a goal in his first game. And while he hasn’t scored since, a big problem has been finding chemistry with his linemates Bobby Ryan and Ryan Dzingel. Even so, he has provided the 5-3-0 Senators with a much needed one-two punch down the middle.
Nail Yakupov, St. Louis
Acquired: Traded from Edmonton for Zach Pochiro and conditional third-rounder (2017) that becomes a second-rounder if Yakupov scores 15 or more goals.
The 2012 first overall pick was traded for the proverbial bucket of pucks after four miserable years in Edmonton. For the Blues, it’s proving to be quite the steal. Yakupov, who has two goals and four points in nine games, might never be a prototypical No. 1 pick. But with every goal he scores, he is also moving closer to Edmonton picking up a second-rounder and away from being a career bust.