Whenever a player changes teams, there’s a certain level of uncertainty entering a new situation. Will his new coach show confidence in him? Will he fill the right role? Will he gel with his new teammates? How will the fans and media in a new city treat him?
These five players have taken on bigger roles on their new clubs this season and shown positive results a quarter of the way in. Only time will tell if it lasts for a full season but for these players, they all look like they’ve found the right fit with their new teams.
Kris Russell – D – Calgary Flames
The former CHL defenseman of the year and two-time World Junior gold medalist came over to the Calgary Flames from the St. Louis Blues in an off-season trade for a 2014 5th round pick. The addition of Jay Bouwmeester in St. Louis meant a decreased role for Russell and a dip in his minutes on the power play. While the Blues may have found Russell to be expendable, the rebuilding Flames were in desperate need for some proven talent on their backend. The need for experience back there only increased when Mark Giordano went down with an injury earlier this season. For much of his NHL career with Columbus and St. Louis, Russell had settled into playing 16 to 18 minutes per night but has now suddenly found himself as a top pairing defenseman logging 23 minutes per game with Calgary. One of the benefits of a rebuilding team like the Flames is that it gives players an opportunity to take on bigger roles that they may not have gotten on other clubs. Russell is holding up well in his increased role and producing at an offensive pace that would see him double his career best if it keeps up.
“As a junior, I was thinking if a young guy has success, I thought I was going to come in and score a lot of points, score a lot of goals,” Russell told the Calgary Herald. “I was an offensive guy in junior. It didn’t transfer over quite the way I thought it would. But I feel like it’s coming a little bit. When you focus in your own zone, making plays and smart decisions defensively, I feel like offence comes and it’s easier to have a transition game.”
In a league that is constantly shifting towards more speed and skill, the 26 year-old is showing that he can handle more minutes and play in tougher situations. This showcase of his abilities comes at a perfect time because he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
Mike Santorelli – C – Vancouver Canucks
When the 27 year-old BC native signed with his hometown team in the off-season, fans were skeptical that he would even make the opening night roster. None of them could have imagined that Santorelli would establish himself as a fixture in the Canucks top six forward group and give new coach John Tortorella the flexibility to load up and play Ryan Kesler with the Sedins. The reason for skepticism was the fact that Santorelli is coming off a season where he split time between the Florida Panthers, San Antonio Rampage and Winnipeg Jets. He was averaging as low as 11 minutes per night with the Panthers last year but is now playing over 18 minutes per game and showing the form that made him a 20 goal scorer in 2010-11. It should be no surprise that Santorelli can fill the net because he’s shown the ability to score at every level. Whether it was the 43 goals in the BCHL, the 30 goals in 41 games at Northern Michigan, or the 26 in 57 games with Milwaukee in the AHL, Santorelli has always been able to score so that made it even more puzzling why his offense dried up the last few seasons. Whatever caused him to lose that form appears to be gone as Santorelli has found a fit playing under Totorella in Vancouver.
“It’s been a pretty tough two years. I needed to reestablish myself,” said Santorelli told CBC. “I had holes in my game. I got away from my strengths, my skating and using my speed.”
Santorelli has taken the first step to reestablishing himself in hopes of landing a new contract this summer. Even though it’s been a great start for Santorelli in Vancouver; expectations are high, John Tortorella is a demanding coach and he’ll face plenty of competition for those top six minutes.
Nathan Gerbe – LW – Carolina Hurricanes
As the smallest player in the NHL, Gerbe proved his detractors wrong and solidified himself as an NHL player in Buffalo. Everything looked great for Gerbe when he landed a three year deal after the 2011 season but just a few years later, he was placed on waivers and bought out by the Sabres. In an effort to prove himself all over again, Gerbe took a one-year two-way deal with the Carolina Hurricanes this off-season. With injuries to Jeff Skinner and Alexander Semin, Gerbe found more playing time in offensive situations and has already matched his point totals from all of last season.
“He really uses his size differential to his advantage,” Canes defenseman Jay Harrison said of Gerbe. “It allows him to get under checks and it allows him to get through checks that maybe a bigger guy can’t. I think that’s a big key to his success, turning what a lot of people would consider a knock into a real advantage.”
Gerbe has been one of the bright spots for a Hurricanes team that struggled early in the season and as a restricted free agent at the end of the season, he may find a permanent home in Carolina.
Andre Benoit – D – Colorado Avalanche
It took a lot of time and patience for Andre Benoit to get a legitimate shot in the NHL and he’s making the most of it. Outside of an eight game stint with the Senators in 2010-11, Benoit bounced around from the AHL to Finland, Sweden, and the KHL. The offensively gifted Benoit put up big numbers everywhere he went and finally with some excellent play back in Binghamton during the lockout, Benoit got into 33 games with Ottawa last season. Benoit managed to put up 10 points in those 33 games and it was impressive enough for the Avs to sign him as a free agent this offseason. The 30 year-old is now playing 20 minutes per night including significant time on the power play. He’s paid off for the Avs by exceeding last year’s totals and showing himself to, at least, be an offensive specialist worthy of a regular NHL gig. It’s been a long road for Benoit to get to this point but it looks like his perseverance has paid off. As a UFA at the end of the season, he shouldn’t have any problems finding a longer term deal.
Clarke MacArthur – LW – Ottawa Senators
The Lloydminster native isn’t new to playing top six minutes and producing offensively but he found his role diminished last year with the Maple Leafs. MacArthur wasn’t shy about giving his thoughts on former coach Randy Carlyle and how he felt he was treated.
“Some guys are good with the criticism and some guys don’t want to hear it every single shift you come off the ice,” MacArthur told The Star. “You’re old enough to know (you) made a mistake. You don’t need to hear it every five seconds. It weighs differently on different people and, for me, it was some long days.”
MacArthur moved on from the Leafs after three seasons, including two 20 goal years, and is back on pace for another 20 goal season with the Ottawa Senators. Unlike the other players on this list, MacArthur is well compensated at $3.25 million per year and has another year left on his deal. His motivation is about proving Carlyle wrong, bouncing back and showing that he’s a consistent 20 goal scorer. Goal scoring isn’t all that MacArthur provides as he’s also shown some pretty sick passing skills in Ottawa.
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