Best and worst offseason acquisitions at NHL quarter mark

The Stanley Cup was awarded June 17. The regular season started October 7. Hundreds of players switched teams through trades and free agency between those key dates. How are those newcomers doing? We've identified the best and worst acquisitions at the quarter mark of the 2025-26 campaign.

Best offseason acquisitions

Noah Dobson, Canadiens: Montreal's blue line was incomplete last season. The addition of Dobson has allowed everybody else to click into place on a depth chart that includes the talented trio of Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, and Kaiden Guhle (currently injured). Dobson, 25, is still a young NHLer. He's mobile and poised, wields a very good defensive stick, and has picked up 13 points in 20 games despite scoring on only 2.8% of his shots.

The Canadiens acquired Dobson in June for the present and future, signing him to an eight-year, $76-million extension upon arrival from the Islanders. New York's undoubtedly happy with the haul it received in return (top-six winger Emil Heineman and the picks used to select high-end prospects Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson), yet the Dobson-Habs fit is off the charts.

Josh Doan, Sabres: The 23-year-old winger was part of the June trade that sent rising Sabres star JJ Peterka to the Mammoth. While Peterka's doing well in Utah, Doan's been a revelation in Buffalo - exactly what the Sabres needed.

The son of Coyotes franchise icon Shane Doan is a tone-setter: responsible in all three zones, relentless on the forecheck, and creative with the puck on his stick. Similar to Zach Benson, Doan injects connective tissue to a top six that, when healthy, features Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jiri Kulich, and Josh Norris. Doan, who's logging 15:39 a night, ranks fourth on the team in points, second in shots on goal, second in individual expected goals, second in penalty differential, first in five-on-five on-ice expected goals share, and first in takeaways.

Trevor Zegras, Flyers: Philadelphia acquired Zegras in hopes that a change of scenery would jolt the 24-year-old's flatlined career, and the early returns are fantastic. Zegras, who's never come close to reaching point-per-game status, has posted six goals and 14 assists in 19 games. He drives play, consistently feeds linemates slot passes, and is a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout.

Looking like a more well-rounded player, Zegras has been rewarded with the second-most minutes among Flyers forwards. He's transitioned seamlessly on and off the ice, jibing with fellow core pieces and the coaching staff. It's official, folks: General manager Daniel Briere hit a home run in June when he sent depth forward Ryan Poehling and two draft picks to Anaheim for Zegras.

Arturs Silovs, Penguins: Pittsburgh is first in the NHL in team save percentage in large part due to Silovs' excellence. Case in point: Sportlogiq awards a quality start every time a goalie posts a positive goals saved above expected value, and Silovs already has nine quality starts in 11 appearances.

Silovs, a 2019 sixth-round pick out of Latvia, was named AHL playoff MVP last season as a member of the Calder Cup-winning Abbotsford Canucks. Vancouver traded the 24-year-old to Pittsburgh in July for AHL winger Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick because it had two other NHL goalies. The Canucks' front office surely regrets the move. Silovs is not only six years younger than No. 2 guy Kevin Lankinen but also brimming with potential.

Honorable mentions: Andre Burakovsky (Blackhawks), Vladislav Gavrikov (Rangers), Mitch Marner (Golden Knights), Victor Olofsson (Avalanche)

Worst offseason acquisitions

Cody Ceci, Kings: Los Angeles has been outscored 15-7 during Ceci's 339 five-on-five minutes this season. That 31.8% goal share is tied for 423rd out of 451 players who've logged 200 minutes. It's not simply bad puck luck, either, as the Kings are getting dominated territorially with Ceci on the ice.

If used and deployed carefully, Ceci can be a decent third-pair defenseman. If he isn't, well, the opposition feasts. The worst part of the equation is his contract. On July 1, most pundits said the Kings were insane for giving the slow 31-year-old a four-year deal at $4.5 million per season, and here we are.

Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua, Maple Leafs: Roy, picked up in the Marner sign-and-trade deal with Vegas, looked like the answer to Toronto's third-line center problem. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder has instead blended into the action most nights. In 19 games, Roy's contributed one goal, three assists, and the rare staunch defensive play. He's currently on injured reserve.

Joshua, acquired in a July trade that saw a fourth-round pick head to Vancouver, is another newcomer who's not living up to his billing. He's provided little substance beyond five points in his first 21 games for the 9-9-3 Leafs. If Joshua was on an expiring, league-minimum contract, no biggie. But he's making $3.25 million annually through 2027-28 and thus expected to make an impact.

Evander Kane, Canucks: Only two NHLers fit this description at the quarter mark of the season: plays forward, has logged at least 300 minutes at five-on-five, and hasn't scored a single goal in those minutes. Young Kraken playmaker Matty Beniers is one. Perennial 20-goal-scorer Kane is the other.

The Canucks acquired Kane from the Oilers for a fourth-rounder, so, like Joshua and the Leafs, the trade itself isn't the problem. The issue is the lack of value Kane is providing relative to his sizable cap hit and premium role. Kane, 34, is making $5.125 million in the final season of a four-year deal and logging 18:07 a night alongside some of Vancouver's top players. Yet he's pitched in an underwhelming three goals and eight assists in 22 games. Not good enough.

Logan Mailloux, Blues: The 22-year-old was demoted to AHL Springfield in early November after nine miserable games in St. Louis. Mailloux's five-on-five goal differential rests at a cringe-worthy minus-12, yet he's just one of several players, including both goalies, with poor numbers on the 6-9-6 Blues.

Young defensemen struggle all the time. Mailloux makes this list primarily because his GM, Doug Armstrong, tried to fit a square peg into a round hole. In June, St. Louis traded promising winger Zack Bolduc (19 goals in 72 games as a rookie) to Montreal for Mailloux, one for one, under the assumption that Mailloux could immediately slide seamlessly into the Blues' top four. That obviously hasn't happened. While Bolduc's season hasn't been perfect, his shooting ability, speed, and motor provide versatility to the Canadiens' forward group. Bolduc has the higher floor and arguably the higher ceiling.

Honorable mentions: Nicolas Hague (Predators), John Klingberg (Sharks), Jeff Skinner (Sharks), Vladimir Tarasenko (Wild)

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter/X (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).