NHL superstars on new teams this season

Since arriving in the NHL at the start of the 2015-16 season, only seven players in the league have recorded more points than Panarin's 320. He is one of the most dominant offensive players in the league, a game-changer every single time he steps on the ice, and still right in the middle of his prime. Most long-term free agent contracts are destined to end in a buyout or a trade, but Panarin could be one of the exceptions who is worth the price. The Rangers are adding a ton of impact talent to their lineup this season, and Panarin figures to play a huge role for them in the short-and long-term outlook. 

This might be the most perfect match of the offseason. The Panthers needed a goalie. Bobrovsky was the best one available on the open market and has been one of the top-five goalies in the league for the past seven years. Maybe in four years he is not worth the who gets the Panthers back in the playoffs. The Blue Jackets will miss him more than any of their offseason departures. 

The biggest issue the Stars had a year ago was that the team was entirely too top heavy, relying too much on its top line to carry the offense. Dallas is hoping the addition of Pavelski, one of the league's top goal-scorers the past six years, can help fix that depth. He may not repeat his 38-goal season from a year ago, but he should still be a solid bet to score 25-30 goals for the Stars. 

The biggest blockbuster trade of the offseason saw the Nashville Predators dump Subban's contract on the Devils. Nashville did it to create salary cap space to go after Matt Duchene, and the Devils were the only team willing to take on the entirety of Subban's remaining deal. The Devils desperately needed a top-pairing defender and while he may have lost a half step over the years, Subban is still one of the game's most electrifying players from the blue line. 

One of the final big moves Paul Fenton made before being fired as general manager of the Wild was signing Zuccarello to a five-year contract. It carries some risk because Zuccarello is another player on the wrong side of 30 signed to a long-term deal, but he should still have a couple of strong years remaining. He brings speed and playmaking ability to a lineup that badly needs both. 

The marriage between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Kessel had run its course and resulted in an offseason trade to the Arizona Coyotes. Kessel reunites with Rick Tocchet and gives the Coyotes the type of elite goal-scoring winger they have lacked for...well...decades. The Coyotes barely missed the playoffs a year ago and adding one of the league's best offensive players might be enough to help get them back in the postseason for the first time since the 2011-12 season. 

Duchene joining the Predators was one of the worst-kept secrets of the offseason. Everyone knew it was going to happen, and the Predators wasted no time getting him on the roster. They needed another impact forward to help drive the offense and run the power play, and he certainly checks all of the boxes. They had to give up P.K. Subban to make enough room under the salary cap to get him. 

After spending the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks, Perry found himself as a free agent this summer due to his contract being bought out. He signed a one-year, bargain contract with the Dallas Stars. His game has rapidly declined over the past couple of years due to age and injury, and the Ducks no longer felt his contract was worth the salary cap hit. He was a franchise icon for the Ducks and one of the best players to ever play for the franchise. Now he moves on to a secondary role with the Stars where they hope he can fix their depth. 

A Trouba trade out of Winnipeg was inevitable as he never wanted to be there long term, hoping to get to a city that would allow his fiance to further her career (she works in the medical field). That took them to New York. Trouba will strengthen a Rangers defense that needs another strong top-four presence. He is a big part of the Rangers' successful offseason that has seen their rebuild really take off. 

Kadri is a complicated player because he is an outstanding two-way center who perfectly blends shutdown defense and 30-goal offense. He is the type of player a Stanley Cup contender not only wants but also needs. So why was Toronto so willing to trade him? Probably because he plays on the edge of the line, often forgets where it is and does something stupid that results in a poorly timed penalty or a suspension. He managed to get himself suspended in each of the past two postseasons, punishments that no doubt played a role in the Maple Leafs' defeats. The Avalanche need to keep him on the right side of the line. 

After a career year that saw him finish as a Vezina Trophy finalist and win the Masterton Trophy, Robin Lehner found himself on the open market after being unable to come to terms on a new contract with the New York Islanders. That took him to the Blackhawks on a one-year deal where he will share the net with Corey Crawford and serve as an insurance policy in case Crawford misses more time. He was probably the biggest factor in the Islanders' success a year ago. 

After being a thorn in their side as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, Simmonds joined the Devils this summer on a one-year, $5 million contract. He is part of the Devils' big offseason that has seen them try to keep up with the rest of the Metropolitan Division powers. His game has declined significantly, but he can still be a force in front of the net. 

After years of rumors that they were considering a deal, the Colorado Avalanche finally traded Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot, sending him to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nazem Kadri. Barrie is a highly productive defender and should help a Maple Leafs defense that has been its Achilles' heel for a couple of years now. The Avalanche are loaded with young, impact defenders (Cale Makar, Sam Girard, Bowen Byram), making Barrie expendable, especially since the trade helped them bolster their forward depth. 

One of the most curious moves of the offseason was the Islanders allowing Robin Lehner, arguably their most valuable player a year ago, to walk in free agency and replace him with an older, lesser player on a more expensive contract. When Varlamov is healthy he can be a solid goalie, but he misses a lot of games and has been fairly inconsistent over the past few years. This could be a big downgrade for the Islanders. 

This is probably the boldest signing of the summer because no one should have any idea if it is going to work out or not. Hayes is a pretty good player, but the Flyers gave him a seven-year, $50 million contract, which is an outrageous amount of money for a player who has scored more than 20 goals one time and recorded more than 50 points one time. He almost certainly will not play all seven years of this contract as a member of the Flyers. 

His time in New York was a disappointment, resulting in a buyout this summer. Shattenkirk took it personally and was not happy with how things transpired in New York, and he is determined to rebound this season. He signed a one-year, "prove it" deal with the Lightning and should be a great fit on the Lightning's blue line. 

Tampa Bay's salary cap crunch, as well as the restricted free agent status of Brayden Point, meant someone on the Lightning roster had to go. That someone was J.T. Miller. He was sent to the Vancouver Canucks for a future first-round pick. Miller is a good player who will probably be good for 20-25 goals and 50-55 points for the Canucks, but he is probably not going to be enough to move them closer to a playoff spot. 

The bloom has been off the rose for Lucic for a few years now, but he is still a big name around the NHL. His time in Edmonton didn't go as Peter Chiarelli thought it would, and it became painfully obvious early in his tenure that Lucic was not a fit in the modern NHL or next to the speedy Connor McDavid. After just 16 goals over the past two years, the remainder of his massive contract was dumped on the Flames in return for James Neal. The Flames wanted to get more physical and stronger, but those attributes don't mean much without offense and skill. This might not work out for the Flames. 

The Calgary Flames had high hopes for Neal when they signed him as a free agent, but his first year with the team was a complete disaster. It resulted in an offseason trade with their archrival, the Edmonton Oilers, that sent Neal away for another albatross contract in Milan Lucic. Initial reaction is that it's a great gamble for the Oilers because Neal, traditionally a great goal scorer with a great shot, seems far more likely to bounce back than Lucic does. 

Nyquist has some big shoes to fill going into Columbus and trying to make up for the losses of Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene. He is not going replace Panarin's production, but he is a good top-line player and is signed to a really good contract that should be a great bargain for the Blue Jackets.