Sometimes a change of scenery can jump-start a player's career. Other times, it can offer new challenges that might cause a drop in production. While we are still superearly in the NHL season, there are already trends we can spot about how coaches will use their new players.
Here are 10 skilled players who changed locations this summer and how their circumstances are shaping up:
Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders
Top linemates: John Tavares, Anders Lee
Average time on ice: 17:04
The Islanders made a move on Eberle at the right time. The skilled winger is coming off a season with the Edmonton Oilers in which he had both a career low in ice time and shooting percentage. Unsurprisingly, Eberle also posted the lowest points-per-game mark of his seven NHL seasons. His most common Oilers linemates last season were Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic, both of whom struggled to produce at even strength. Now that Eberle is playing top-line minutes with one of the NHL's elite centers in Tavares and a 34-goal scorer in Lee, there's a good chance his career will get back on track.
Patrick Marleau, Toronto Maple Leafs
Top linemates: Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov
Average time on ice: 17:30
It isn't often that a team's third line features a center who scored 32 goals the previous season, but the Maple Leafs have one of the league's most impressive groups of forwards. Playing alongside Kadri allows Marleau to focus on one job: scoring goals. He may be 37 years old, but the longtime Shark is still an excellent skater and never lost his scoring touch. Marleau potted 27 goals in 2016-17, with a 14.2 percent shooting percentage -- which is right on par with his career mark. As long as the Leafs don't ask their elder statesman to carry too much of the load, he should be able to sustain or better his performance from last season.
Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues
Top linemates: Jaden Schwartz, Dmitrij Jaskin
Average time on ice: 19:38
The Blues acquired Schenn to inject some offensive prowess into their top six, and it's worked out early this season, with four points in three games. Schenn was one of the league's top power-play scorers in 2016-17 but struggled to produce at even strength, with just eight goals. That may have been an anomaly based on his team, because he averaged a solid 14 5-on-5 goals during the previous three campaigns. Head coach Mike Yeo is clearly giving Schenn a bigger role than he had in Philadelphia, as he's clearing his previous career high in ice time by nearly two minutes per game.
Jason Pominville, Buffalo Sabres
Top linemates: Jack Eichel, Evander Kane
Average time on ice: 15:11
Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau kick-started Pominville along with several other forwards last season with his up-tempo transition style. The veteran winger produced 40 even-strength points while playing only 14:14 per game. The Sabres might be asking a lot of the soon-to-be 35-year-old to play on the top line with Eichel and Kane, but coach Phil Housley hasn't pushed his minutes too high so far this season. While Pominville might not have the quickness of his early Buffalo days, he is a very smart playmaker who can set up the rocket shots of Eichel and Kane.
Alexander Radulov, Dallas Stars
Top linemates: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn
Average time on ice: 20:16
A strong season in Montreal set Radulov up to hit the jackpot by signing in Dallas and drawing an assignment with Seguin and Benn. The Russian winger returned to the NHL last season after a four-year KHL hiatus and proved that he still belongs, by scoring 54 points and adding a defensive presence. With the Habs last season, he managed an impressive 54.2 Corsi for percentage, and that's what Radulov is expected to bring to one of the most dynamic offensive pairs in the NHL. New coach Ken Hitchcock must like what he sees from the veteran, because Radulov is playing two more minutes per game than he did last season in Montreal.
James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights
Top linemates: Cody Eakin, David Perron
Average time on ice: 17:11
The veteran goal scorer saw a dip in scoring in his final campaign in Nashville, scoring the fewest goals per game since he was 23 years old. That was on a deep Predators team that didn't have to rely on him to carry their scoring. The Golden Knights, on the other hand, do not have a bevy of dynamic shooters, so Neal should expect to see lots of power-play time and opportunity with top players. Eakin and Neal should be a nice fit, as the former Star is an underrated even-strength producer who averaged 29 5-on-5 points per season from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
Kevin Shattenkirk, New York Rangers
Top partner: Brady Skjei
Average time on ice: 23:31
The Rangers landed one of the league's elite power-play defenseman in free agency for a reasonable price. They are paying a $6.5 million cap hit for a defender who has averaged 50 points per 82 games during his career. The Blue Shirts are getting their money's worth on special teams already, with three power-play points from their new blueliner in three games. If Shattenkirk sustains his current ice-time rate, it will be the highest of his career.
Brandon Saad, Chicago Blackhawks
Top linemates: Jonathan Toews, Richard Panik
Average time on ice: 18:43
Since he came into the league, Saad has always had a happy outlook about his circumstances. He played a top-six role on two Stanley Cup teams at age 20 and 22, then, after a trade to Columbus, he signed a huge contract that carries an average annual value of $6 million. This summer, he was traded back to Chicago to play with one of the league's elite centers. In Columbus, Saad proved that he was much more than a product of the Blackhawks' system, driving play to the tune of a 54.8 Corsi for percentage last season, with 50 even-strength points. Lacking depth in their forward group, the Blackhawks are leaning heavily on him already, as Saad is playing more than a minute over his career high in average ice time.
Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets
Top linemates: Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg
Average time on ice: 19:52
Panarin won the lottery by finding quick chemistry alongside Patrick Kane in his first two seasons. He scored an impressive 77 and 74 points after coming to the NHL from Russia. He and Kane were a terrifying duo for opponents, as they are both all-around offensive players who can snipe goals or set up teammates all over the ice. There will be an adjustment period for the 26-year-old winger as he no longer skates with the world's best pure-skill player or a two-way center in Artem Anisimov. Don't cry for Panarin, though. Wennberg is a former first-round pick and impressive setup man, and Atkinson scored 35 goals last season.
Jonathan Drouin, Montreal Canadiens
Top linemates: Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher
Average time on ice: 18:39
Drouin will finally get his chance to prove he was worthy of the No. 3 overall pick in 2013. Montreal's explosive young center struggled to fit in with the Lightning organization through his three professional seasons, but he still scored a respectable 53 points in 73 games in his only season as a top-six forward. Now Drouin will get the opportunity to play big minutes with top players. But the other side of the coin is he'll also have to face the East's top stars on a nightly basis. We can only wait and see if he is up to the challenge.