With the NHL season underway, several teams are hoping new players will help lead them to the playoffs.
Here are five players with new teams who should make the biggest impact:
Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators goaltender
The Senators acquired the former Vezina Trophy winner from Boston for a first-round pick this offseason to improve their goaltending, which had a league-low .884 save percentage last season. Ullmark played 40 games last season with the Bruins, splitting time with Jeremy Swayman.
He ultimately was replaced as the starting goaltender in the playoffs, but he’s not declining. In his three seasons in Boston, he sported a .924 save percentage — the highest in the league during that time.
Ullmark recently signed a four-year extension with Ottawa and should once again be a top-10 goaltender. If the Senators get back into the playoffs, he’ll be a big reason why.
Steven Stamkos, Nashville Predators forward
After 16 seasons and two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stamkos signed a four-year, $42M contract with Nashville on the first day of free agency. The former Rocket Richard Trophy winner had 19 power-play goals last season and should help improve the Nashville’s 16th-ranked man advantage.
Stamkos begins the season on the team’s second line with Nashville’s other new forward signed in free agency, Jonathan Marchessault, and will solidify the Predators’ top six as one of the best groups in the league.
Mikhail Sergachev, Utah Hockey Club defenseman
Utah acquired former Tampa Bay star Sergachev, who will make $8.5 million a year for the next seven years, in a draft-day trade for J.J. Moser, Conor Geekie, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick. Clearly wanting to make a splash in the franchise’s first season, Utah added a solid top-four defenseman who can provide offense from the back end.
Sergachev will provide an immediate impact on the top pairing with Sean Durzi and will also run the team’s first power-play unit. In his past three seasons with the Lightning, the 26-year-old Russian scored 121 points in 191 games and posted 341 blocks and 305 hits.
As Utah hopes to push for the playoffs in a tough Central Division, look for Sergachev to provide an immediate impact on the blue line.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Detroit Red Wings forward
Signed a few days after free agency opened, Tarasenko left the Cup-winning Florida Panthers to join a Detroit squad desperate to make the postseason. The eight-time 20-goal scorer will add to a Red Wings offense that already was a top-10 scoring team in the league.
Tarasenko will start the season with veteran Patrick Kane, and the two will shore up a second line that played inconsistently in 2023-24. He’ll also be featured on the team’s power play, which finished in the top 10 last season. Expect Tarasenko to provide Detroit with another 20-goal season and solidify an offensive core that could once again be among the league’s best.
Chris Tanev, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman
Tanev, 34, signed a six-year contract that will take him to his age-40 season. Although that contract may not be great in those final years, the Maple Leafs were clearly focused on the present as they attempt to improve their defensive core.
A 15-year veteran, Tanev is known as one of the best defenders in the game, with 1,656 blocked shots to his name.
On the flip side, Toronto allowed the fourth-most shots of any playoff team last season, and with 26-year-old Joseph Woll stepping into the starting goaltender role for the first time in his career, it will need a stalwart like Tanev on its blue line. Look for him to eat up minutes for the Maple Leafs and to stabilize their in-zone defense.
