Canadiens, Blue Jackets Dominate NHL’s True MVP List

It’s worth taking a closer look at players who changed teams over the past three seasons.

It’s easy to assume that some of them turned out to be just as influential as the league’s biggest names.

The only thing to keep in mind is that the fewer games a player has appeared in, the less representative his Impact and Impact/60 numbers will be.

A good example is Sean Monahan — the same center who made noise alongside Voronkov and Marchenko in the 2024–25 season. Monahan played only 54 games, during which his team outscored opponents 53–28 (+25). Without him, the Blue Jackets’ 2024-25 numbers were 148–151 (–3). His overall Impact is solid at +28, but his Impact/60 stands out even more — 2.07, about 25% higher than Voronkov’s or Marchenko’s mark. Monahan was clearly a key piece for Columbus, but his sample size is simply too small for a fair comparison.

Among players who changed teams in the past three years but played at least 123 games for one of them, one name stands out — perhaps surprisingly — Mattias Ekholm in Edmonton. Many have credited him with stabilizing the Oilers’ defense, and the numbers back that up.

In 165 games with Edmonton, the Oilers outscored opponents 174–111 (+63) with him on the ice, compared to 244–253 (–9) without him. His Impact is an impressive +72, and his Impact/60 sits at 1.39 — good enough for fourth place in our rankings, between MacKinnon (1.45) and Cole Caufield (1.35).

Here’s the top five most influential players who changed teams in the past three years and played at least 100 games for one of their clubs.

Player

Team

TOI/GP

Impact/60

With

Without

Impact

Mattias Ekholm

EDM

165