Joined: Dec. 2017
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John Tavares, TOR: A+
-Tavares has fit in seamlessly, especially considering the hostile market of Toronto, the absence of Matthews, and the struggles of other high profile UFA's from the same class.
James Neal, CGY: F
-Neal was expected to play alongside Monahan and Gaudreau on the CGY top line. Obviously this hasn't materialized and he's been totally ineffective despite a big new contract. CGY's success as a team has somewhat overshadowed Neal's rough start.
Jeff Skinner, BUF: A+
-He's been the biggest bounce back player so far this year, in my opinion. BUF is the COL/NJD of 2018-19 so far, due in large part to Skinner's goal scoring prowess. And they didn't have to give up much to get him.
Ryan O'Reilly, STL: B+
-His 2-way game has translated well to his new team, but he hasn't really developed great chemistry w/ Vlad Tarasenko...yet.
Ilya Kovalchuck, LAK: C
-LAK has been arguably the biggest disappointment so far this season, and w/ an AAV of $6.25M Kovalchuck hasn't lived up to lofty expectations. Safe to say the KHL is NOT the NHL.
Max Pacioretty, VGK: C+
-After a very sluggish start, Pacioretty has shifted his game into high gear. He's scored 6G in his last 5 games.
J.V.R, PHI: C-
-Probably a little too soon to pass judgment on J.V.R b/c he missed the first 15 or so games and PHI has been a disappointment as a team, but he's a PP specialist who hasn't contributed a lot 5 on 5 considering his huge price tag.
Max Domi, MTL: A+
-Domi is experiencing a breakout season on his new team and has provided incredible contract value ($3.15M AAV).
Tyler Bozak, STL: C
-He's been the subject of a lot of negative press so far, but his offensive numbers (3G, 8A) are actually pretty close to the pace he was on last season in TOR. However, his $5M AAV would suggest his offensive production should be a little higher, especially w/ an increased role in STL.
David Perron, STL: C+
-Perhaps there were unrealistic expectations after he posted a ridiculous 66 points w/ Vegas last season, but Perron has been okay w/ his new team. It's really the goaltending that's caused STL to under perform so far.
Erik Karlsson, SJS: C
-I think the expectations were too high for Karlsson in SJS, and they should hold off on an extension for as long as possible. Having Karlsson and Burns is somewhat redundant b/c so much of their offensive production comes from the PP, and there's only so much ice time to go around. Just look at how Chabot has had a breakout season in OTT w/ Karlsson's departure. No way that happens w/ Karlsson still in OTT. I'm not sure I see the value in SJS offering a $10M+ AAV contract to Karlsson right now.
Carter Hutton, BUF: A-
-Obviously STL held on to the wrong Goalie. Hutton's numbers are far superior to those of Jake Allen, despite playing behind a much more inexperienced defense.